About Bruce

Bruce has personally benefited from the ministry of "Wings of Healing" and considers himself blessed to help with this ministry.

Bruce's first public performance was for his grandparent's 60th wedding anniversary in Pierson, MB. Bruce was only 8, but sang "So Let the Sunshine In" at the Pierson hall in front of family and guests. He was rather scared, but he managed. Later, when he was told how brave he was, Bruce said, "I wasn't brave - I was scared!". In that teachable moment he was told, "being brave doesn't mean that you are not scared. Being brave is when you do something even when you are scared."

The Junior Choir and later Youth Choir under Doreen Milner at the Dauphin First Baptist church provided regular chances for Bruce to sing. He never considered himself a "music person" until he started to learn the guitar.

Church continued to give Bruce opportunities to exercise his musicality, playing guitar on the music team and eventually doing solos with guitar accompaniment. Bruce considered his guitar as his main instrument and his voice as a necessary addition.

During this guitar phase, Bruce heard a lot of male quartet singing - a group formed out of his church called the "Good New Quartet". That tight male vocal harmony got into his blood stream and helped direct his next musical venture.

While attending Providence College, Bruce began taking voice lessons and singing in the college choir. At the end of his first year the choir director, Dr. Henry Schellenberg, encouraged Bruce to expand his horizons and do a voice exam. Bruce was sold on singing at this point, and agreed to go directly to the Western Board grade 8 exam, provided that Dr. Schellenberg would be his voice teacher and prepare Bruce for it.

During this preparation phase Bruce and 3 friends began their own acappella male quartet, 4Fun. 4Fun went on to become an official touring group promoting Providence College, doing two studio recordings and over 100 performances. Bruce was the lead singer, arranger, song writer and overall "slave driver" when it came to rehearsing.

Bruce not only passed his Grade 8 voice exam, but won the Silver Medal for Grade 8 voice that year.

The voice exam gave Bruce the necessary requirement to enter Brandon University's School of Music as a voice major. Unfortunately, disaster struck when, through a series of stressing vocal events, Bruce lost his voice. Bruce continued the program for two years, but finally had to give it up.

During the difficult time the followed, Bruce put his musical energies into working with instrumental ensembles, leading the fledgling music team at Willowlake Baptist Church for 4 years. He also directed the YE Band out of Providence College and was their Producer for an independently released studio recording.

Bruce also attended the School of Recording Arts of Manitoba to receive some formal technical training in recording techniques. This, plus his Computer Analyst / Programmer diploma from Red River College gave Bruce the background necessary to start his music production company, Gracenote Productions.

Bruce did get his voice back with the help of voice teacher Glen Pierce - got it back and more!

Bruce had a dream about an old friend. Following up on that dream resulted in Bruce producing several recording sessions in Nashville, TN.