MUSICAL BACKGROUND:

A music teacher gave up trying to teach me to read music when I was 10 after my parents thought they were wasting their money, but at 14 I bought a guitar and taught myself to play it (after a fashion). At that time, I was in the same class at school as John Lennon and played guitar with him on a number of occasions but parents decided that qualifications were more important than this guitar playing. However after joining the RAF as an apprentice, I played the guitar in many groups which were abundant in the early 60's. This lasted until I was 33 when a smooth talking salesman sold me a Hammond Phoenix (it looked easy when he played it) and I then taught myself to play it (again after a fashion). Traded it in eventually for a Technics U90 as I seemed to be improving. Played a Hammond B300 and a Roland JX3P synth plus Roland drum machine in a few clubs in the NW of England as background music and backing artists which was somewhat restricted by not being able to read music.

      I now have a Tyros 2, a Motif XS6, a Korg M3, a Korg Radias Rack, Korg N5ex synth and a Fostex MR16 recorder. My time is now divided between composing/playing music - the main influences being The Shadows / Jarre/ Country and the 60's, and driving a recovery vehicle on a call-out basis. ...Spike