Charles Frederick Kip Winger (born June 21, 1961) is an American rock musician, a member of the rock band Winger, and a solo artist. 　　Early days 　　Winger was born in Denver, Colorado to parents who were both jazz musicians. 　　He grew up playing in a band named Blackwood Creek, with his brothers Nate and Paul plus friend Peter Fletcher (formerly in Pigmy Love Circus). Blackwood Creek broke up in 1980. Kip, his brothers, and Fletcher also played the Denver area bar scene while calling themselves Colorado. 　　At age 16, Winger began studying classical music after hearing the works of composers such as Debussy, Ravel, and Stravinsky in ballet class. At that time he sent a demo tape to Alan Parsons, from whom he received a personal reply. Years later, when Winger was chosen to be the lead singer of The Alan Parsons Live Project, he presented Parsons with that letter from 30 years prior. 　　In 1982, he studied with Sam Guarnaccia in Denver then moved to New York City and waited tables while studying composition with Edgar Grana.