Level 4: Kung Fu Cowboy, Pt. 1 - King Solomon's Temple

I hardly recognize this album. It's a rock opera about Hiram Abif, the architect of King Solomon's Temple, who was murdered during its completion. It started as an autobiography of my Kung Fu journey since 1980. While recording the album at the CV Park Gymnasium, I was raised to the 3rd Degree of Freemasonry. Becoming a Master Mason took a lot of work, so my album and the storyline of Hiram Abif somehow got swapped. With only a couple song order changes, it was easy to transform my life story into the assassination of Hiram Abif, the architect of King Solomon's Temple. So, the name for this album became: LEVEL 4 = Kung Fu Cowboy PART 1: KING SOLOMON'S TEMPLE. This new storyline of the ancient Hebrews, inspired me to sing in many different characters ranging from King Solomon and King Tyre, to his Fellowcraft murderers, Jubila, Jubilo, and Jubilum. Masonry and Kung Fu have been a powerful combination of hobbies for me. I suspect the Original Buddha rose to this spiritual level as he travelled from village to village. Combining Shaolin Kung Fu with Zen Buddhism has been inspiring and enlightening. The annual stageplay at the Scottish Rite Masonic Temple in Pasadena, also inspired some of my characterizations while recording this album. This was supposed to be a 36 song album, which I've obviously split into two albums of 18 songs each. The following album, 3RD DEGREE MASTER MASON, was also going to be my autobiography, but this has now become the story of a Chinese Freemason in the 1930s, who invented "Masonic Kung Fu." You'll see...