I spent a lot of time trying to emulate my older brother Kent. He was a good artist and really encouraged my love of automobiles. He was quietly strong, stoic, and confident — characteristics I sorely lacked. Because he was three years older than me, I was able to watch him from afar, and see his successes and challenges. He led the way for all of us by being courageous enough to find the land mines before we could blow ourselves up. He had his own insecurities, I’m sure. He was taller than most, had good features, and had extremely curly hair. This would come in handy as a natural Afro in the late 60’s. He was athletic — a good runner, and was fearless. What ever he was interested in, whether it was a certain kind of music, an automobile model, or some sort of activity I could participate in, I was there, ready and willing to learn as much as I could. Kent taught me how to create a drum set with my hand, with my fingers being the snare, and the heel of my hand played the bass. It was my first introduction to creating a beat. Kent also was meticulous with drawing. I remember him being very exact with his work, and signing every copy. He was usually a good dresser and took great pains to make sure he looked good all the time. To me, he was like Beaver Cleaver’s big brother Wally. Super cool with a dorky little brother.

NEXT UP — Brother Brad