My Life in Music

Well where do you start trying to explain how music shapes your life.

I first noticed music when I was around 6 (to be honest I don't remember much about anything before then!), I started wanting to sing songs to my mum and dad and just enjoyed the way they made me feel. I even got a 'toy' guitar and went and pestered my neighbours!

This I guess was just the same for anyone growing up in the 1960's. I used to go round to my Nan's house and listen to my Mum's sisters Beatles and Stones records, and her Donovan records. I was hooked.

Also my Dad had a small reel to reel player that he recorded the BBC Radio 1 chart on and I would spend hours listening back to the tapes. Those songs are imprinted on my memory and if I hear them now it takes me straight back to those days of my childhood. That I guess is why music is so powerful and so emotive. It can transport you to any place and time and issue you with any emotion it feels like.

It wasn't until the early 70's, when I was around 11 that I bought my first record ("It don't Come Easy" by Ringo Star - If you think that was bad wait for the next one) followed closely by my first album ("I'm a Writer not a Fighter" by Gilbert O'Sullivan). You may have thought I would slide swiftly in to a MOR listening simpleton but no....the next two purchases were "Hunky Dory" by David Bowie and "Stranded" by Roxy Music. My intellectually deep musical journey had begun..... :~} These purchases were in 72 and 73 and over the next few years the main basis of my music collection was rock music, Led Zeppelin, Budgie, Be Bop Deluxe, more David Bowie, Black Sabbath, T Rex etc etc etc.

But then in 1977 something happened, a tidal wave of musical change that would, literally, give music back to the masses. PUNK!

In the summer of 1977 I went on holiday to the sea side town of Torquay in Devon, UK. My brother was a couple of years older than me and was dying to go and see some punk bands that were playing at the sea-side town's theatre. I said it was'nt fair and I wanted to go, so to cut a long story short my parents agreed and my love of live gigs was started. The bands we saw were Chelsea who had a single called "the Right to Work" and the Cortinas, who's single was "Fascist Dictator".

The gig was awsome and I vowed there and then that I would learn to play the guitar and get up there myself!

End of part 1. Look out for the next installment!