Dennis Temby now based in Midland, Texas, grew up in a small town in Northern Wisconsin where summers brought mosquitoes and winters were filled with snow falls and sleds. Growing up in the Great North Woods was instrumental in developing his life long love of the outdoors. Joining the Army was his first look at life outside his beloved home state and the beginning of adventures and life changes that would lead him to settle in West Texas.
His love of music dates back to his childhood when he would sing a song for bar patrons for a candy bar and a soda. He joined choir and band in high school and occasionally played a drum solo in the local bars, again for a candy bar and a soda. He bought his first guitar when he was sixteen and, with his best friend playing the drums and sharing the vocals, would belt out tunes from the roof of his friends house. He started writing songs in the early 80’s and has been writing ever since.
In the mid 80’s the opportunity to have some of his music heard on the radio came when a local station, KBAT, started playing home tapes every night at 10PM. That was the first time a listener compared him to Gordon Lightfoot and that comparison has been made several times since. His first live performance came on September 23rd at the Mahogany Lounge in Midland Texas. When only one person showed up for an Open Mic and the venue needed some more talent he was urged by his son and a friend to give it a try. The performance turned out pretty good and created a desire to do it again.
He writes and performs simple songs from the perspective that everyone has the capacity to love deeply and hate deeply. Every one of us, under the right conditions, is capable of great things and every one of us is capable of horrible things. Some of his songs wander into self awareness and an internal struggle between right and wrong, perhaps even good and evil.
MySpace page: http://www.myspace.com/dennistemby