My background - Music and Media
I’m a Lancashire lad, born in Wigan, learned to walk and talk in Liverpool, spent my Primary School years in Blackpool,
started Secondary School in Manchester and ended up in my early teens in 'That' London.
At six, I was given a mouth organ but it soon got gunged up and no one – least of all me – thought about replacing it.
Then, when I was 14, I bought a ukulele off a kid at school for 5 shillings (25p) and loved it.
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The only available ukulele instruction book in the Wembley Music Salon, was full of late 19th and early 20th century songs, (I was into rock ‘n’ Roll and skiffle) but that didn't put me off…the magic of chords beguiled me. As it does to this day.
Aged 15, I bought a guitar from a general store that advertised in the Daily Mirror. It arrived with a cracked back so my parents urged me to send it back and get it replaced. But no! Once it was in my hands, that was where it would stay. And it did. Happily, uke chords transferred to guitar albeit under a different name. A ‘C’ chord shape on a uke became a ‘G’ chord on a guitar. All I had to do now was learn to use the 2 low guitar strings as well.
I formed my first group The Bootles when I was 20. It was a trio, then a quartet of legend in certain peace movement and left wing circles. We played many, many gigs a few of which were paid. We played all over Greater London and as far afield as Merseyside and South Wales.
But that didn’t earn me a living. The family ambition was to get a job as a clerk because it was good secure employment. Even better was to get a clerk’s job in a bank, which I did. But the music continued.
At 21, My wife bought me a 12-string guitar which transformed my entire musical life. I devoted my practice time to emulating Leadbelly and Pete Seeger. I also started performing solo and writing songs. Well…if Dylan could do it and John & Paul, then so could I…and so could thousands upon thousands of others.
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The phone rang regularly offering me gigs and most weekends saw me out playing somewhere or another. But the folk scene really took off for me when, at 27, I joined up with two of the Scottish folk revival’s luminaries, Gordon McCulloch and Bobby Campbell in their trio, The Exiles.
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In addition to British folk clubs, we were booked extensively across Germany and made four tours between 1972 and ’74. Perhaps one of the many highlights, was playing support to Gallagher & Lyle on a mini tour of the Central Belt of Scotland. The M.C. for that tour was the legendary Danny Kyle.
I also made one solo trip to Germany to perform at various medium sized festivals in the summer of ’73 climaxing in a solo performance at an Open Air Concert at midnight in Berlin’s Alexander Platz before 25,000 people. I was too young to be nervous.
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Following that, I still had to get a proper job and was recruited to join Granada TV as a reporter, then a presenter. Even so, I managed to sing and play occasionally: on a kids’ programme: Song Book with the joyous Kathy Jones and Leo Dove. The show was produced by Muriel Young and her wonderful colleague and friend Sally Pethybridge. Mu came to fame as a continuity announcer initially, then as presenter of Pussy Cat Willum alongside skiffle star (The Vipers) Wally Whyton. Kathy was moonlighting from her front line role in Coronation Street. There is footage of my performances on the Archive page.
Publicity shot, 1974 Photo: Granada TV
With Mary Parkinson, co-presenter on Afternoon Plus 1980. Photo: Thames TV
Me with an ex-Beatle and an ex-Prime Minister November 1976. Photo: Granada TV
I recorded a duet with Lonnie Donegan in the summer of ‘76 for Granada Reports…sadly the tape has been wiped - which I like to think was due to saving money by re-using the tapes than as a comment on the performance. It was a musical highlight for me. What Lonnie thought is not known.
But talking of skiffle heroes, I dd form a friendship and regular playing partnership with 1950s chart topping washboard player, John Pilgrim. (Check out Wally Whyton and The Vipers)
There are many names to drop, which I will get round to as the stories unfold, so do take a look at my Stories page.
