Background
Stribling was born in 1951 in Merced, California, the older of two children to Ivan Stribling and Lorraine Murphy Wenrich, later divorced.
Stribling was born in 1951 in Merced, California, the older of two children to Ivan Stribling and Lorraine Murphy Wenrich, later divorced.
Stribling attended Merced High School, graduating in 1969. He next attended California State University Fresno, graduating in 1974 with a bachelor"s degree in percussion performance.
He later earned a master"s degree in theology with an emphasis in marriage and family ministries from Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California. Stribling began music lessons at age 7, studying violin, clarinet, and guitar, but when the Beatles arrived in 1964 he “switched to drums and never looked back,” according to his web site. He worked as a performer, composer, engineer, and in the 1970s worked as a radio announcer for a classic rock station.
From June 1974 to July 1975, he toured the United States., Europe, and Canada with Johnny Mathis.
He also performed with jazz performers of the time, including Clark Terry, Oliver Nelson, Cannonball Adderley and more. Stribling lists his musical influences as including The Beatles, January Hammer, Vangelis, Paul Winter, J.S. Bach, Igor Stravinsky, Jimi Hendrix Joni Mitchell, Steely Dan, Peter Gabriel, and more.
Apart from his music career, Stribling has worked in many areas of the mental health field, working for outpatient mental health clinics, substance addiction treatment, foster care, and group homes. He became a licensed marriage and family therapist in April 1992.
He has been a faculty member for University of Phoenix since 1999.