Right, here we go!............... I've been asked to write some kind of background to my life as a guitarist, songwriter.........
I've never understood why my past life should be of any interest to anyone other than my family and me. A normal response from me being, 'what the F**K 'S it got to do with anything!!' I live for the present. I've hopefully evolved, like my songs, over the years, each chapter creating a different flavour. Where I am now, whenever that's been, is what drives me. However, I now accept, after all the 'ear bashing' that maybe, for some of our audience, to understand my songs and my music better, to know a little of what brought me to 'this place' it might a good idea.
Not the easiest of tasks, my memory is sh*t, but......................make of it what you will.

As a kid I would listen to the 1812 overture over and over. My brother, nine years older than me, had 2 albums, the 1812 and Acker Bilk & Chris Barber together on a jazz album. I still have a respect for the classics but never got into jazz. 
My next musical awakening was Bob Dylan, I would go to sleep with his albums stacked on the Danset record player. It was then that I started playing the guitar, mostly thinking it would get me the girls at parties, but I caught the 'guitar bug'. Going to all the London clubs, to see the likes of, John Mayal, Led Zeppelin, The Nice, Pink Floyd, Taste, you could in those days. It was one such outing, to The Cooks Ferry (click this link ) & the Fishmongers Arms, Wood Green, (click this link) where I first saw Freddy King, I thought he was amazing, that got me hooked on the Blues.
Like I said, it was different in those days, the London club scene was more intimate. I realise now, how fortunate we were, at the time, that's just the way it was....................
Still in my naivety, I met and played with Red Stubbs from Red E Lewis & the Red Caps (ex Jimmy Page), we never got around to gigging, but goes to show what a small world it is, as years later, with another band, The Cleaners, we were signed to Swan Song.
With a little more experience under my belt, ( I had some in those days too, as my day job was making and selling belts and bags in Oxford Street!!) answering an ad. in The Melody Maker, I joined Marabou with Dave Maxwell an American session player now living in the UK. One of our bass player tryouts, being Cliff Williams from Home, AC/DC. Home being, Red's brother, Mick Stubbs's, band. Playing our original material, I'd started writing by then, to packed venues such as The Rainbow, Speakeasy and Marquee we got signed up by Harvest (EMI),  though this was to be short-lived, there were too many egos in one band. It was easy come easy go, and we split....................
My old mates, Dr K's Blues Band, a group originally put together, 'though now departed, by guitarist Geoff Krivitt, he'd been with John Mayal between Clapton & Green, were looking for a guitarist and offered me the job. It was a great Blues band with no hassles or inflated egos, and we played the college and club circuit up and down the country. Although, I was still doing studio and session work with other people, Nico, who was to end up with Iron Maiden, Keith Levine from Pil with Johnny Rotten. It was also during this time, I remember, I went over to Richmond one night, to Gary Thane's (Uriah Heep) house/studio, to meet with Paul Kossoff, he'd wanted to buy a Les Paul Custom I was selling, we had a blow in the studio but he didn't buy the guitar, we'd all ended up too 'out of it' to talk money. Gary Thane died the next day.