I learnt to play descant recorder and, as part of a trio playing lead, became quite successful when competing in school music festivals held in Trowbridge and Bath.  

To this day, I still own my own descant recorder and, with a bit of thought, can still play a little.

When attending Whitstone Secondary School in Shepton Mallet at the age of eleven music lessons were part of the school syllabus and, although I thought about learning to play a new instrument like clarinet or saxophone, unfortunately it never happened – which is a great regret.  

After recently thinking about it again I am seriously considering learning to play saxophone in the not so distant future.

You may ask why I haven’t considered learning guitar?  Well the answer is simple – although I love the sounds that can be created on this instrument, the feel of holding a guitar does not come naturally to me, as does a wind instrument.

Jet Harris' 65th Birthday Party, Arno's Manor Hotel, Bristol, 03 July 2004

Anyway, how did I become the bands lead singer?  My background has always been involved with horticulture.  A successful career move landed me with my present job as Nursery Manager to a specialist tree nursery.  This is where I met Dave Wilkins son John.  Because of my passion for karaoke, word got back to the band who were contemplating looking for a singer at that time, to extend their play list to include sixties vocals.

As luck would have it, I was invited along to watch the Midnight Shadows perform a Christmas gig at Pensford Village Hall.  What a memorable night.  I just couldn’t believe the sound being created by this group.  If you closed your eyes you would swear Hank Marvin was on the stage.  Poor old Brian had seriously lost his voice on this particular night, and struggled to sing.  The most embarrassing moment for me was when I went home having won four prizes on the raffle.

Dave was inquisitive and came along to a karaoke night in my local pub, where I stood up and sang several Elves numbers – including “It’s now or never”.  He was so impressed that, after a discussion with other member of the band, it was agreed to give me a two-month trial, which of course I accepted.  So, after a lot of hard work and sweat, I became the sixth member of the Midnight Shadows, and most recently nearly three years on a full partner.

I have had professional vocal training and my advice to anyone that sings in a band, or on their own for a pastime, is to consider proper tuition because you only have one voice, which you need to look after.  My greatest influences as sixties vocalists are, of course, Elvis Presley, Roy Orbison - for his incredible octave range, and as a dynamic duo – the Everley Brothers - for their tight harmonies.

When performing live on stage, I rely heavily on the clarity and volume of sound being produced through the monitors.  This ensures that I keep good time with the other band members and also sing in the correct key.  Sometimes this sound quality can be affected by the natural acoustics within the surroundings which can make you work harder.

My chosen microphone to use is the trustworthy “Shure SM58”, often favoured by professional artists.  All the band would agree that performing live music from the sixties era is a passion we all share, especially when we add another new instrumental or vocal to our set list.

Music is a hobby for all of us, further hobbies for me include going to the gym on a regular basis.  (If you try to lift Brian’s’ bass amp you would understand why!)  Walking is something I share with my pet Jack Russell called Tilly and we regularly disappear down to Dartmoor for serious hikes around the countryside after a full English breakfast.

Anyway, thanks for reading and maybe now you will come and hear the sounds of the Midnight Shadows.

Occasionally he use to let me bash the strings & I use to make a terrible noise.  I was never interested in playing until Dad bought an Echo effects unit which had a red light on it, which flashed when you played a note.  

For some reason I was amazed at this & decided to learn to play. The first song I learnt to play was Wonderful land by The Shadows. 

As well as learning to play lots of Shadows instrumentals I also learnt to play the Spanish guitar at school, unfortunately I found the lessons so boring I packed it in, which I now regret.

I use a Boss GT3 & Zoom delay unit for effects.

I went on holiday with my mum and dad in July to Torquay, and one lovely morning, sat on the beach with my new little radio jammed to my ear, and my dad saying “Not too loud my son”, I heard for the first time the drum introduction to “Apache”.  Things would never be the same again - I was hooked. 

I bought “Apache” and every other guitar instrumental I could get my hands on, but “The Shadows” reigned supreme.  When “Wonderful Land” was released, I thought I must try and learn the guitar, and I’m still trying.  

I never knew anyone who played the guitar, so I became a “bedroom player”.  (In my case, more of a “front room player.”)

It was not until my son James started to play the guitar, when he was nearly eight years old, that I played the guitar with another guitarist.  As James played lead guitar, I switched to rhythm.  (My “Hank Marvin” days were over, and I now became “The New Bruce Welch.”)  I now became more aware of just how good Bruce is.

I really enjoy playing with the group, we have a great time together.  

And the highlight of every year for me is the groups’ “Shadows Day” every autumn, when we have guitarists from all over the country that come to Bristol to play with the group or to backing tracks.

Amp used is the AC30 Trebble, Roland 501 Space Echo.