"Awesome Austin" is alive and well in Haines City, Florida!
Click on links below to hear samples of my music.
(Just the way you look tonight)
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Personal Bio
My name is Austin A. Preston. I am thirty-seven years old and I have loved music as far back as I can remember. I started playing guitar when I was about eight. My first real guitar was an old acoustic with high action and very poor intonation. As you can imagine, it was rough on the fingers, and at times, just as bad on the ears. A few years later, I acquired my first electric guitar. It was a Silvertone that had been passed on to me by my older brother. It was quite an improvement over the previous one, and from that time on, my playing started to take shape.
I, like many other aspiring pickers, had idolized Chet Atkins, and had an extensive collection of his records by the time I was sixteen. Most of those records are still in my collection today. Of course, I have added to that over the years. Not only in quantity, but in variety as well. Each player that I listened to had a major influence in my style, even though I was unaware of it at the time.
I began listening to country music in my early teens, and even though the guitar was my first love, I was drawn to the unique sound of the pedal steel guitar. At age sixteen, I became the proud owner of a Sho-bud Maverick steel guitar. This was a student model, with three pedals and one knee lever. It was a whole new ball game, but slowly it started to make sense. I worked with the Maverick for a while, then purchased Sho-bud Pro 1. I was playing in guitar in church at the time, and started to take the steel out occasionally. Playing in front of people is a great way to learn, and it helps to build confidence with your instrument. Gospel music was also a B-I-G part of my life growing up, and there were many opportunities to play with singing groups in the area. Any successes I enjoyed later, I owe to a lot of very tolerant musicians, singers and the people that listened to the music we played.
I later purchased another Sho-bud, a Pro 2, with two necks, (twelve strings on each neck). This one had eight pedals and four knee levers. I was still playing gospel music when I sat in with a local country band. Boy, was I nervous! I guess I did okay though, because they offered me a job that night. I did my first job real paying job about a week later in Maysville, Ky. Since then, I have played both lead and steel guitar with some of the best country bands in Kentucky, opening shows for headliners such as; Ricky Van Shelton, Tim McGraw, T. Grahm Brown and Neil McCoy. I also enjoyed working in some of the finest clubs in the area as well. During this time, I began to do studio work whenever I could. Knowing that what I was playing was being recorded, not to mention playing with some great musicians, really forced me to learn new licks and be more creative than ever. I loved working in the studio almost as much as I liked being on stage.
Toward the end of 1997, I bought my dream guitar. A white woodgrain, single neck, twelve string Emmons. I never really did much with the second neck on the Pro 2, but the sound that I got with the eleventh and twelfth strings on the E-9th neck was incredible. (at least I thought so.) So when the Emmons became available, I had to have it. My other guitars had a great sound, but this one had the sound I had been trying to emulate for years. I'm still playing that guitar, and probably will for a long, long time. I still play my other guitars as well, in fact I've added two Fender Telecasters and a Stratocaster to the collection.
I moved to Florida in February of 1998 to work for Disney . I've checked out some of the bands around here and played with a few of them, but have not gotten back into it full time yet. In the meantime though, I've been enjoying my time off from "the business" and workin' on my chops at home. I've even made a demo tape of some of my favorite stuff.
Update ....January 12, 2000 - In August of 1999, I began playing with the Justin' Case Band, a St. Cloud based country band fronted by Charlie and Loretta Hill. Their music ranges from very traditional country to current country. Included in the set list is also a variety of rock, blues and pop. Working with this band so far has truly been a pleasure as well as a educational experience since I'm now playing types of music I had previously left to the "pros". I play both lead guitar and steel with these guys and every once in a while I sneak out the fiddle.(but not too often) We currently play at several clubs throughout Central Florida and keep a fairly busy schedule. Charlie, Loretta and the rest of the band have been busy in the studio, and with the release of a new CD in the spring, things could get even better. We'll keep you posted.
Update ....June 30, 2001 - Shortly after the release of the CD, I decided to take some time off from the clubs. The band was working nearly every weekend and I wanted to spend more time with the family. Since then, I have been working with different bands here in my area, occasionally playing private parties and opry type shows. I've been very fortunate to meet some great musicians and singers as Central Florida has become home to many retired or semi-retired artist. I have also been doing session work for some of the local entertainers. It pays well and keeps me on my toes. I am also in the process of putting together my own CD. I'm sure this will take a while, but the music links above should give you an idea where I'm going with it.
At this time, my biggest rewards have come from my roots. After ten years or more, I have started playing my instruments in church. I have used the talent that I've been blessed with in many different situations, but playing for the Lord and giving back to him some of these gifts is an honor and a privilege. God has really been good to me!
Favorite Gospel Groups: Gold City , The Hinsons and Karen Peck and New River
Favorite Country Artists: Leann Rimes, Reba McEntire, Vince Gill and Merle Haggard
Favorite Musicians: (guitar) Chet Atkins, Steve Wariner, (steel guitar) Buddy Emmons, John Hughey and Ron Elliot
For the latest news in country music, be sure to check out country.com - Music
e-mail: rt_hawker@hotmail.com
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