Bill was fascinated by the string bass in a country music band when he was taken to a live music show as a child.  He decided then that he would learn to play one some day.

The opportunity came while Bill was in high school when free music lessons were offered on school owned instruments during summer vacation.  Bill learned to play the bass over the summer and auditioned for the school orchestra that fall.  He soon moved up to “first bass” in the orchestra and also played in a school dance band formed from members of the school band and orchestra.

After high school, Bill attended college at Central Missouri State in Warrensburg, Mo.  A fraternity brother who lived in Warrensburg had a big band style dance band that played for college and high school dances in the area.  When he learned that Bill played bass, he urged him to join the band which had no bass player at the time.  Bill decided that would be a fun way to earn extra money while going to school and bought a used bass and joined the band.  While attending CMS, Bill met Tony Rodriguez (who would later become the fiddle and mandolin player in the original Great White Possum String Company). 

After graduation from college, Bill happened to run into Tony in Kansas City one evening.  Tony told him about a group of people who gathered at the Possum Trot Pickin’ Parlor in the River Quay area of Kansas City once a week to pick bluegrass music.  Tony urged Bill to check it out.  Bill was only vaguely familiar with bluegrass music at the time but decided to do so.  He immediately liked the bluegrass sound, and as the group didn’t seem to have a bass player, he brought his bass down the next week.  Bill soon became a regular at the picking sessions.  It was at these sessions that Bill and Tony met Don, Mark, and Gary and the original Great White Possum String Co. was formed.  

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