Stribling was born in 1951 in Merced, California, the older of two children to Ivan Stribling and Lorraine Murphy, 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 masters degree in theology with an emphasis on 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 U.S., 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, Jan 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 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. His sister, Patrice Stribling Nelson, is also an accomplished musician, performing at Carnegie and Tanglewood as well as directing a choir that performed before Queen Elizabeth II and President George H. W. Bush. His niece, Elizabeth Donald, is an award-winning author and journalist.

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