We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Gary Renshaw a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Gary, looking forward to learning from your journey. You’ve got an amazing story and before we dive into that, let’s start with an important building block. Where do you get your work ethic from?
My Father & Mother shaped my work ethic and the way i approach all my projects. My Father, would get up every weekday morning at 4:30 am, turn on the coffee pot, leave at 6 am, only to return at 6 pm with a piece of candy or bubble gum for my sister and I. On the weekends it was non-stop Football, Baseball or Hockey Games that my sister or i played that consumed his time. My father drove us to every practice and game, bought all our equipment and stood in the stands on all those cold winter nights. He shaped my drive, my passion and my ability to overcome things i thought i could never do, just by being the man he was, and always being there with encouragement and support. When it came to my passion for music and the arts, he was my first fan and biggest fan, buying my first drum set at the age of 5. He loved to bring my mother, who has been in a wheelchair with M.S. since i was a teenager, to every show i performed at, smiling from ear to ear.
My mother, a elementary school teacher for kid’s with Disabilities, made it easy to be proud and amazed. Her big heart and the need to help others was on full display. I learned compassion, caring and selflessness from an early age, to this day credit my Mother for making me the man i am. My Father made me tough and smart, my Mother gave me the moral grounding that propelled me to do better and help people. They are the reason i started the charity Artist’s for Multiple Sclerosis and i am thank full everyday that i have the ability to help.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
While living in South Florida, i was hired and toured with members of Lynyrd Skynyrd, Molly Hatchet, Blackfoot & Tribal Tongue, playing the drums and seeing the world from 2000 to 2010. After 10 great years on the road i decided to take a break and head back to Sunny South Florida and see what the world had in store for me. In 2011, i started a music tribute project to the rock band Led Zeppelin, called the Pure Zeppelin Experience. www.purezeppelin.com
We will be celebrating our 13th year entertaining South Florida, December 28th in Stuart Florida at the Historic Lyric Theatre. www.lyrictheatre.com
The break from the road enabled me to restart my construction company and strike a more balanced work schedule, concentrating on local work and shows that kept me home at night. During this time, my mother and father had settled from South Florida to The Villages in Central Florida. They joined the M.S. support Group, National M.S. Society of The Villages (N.M.S.S.), with my father eventually becoming their president till his death in 2023. The organization helps with wheel chairs, bed lifts …ect, to help with everyday life and i felt it was time for me to try and merge my music activities with a charitable organization. Since my mother had been suffering from M.S. since my early teens, i had become acquainted with many M.S. sufferers thru the years and felt it was my time to help. So in 2012 i formed the non-profit group, Artist’s for Multiple Sclerosis, focusing on bringing awareness and help with donations to N.M.S.S. and their mission.
Fast Froward to now, we are moving forward with our new internet radio station, X RADIO FM, in the spring of 2025. Focusing on Florida Events, Original Music and Positive Messages for the Community and listeners. www.xradiofm.com
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
A) Qualities
1) Faith
2) Loyalty
3) Understanding
B) Skills
1) Promoter
2) Musician
3) Entrepreneur
C) Knowledge
1) Problem Solving
2) Understanding
3) Communication
Alright, so before we go we want to ask you to take a moment to reflect and share what you think you would do if you somehow knew you only had a decade of life left?
Would really love to have the ability to help those who are in need. The older i get the more i find it harder to balance my professional life with my my passion for the arts and philanthropy. Hopefully one day i will be able to completely dedicate my life to making the world a little better then i found it.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.purezeppelin.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064711595062
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCn-AozziDmMBMXPu8A27UoQ
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
