Whenever Joe Horowitz is not strolling around the golf course, chances are you can find him in the recording studio working on his latest album.The former Canadian Tour player released his first album (Whiskey Sunrise) in 2008 which coincided with his triumph here at the Gosling’s Invitational at Belmont Hills.Horowitz has since recorded another album and released two singles, with some of his songs receiving air time on the Golf Channel and various other TV shows.But he admits his introduction to the music industry did not come without its challenges.“When I first went into the studio I didn’t understand the process of a studio recording . . . I thought I’d go in and bang out six or seven songs in a day or two and we would move forward,” he recalled. “But a week and a half later we had two songs finished and I realised the recording industry and the way you record music is very tedious.“There’s definitely a method to it and I really started to appreciate recorded music in the industry around 2008-09 and really started understanding the true love I had for playing music. And like anything when you start doing well in something you want to keep doing it.”Horowitz, who finished fifth at the 2006 Canadian Tour Championship, is a singer/songwriter and guitarist. Therefore, given music is in his DNA it really came as no surprise when he began doing gigs and appearing in music shows at golf tournaments as far back as 2004.That’s when people first began taking notice of the American’s musical talents.“I got some good reviews and people seemed to like it,” he said. “I used to play shows around New York City then and just in the last year people have been noticing it and liking it and inviting me to do some of the bigger shows.”Prior to arriving in Bermuda for this week’s Gosling’s Invitational, Horowitz had the honour of playing alongside musical legends such as Don Felder and Joe Don Rooney before a crowd of 5,000 at The James River Jam at Bush Gardens in Virginia hosted by the Tempus Jets on Veteran’s Day.The golfer said he felt at ease playing alongside some of the biggest names in the music industry.“I was comfortable being alongside legends like that because there’s no level of competition in music and they welcome you with open arms because there’s just that understanding that you are a musician and you are all there for the same reason,” he added.“In golf there’s that competitive nature where you even want to beat your friend. But music is not about sounding better than the next guy, it’s about being on the stage and performing with each other.“In music every night takes on a unique experience and when you get to play alongside some of the greatest musicians of our time, such as Don Felder from the Eagles and Joe Don Rooney from Rascal Flatts, you definitely learn a ton from their demeanour.”While music and golf run deeply in Horowitz’s veins, he avoids combining his two passions.“The one thing I do not do is write music about golf, I don’t tie the two together at all,” he said. “I write music about life and about my travels and relationships and things that are going on in our country (USA) . . . but I don’t mix the two because I think it cheapens it a bit.“Music on its own is just a beautiful craft and when you try to mix the two you don’t get taken seriously. I have always made this assumption if Tiger Woods made a country album it’s not as cool. But if Dave Matthews or Bob Seiger qualify for the US Open it’s kind of a cool story.”Horowitz is a frequent visitor to the Island where he has played in numerous golf tournaments in the past seven years.“Every year I come back I say ‘I want to come back other than for golf tournaments because it’s such a beautiful Island’,” he said. “I walk off the plane and it seems everybody knows my name or face just from playing golf tournaments.“I wish I knew more names instead of calling people pal or buddy because everybody I’ve met on the Island have been so gracious and welcoming.”