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At 34, I left Granada TV to become Mike Harding’s Tour Manager. Part of our travelling troupe was a fabulous trio of musicians: Hedgehog Pie, made up of Dave Burland, Mick Doonan and Jed Grimes. You know the old saying: what happens on tour…In early 1979, Mike went into Starwberry Studios in Stockport to record a non-comedy album of "serious' songs that he had been hatching for quite a while. I took photos for the artwork and played on a couple of tracks. However, having been transferred to CD, my parts are inaudible! So what, I hear you cry, it's Mike you want to hear…and of course, you're right!
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I then resumed my television career at Thames TV, where I stayed until the summer of 1984. I was invited back to Granada, then followed a peripatetic career taking me to Channel 4, and Channel 5. Throughout, I always kept playing in various skiffle and folk groupings but this period also saw me start venturing into playing jazz as well as true R ‘n’ B - shorthand for Rhythm & Blues - the style and sound as immortalised and recorded by the Atlantic, Stax & Volt record labels.
These endeavours saw me putting together bands like Rebels Without Applause, in four different incarnations. Also Left Hand Jive, Acoustic Bridge, String Driven Swing and Cocktail Swing.
In among all of this I had the great pleasure and delight to work with fantastic jazz singer Gill Manly who has given me some of the highlights of my music-making life.
Currently, I enjoy working with folkie/soft-rock trio, Rambling Valentines and we play relatively contemporary, acoustic covers of songs by the likes of Joni Mitchell, Sandy Denny, Laura Marling, Led Zeppelin, Gillian Welch, KT Tunstall, Gordon Lightfoot, James Taylor, Natalie Merchant…and so on…
Cocktail Swing is a vocal and violin led trio picking songs and tunes from the Gypsy Jazz repertoire as well as smooth, small group swing/jazz tunes and songs.
String Driven Swing is a fabulous hybrid. The four of us met at a Bluegrass Music Camp in the Cotswolds (Sore Fingers Summer School), although none of us really plays bluegrass, but we love acoustic music, and good bluegrass players have buckets of technique to share. Of which we have partaken freely and extensively. Our repertoire comes from Django Rheinhardt, Benny Goodman, David Grisman and the great American songbook…essentially small group swing.
Do take a look at the Bands page to find out more.
Past work...
2001 - 2010
Trained then practiced as a Relationship Counsellor/psychotherapist with The Tavistock Centre.
The training overlapped with the end of my TV career
2003
2002
2000 - 2001
1999 - 2000
Hired by Chris Evans to edit a daytime show for Channel 5 presented by Terry Wogan and Gaby Roslin
Worked in development for Flame TV with Roger Bolton and Barbara Altounyan
Editor of the Gloria Hunniford Show for Channel 5
Worked in development at Carlton TV and produced and edited the documentary series “Legends” featuring London-born film stars such as Norman Wisdom and Dirk Bogarde
1997 -1999
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1993 - 1997
1991 - 1992
1990
1988 - 1989
1988 - 1989
1984 -1987
1979 -1984
1979
1978
1974 - 1978
1973 - 1974
1973
1972 - 1973
1971 - 1972
1969 - 1971
1967 - 1969
1965 - 1967
1964 - 1965
1963 - 1964
1962 - 1963
Executive Producer at Bazal Productions, for BBC 1: “Ready Steady Cook”, “Can’t Cook, Won’t Cook” and Changing Rooms spin-off, “Change That”
Producer “Capital Woman” made by Mentorn Films for Carlton TV, starring Anneka Rice and Nerys Hughes
Brooke Lapping Productions working on weekly, live studio show, “A Week in Politics” with Andrew Rawnsley & Vincent Hanna. Also a live discussion on ‘Black Wednesday’ – how the pound fell out of the European Exchange Rate Mechanism
Producer of a six o’clock magazine show starring Selina Scott for New Era Television, for British Satellite Broadcasting. Ended when Rupert Murdoch’s Sky took over BSB
Reporter “9-2-5” out of Diverse Productions for BBC2
One of a regular roster of hosts/chairs then deputy editor of C4’s ground-breaking late night talk show, “After Dark”
Presenter / reporter at Granada TV on ITV’s network daytime show, “On The Market” and, by contrast, a trade union/current affairs show, “Union World”
Presenter ITV network afternoon programme, made by Thames Television, “Afternoon Plus”
Reporter for Thames Television 6.00pm local news programme, “Thames At 6”
Mike Harding’s Tour Manager on 4-month long nationwide tour of Britain’s largest ‘live’ venues
Reporter then Presenter on Granada TV’s local 6.00 news programme, “Granada Reports”
Sub Editor and feature writer TVTimes
Sub Editor at “The Times Higher Education Supplement”
Van driver for Central Books
Trying to be a full-time/professional folk club performer
Sports Reporter for Morning Star
Full time Organiser, London’s Young Communists
Editor of Britain’s Young Communist Monthly Journal
Advertising rep for the Daily Worker
Clerk at the pre-GLC Middlesex County Council
Clerk at the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce
My Musical CV...
