Randy McCormick, whose dad played guitar, started playing piano by ear around the age of five. He heard a song at church one Sunday and came home and played the melody on the piano, which upset his grandmother, who said, "He shouldn't be able to do that. He's too little." Later on he took lessons for two weeks but told his father Dad, she doesn't want me to play any of the popular songs that I already play, she wants me to play these little simple children's songs." His dad replied, "Son, you can already play the piano. You don't have to take lessons if you don't want to."

He grew up in Florence, Alabama, where there were no music stores, and at age of 11 he started playing with rock bands. Keyboardist Spooner Oldham happened to have been his classmate in high school. He taught himself trumpet, which he played in the high school band.

And when he was 16 he got a phone call asking him to come to Muscle Shoals to play piano on a record with Percy Sledge. One session led to another, Barry Beckett became one of his mentors. He began working at Fame Studios and later for Muscle Shoals Sound Studio. Along the way he performed on hundreds of albums including those featuring Mac Davis, Clarence Carter, Roy Clark, Eddie Rabbitt and Dr. Hook. Randy may be best known for the keyboard lead-in for the most requested song in Jukebox history, Bob Seger’s “Old Time Rock and Roll”.

Usher Terry Raymond IV was born on October 14, 1978, in Dallas, Texas and raised in Chattanooga, Tennessee. He began singing in his church choir when he was six years old. Two years after moving with his mother and brother to Atlanta, Usher performed on the hit show Star Search, and landed a recording contract with LaFace Records soon after. He released his first, self-titled album in 1994, at age 15.

His second album,You Make Me Wanna? skyrocketed the young artist to fame, selling more than 7 million copies.

In all, the singer has won 17 Billboard Music Awards; eight Soul Train Music Awards; five Grammys; and nine awards from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, among other honors.

In 1937 Merle Haggard was born in Oildale, California, during the Great Depression. His childhood was troubled after the death of his father, and he was incarcerated several times in his youth.

After being released from San Quentin State Prison in 1960 at the age of 23, he managed to turn his life around and launch a successful country music career.

Haggard's twenty-sixth number one country hit was "I Think I'll Just Stay Here and Drink" from his 31st studio album, Back to the Barrooms in 1980.

He had a total of 38 #1 hits on Billboard's country singles chart. "I Think I'll Just Stay Here and Drink" featured a terrific piano solo by Larry Muhoberac, Elvis Presley's former pianist and ace session player.

Most pianists love Nicky Hopkins' playing - for good reason. He was one of the very best. The Rolling Stones knew it. Jeff Beck knew it. And The Beatles knew it.

That's why The Beatles asked him to play on "Revolution" - which became one of their biggest hits.

I'd like to transcribe Nicky Hopkins' electric piano part on "Revolution". If you'd like to contribute to the effort - and receive a copy of the transcription before anyone else, please email me.

And I've also won classical piano competitions performing Beethoven, Rubinstein and Saint-Saens' Piano Concerti. See me playing here. "Josie's Boogie" is quite the virtuoso dramatic minor-key showpiece; check out the ascending double-octave run at the ending... :)

Thanks to the internet, I can help you play piano better - rock or classical, by ear or by note.

Or if you live near the Hollywood Hills and are willing to wear a mask, I'll teach you in my home.

If you'd like to improve, drop me a note at info@manymidi.com. Tell me three things:

1) Your musical background

2) Where you are currently, musically-speaking

3) Your musical goals