Music has been a major part of my life for as long as I can remember.

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Humming and singing along to songs on the radio through my childhood, I joined the school choirs and learnt the recorder, the flute and a number of other woodwind instruments (none of which I could sing along with). I went on to attend singing workshops after university - then took part in my first musical, "In Iceland" with a world premiere performance in front of the Icelandic Cultural Attache, Jacob Magnusson. From then, I proceeded to local singing groups including Amateur Operatics and Pantomime Societies, and then in the mid 1990s I discovered karaoke - singing solo with a microphone to an audience. Granted, it usually took place in a pub, so you can't necessarily gauge the audience reaction, but still it gave me an audience for me, singing on my own, not as part of a choral group. And I loved it.

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In 2008 I looked to broaden my singing further and joined a band, "Main Street", covering songs mostly from the 1950s and 1960s with a few newer numbers. After about a year I wanted a change in music - I really wanted to sing some Motown songs - and I moved to another band, "Live It Up", who covered a large number of Motown songs as well as a range of songs from the 1970s through to the 2000s. With both bands, we gigged at pubs and clubs and parties and weddings, and it was blooming marvellous, I loved it. Very tiring, with lots of waiting around sometimes, but great fun.

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Sadly, the recession beat us out of the market - pubs and clubs simply weren't able to pay properly for bands, so I left "Live It Up.". Throughout, I'd still been going to karaoke - and I'd started working at a school which had the UK's first student-run record label, "Sharp Records" (renamed "NU-START Records" when the school changed name). I helped out with vocal coaching and when our students went into a recording studio to record singles, I decided I wanted to try to create one of my own. "Personal" was the result, followed a few months later by "Hypnotised". I was asked by two students to 'guest' on a grime track that they were recording - in their words, they spat the bars and I gave the hook - in my words, they rapped and I sang the chorus, to "Next Time".

In 2013 I went back into the recording studio again, clutching my latest attempt at lyrics, and created and recorded my third solo single, "Fly Me High". It was submitted to a radio service, and received airplay on over 100 radio stations around the world - and reached the Country Music Radio charts - nr 10 in the UK & Ireland and nr 33 in the European charts!

 

I've had three utterly magical occasions when I have been able to sing with my favourite singer songwriter - not something that most people get the chance to do. The first was in June 2013 when Julia Fordham had selected me (from a number of fans who had applied) to sing with her at one of her shows in Leicester. I was able to soundcheck with her in the afternoon, then join her on stage during her show, and received a standing ovation from the crowd at the end of the song, "Love Moves in Mysterious Ways".

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A video of this is at right....

 

The second highpoint came just six months later when the chance came to do it again - Julia did a small tour at Christmas and I dueted with her on stage again, this time to "White Christmas", once again with soundcheck beforehand, at her show in Banbury.

 

The third came in November 2015 when Julia found herself stuck on the lyrics of a song which was requested by an audience member at her show in Lowdham - and I was in the audience mouthing the words to her - she eventually held the microphone out to get me to come up and help her out on the song, "Woman of the 80s".

 

I'd do it again at the drop of a hat, so, Julia, if you're reading, give me a call!!

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