An often neglected area of discussion in the music industry is the health of those who participate in the art, science and business of music production. Like most of you reading this, I have always enjoyed my work in music. Over the past 25 years, my work has afforded me the honor and privilege of working with some of the best and brightest our industry offers. I have traveled the country, rubbed elbows with music royalty and have a very satisfying outlet in which to explore my many music and video projects. To say I love this work would be a serious understatement.

Yet one near-fatal event made me question whether I had my priorities straight.

I write this column each week from the Recording Institute of Detroit (RID), where I also teach classes about the business of music. In addition to these duties, I also serve as an administrator in helping to establish programs, classes, and training for the many students who come to the institute. Each day brings a new and exciting mix to an already exciting job.

This past Monday, at about 3:00am, I awoke from a deep sleep due to a coughing fit. For the last 10 years, I have had bronchitis, which is an infection of the bronchiole tubes—the tubes which allow oxygen to circulate throughout the respiratory system. Coughing is common for people with bronchitis, so at that time I was not concerned with the event. As I continued to cough, I noticed a strange sensation in my mouth and went to the bathroom, where I noticed the blood spewing from my mouth.

Since earlier that day I had taken two aspirins for a headache, I assumed my stomach was upset from that, washed my mouth out and went back to sleep.

By the time I awoke nearly 4 hours later, the event was practically out of mind, and I made a mental note to not take aspirin for awhile. I got dressed and began my commute to RID.

From my house in Detroit to suburban Eastpointe where RID is located is about 10 miles. During that 10 mile trek, I must have pulled over about 4 times to spit out the blood which now had begun to pool every time I coughed. By the time I reached work, I was dizzy from all the blood loss. Still not seeing the severity of the event, I set about to do my daily tasks.

Work proved to be elusive that day simple because in the nearly one hour I was there, I had to run to the bathroom a few more times to expel the blood in my mouth. By now, the blood was coming up so fast, it was being ejected from my nose as well. Not wanting to have my colleagues see me like this, I called my doctor to schedule a visit. Since the doctor’s office was about 4 miles from work, I told my supervisor that I would be back in a couple of hours once I got a shot or pill to stop what I thought was stomach upset caused by aspirin.

My doctor took one look at me and ordered me to the emergency room.

It seems my “stomach ailment” was in fact a ruptured artery near my lungs. The blood from that rupture was being forced in my lungs and I was expelling it at faster rates and in larger amounts as time progressed. In short, I had begun to hemorrhage and at the rate the blood was coming up, my lungs would have been unable to properly function due to the fluid and I may have drowned in my own blood. The emergency room doctors informed me that I was lucky to be alive.

After two successive operations and 4 days confined to a hospital bed, I had the problem corrected and was able to check out.

The experience, though, had a very sobering effect on me simply because I was willing to ignore all the obvious signs of a real problem because I was so focused on work. Those of us in the music industry realize that the working conditions—from loud arenas which require ear plugs to function in, to smoky, poorly lit recording studios, to having to eat food on the run in greasy truck stops around the country—are less than ideal. These working conditions can contribute to problems that are often ignored or totally overlooked.

For instance, it is a rare musician who has not had the “ringing ears” effect from performing music too loudly. How many know though that this ringing—called tinnitus—could be the warning sign of potential deafness? Pete Townshend of The Who" is probably one of the most famous examples of someone who has lost all or part of their hearing from this malady.

Other potentially life-threatening situations involves the “recreational” use of so many drugs in the business, including alcohol, cocaine, cigarettes, and marijuana. All contribute negatively to a musician’s health and life expectancy.

Since it is impossible to do well at music if you are not at peak performance, it is imperative that the maintenance of your health become a top priority NOW. Routine physical examinations can sometimes detect problems in their early stages and save a lot of grief later on. Incorporate an exercise regimen in your daily activities to offset the effect of such things as sitting behind a console all day; require that smokers be put off in separate area or outside the building; use sound meters to establish a safer work environment; limit how many hours at a time you will record, perform, etc. in sessions. Most importantly though is to LISTEN to the rhythm of your body! Our bodies are amazing instruments, and if we stay tuned to what they are trying to say, we will realize almost immediately when something doesn’t “feel” right.

The music industry is a very exciting and rewarding profession, but it is not one worth dying over.