Andy Black plays double bass, fretless electric bass, sings, and occasionally plays the banjo. When he's not onstage with Traveler he also plays the guitar, mandolin, dulcimer and messes about with the piano, pennywhistles and other strange wind instruments. Andy played guitar and sang for an art rock band, Canaan, in the late 70's in Houston. He moved on to Baylor University where he filled the guitar chair in the university's big band recently vacated by Jim Heath, now a recognized authority in nanotechnology. In his college days he also played in pit bands for musicals and in a small jazz combo called Time & A Half. The highlight of his jazz career came when, during the recording session of his song "Puente" (a beautifully melodic and harmonically complex ballad), the recording engineer opined that it sounded like something from a cheesy porn movie. Chastened by that experience he decided to go to law school. There he was asked to join the pit band for (yet another) musical. The band, which also played parties in Austin, Texas, already had two great guitarists so Andy took the plunge and became a bass player. After law school he moved back to Houston where he ran into his old high school friend Charlie. Not long afterwards Andy and Charlie got together with Jim Heath (remember the nanotechnologist?) and Ellis Moss to form Moe & the Lawn. After six or seven years of good fun Andy began to have nightmares in which he had become a balding, fat 58 year old playing "Heard it Through the Grapevine" for the 2034th time in a wedding band. It was time for a change. There being more grace in Traveler's music than in the bar band scene Andy ripped the frets out of his bass and pursued that eclectic acoustic folk swing jazz sound. He recently took up the double bass and while he hates hauling the beast around he loves the sound it makes. Andy enjoys working on his house, playing with his kids and will continue to practice law until he hits the lottery.