Guitar & Vocals | Drums | Bass | Keyboard | Tenor Sax |
Somehow from the age of 11 I was consumed with music, bands and keyboards!
Throughout my teenage years I was obsessed with being in a band or forming a band, I was encyclopedic about music of the time and had enough music magazines to sink a ship!
Within 60 seconds of getting home from school I would be playing my first synthesizer ( a Roland SH-09 which could only play one note at a time) and driving my parents insane, my Dad used to call this machine "My Hurdy-Gurdy"!!!
Well, I did indeed join a band and gigged and got payed for the first time in 1894! After this I continued to work full time as a Keyboard Player/Pianist until about 1991, around that time I combined performing and teaching music working in schools and colleges.
Over the years you name it I've played there, pubs, clubs, bars, holiday camps, military bases, restaurants, open air shows etc,etc,etc and yes I could tell you a story or two!
The main highlight for me was working in Los Angeles for a month in 2004 which was a musical education in itself.
These days I do have a 9-5 working as Psychotherapist with the NHS although music remains and always will remain my core calling. I'm writing instrumental pieces and songs right now for various purposes and funnily enough composing seems easier than ever!
My "Hurdy-Gurdy" was £200 in 1982 which was a huge amount of money for my Parents although I will always be so thankful that they did make this sacrifice as it went on to shape my life significantly and still does! I LOVE MUSIC!
This July I thought about how much I missed playing regularly with a band. Soon after, I came across a well worded and good looking advert on a musicians website and I decided to give the number a ring to find out more. The guy on the end of the phone was Grey Cooper.