Philip Oliveira

I'm currently disabled but planning on getting back on my feet - suffered a freak injury, which I'm not suppose to talk about because I have a big mouth!!! Expecting a second surgical procedure ASAP after meeting with new Doctors out here in New Mexico. Linda and I are retired/disabled and are involved with our Music Ministry now.

I was shocked to see that so many classmates had passed away in that section of the Web Site. Life is so precious and short, that's for sure. I'm remarried as of November 2008 after a thirty-year relationship and twenty-two year marriage ended in divorce - that's enough of that - needless to say very painful but God restored a new wife and life back to me as I remained faithful to what I believed in.

My new wife, Linda, is a wonderful lady that is behind our music 100%, RiseN Music Ministry -

www.myspace.com/risenintothelight

or,

www.myspace.com/guitarstravel

RiseN Music Ministry was Linda's idea before she met met me and had no idea that I was a musician so God definitely lined us up!. We take a message of recovery, through our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ out on the road and will go wherever God leads! We have an nineteen year old son, Russell Dorgan III, my step-son who lives with great family friends in Massachusetts. He's a great young man and has quite a testimony himself, he's also a self-taught guitar player and a very good one. He didn't want to leave all of his friends in Massachusetts.

I painted about 65 paintings a few years back and had several shows in Southeastern New England selling most and giving the rest away. I had a two person show with my friend, Bob Dec at the Narrows Center for the Arts four years ago. I also played Bass for a Rockin' Blues Band, Stone Cold Blues for a couple of years and was honored to play at the Narrows Center for a Hurricane Katrina Benifit Concert. I had the privilege of playing on stages that my idols have played on such as, the Newport Blues Cafe' and boy, what a thrill! This sounds like it's all about me, Hah!!! AND IT IS!!!

The band broke up as 99.999% do after we just started to get known. Anyway, I was suppose to write songs with my wife, Linda and do our Music Ministry. We've posted almost 100 songs on BMI and this is just in the last two years. We're currently finishing our 6th RiseN CD and I've either played on or recorded on 21 CDs. Our dream is to trail a mobile home behind a pick-up truck and take our message of recovery out on the road. We can't wait for that.

The Lord has opened doors for us in New Mexico already at a Maximum Security Prison and Youth Detention Center to minister there on six separate occasions this upcoming year. We're also going to be involved with two Christian Blues Festivals and one Secular Blues Festival in 2011. God is good!!!

Check us out at:

www.chapelatthemill.org

You won't be disappointed - a Christian Blues Festival on Saturday, June 18th, from 1:00 to 10:00 PM?

"Even the Saints hear the Blues #2!"

Life has begun after fifty and after getting sober at 49!!!

God bless you and yours - In Christ,

Phil & Linda <><

RiseN Music Ministry

Graduated with honors/distinction based upon my grades. Attended the college prep program. Attempted athletics but was too small - I grew almost five inches to six feet my freshman year at college and went on to play two years of basketball and one year of cross country running (Fitchburg State College and Southeastern Massachusetts University).

I ended up hanging around with a great group of guys and when the dress code was abolished we all wore dungarees, blue work shirts and Converse All Star sneakers. Still stay in touch with a couple of them. We went to a lot of concerts together - saw Jimi Hendrix at Boston Garden only a few weeks before he died - what a shame! Those were great times but I'm grateful to be sober today!!!

Didn't really get too involved with the ladies - too busy with sports and music - don't want to bore you but my Senior Year I had three afternoon studies in a row in the auditorium and they wouldn't let me go home early - that was a bummer, Hah!!!

I'm a proud graduate of now, the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth, MA with a B.F.A. in Fine Arts - Painting and a B.A. in Art History, M.A. in Health Care Administration from Framingham State College!

It would have been nice to attend the New High School instead of attending the building that "we" lovingly referred to as "the Hole"!