2019 – Present
2018 - Present
Formed Cocktail Swing with Peter Sellars on violin and Thomas Coffey on guitar and vocals.
Formed String Driven Swing with Chris Pritchett on mandolin, Mike Tavener on Dobro & Steve Benaim on double bass.
2012 - Present
Invited to join Rambling Valentines with Bronwyn Ormsby on vocals and Glyn Hawke on vocals and guitar.
2011 - 2015
Formed Acoustic Bridge with Clodagh Reynolds & Phil Burchill
2008 - 2010
Solo and mainly playing banjo; recorded a banjo-led album with Bill Leader producing, Katie Tavini engineering at John Ellis’ north Manchester Limefield studio. Supporting players included Thomas Coffey, Brenda & Gordon McCulloch
2008
1982
Finally disbanded RWA after 4 different line-ups
Formed Rebels Without Applause including drummer Stephen Brown (Ex folk rockers Trees); Mike Evans (ex Liverpool Scene, The Clayton Squares and Deaf School) and Maartin Alcock (Ex Mike Harding backing band, The Brown Ale Cowboys) who left me to join Fairport Convention…bastard!! Other musicians who passed through these various line-ups include Felix Cross, guitarist, composer and writer of stage musicals; Jamie O'Donnell, fabulous Sonny Stitt inspired alto sax player; Sean Freeman, Michael Brecker freak and regular world tours with Mark King and Level 42; Meredith White, lovely singer and jazz keyboard player; boogie and blues pianist, John Challis; inventive Richard Thompson inspired guitarist, Dave Lister and double bass player George Bridges.
1980
The Original Day Jobs skiffle group record an E.P. at Bill Leader’s studio in the Pennines with legendary, chart-topping washboard player (ex-Vipers) John Pilgrim
1979
1978
1974 - 1978
Formed The Original Day Jobs Skiffle Band
Tour Manager and after show sing arounds with Mike Harding and Hedgehog Pie
TV appearances and folk clubs performing with Manchester singer-songwriter, Pete Farrow; poets John Cooper Clark, Adrian Henri & Roger McGough and subsequent Poet Laureate, Carol Ann Duffy; musicians and singers: Andy Roberts & Mike McGear/McCartney; duetting with Lonnie Donegan and being chatted up by Johnny Mathis. Not music related, but probably my greatest and most memorable time on Granada Reports, was spending an afternoon preparing for, then conducting an interview with Muhammad Ali.
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1971 - 1974
The Exiles Folk Group with Bobby Campbell & Gordon McCulloch. We toured Germany multiple times as well as supported Gallagher & Lyle on a mini tour of central Scotland
1963 - 1974
1962 - Present
1961 - 1962
Skiffle revival band: The Bootles
Soloist
Jazz duo: me on guitar & vocals, and Tony Nicholls on trombone