Trainsinger Greg Schindel

Greg was born in Oakland, California, April 1,1946. Greg attended boarding school in Exeter, New Hampshire and graduated from Exeter High School in 1964. He was educated at Cal State, Long Beach and ultimately earned a BA in Liberal Studies from Sonoma State University in 1989.
Throughout the late '60s and '70s he pursued a career as a Top 40's musician and original songwriter in Southern Califomia.
Greg was employed by the Willits Unified School District as a Visual and Performing Arts Specialist for the elementary schools in 1987. He now serves as Music Director at Sherwood School and substitute teacher for the district, where his enthusiasm imparts a love of music to students at all levels. Most recently, he has been performing at educational assemblies at elementary schools and museums in Northern California.
He leads the music at St. Francis Episcopal Church, Willits each week with his guitar, as he has since 1988. He has been called "the heart of the congregation" and his music has been equally moving for both weddings and funerals.
He appears regularly with Black Bart Gunfighters of Willits, a local non-profit group that performs to raise money for local high school scholarships.
He has appeared on the Skunk Train, as TRAIN SINGER since 1988. Over the years he has built a broad based collection of popular and traditional train songs which he performs on guitar, harmonica and whistles to the delight of passengers on the sylvan excursion ride.
Most recently Greg has produced a CD, with Laughing Coyote Studios, containing 20 of these songs, which reflect the history and music of the railroad. It is music that "resonates with the soul of anyone who has ever loved a train." Included in this collection are four original train songs, written by Greg, that are unique to California Western Railroad's excursion ride through the beautiful North Coast Redwoods. Through it all is his enthusiastic finger-picking guitar style, harmonicas and whistles. His daughter Heidi lends contrast with her clear "bell-like" soprano on several duets.
Upcoming projects include plans to produce and release CD's containing all of Train Singer's favorite and most requested songs.

Visit Gregs web site www.trainsinger.com

Copyright 2006 Sierra Railroad Company