Born in Columbia, S.C., he grew up in Burlington, N.C., and lived in California, Republic of the Philippines and Utah before moving to Dallas, Texas. He has a B.A. in Journalism from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. A self-taught banjo player, he learned during late-night practice sessions watching television reruns with the sound turned down and a towel stuffed in his banjo to reduce the noise level. He often practices storytelling late at night with a towel stuffed in his mouth to reduce that noise level. He quit a "real" job in August 2001 to become a full-time storyteller.