MY LIFE & MUSIC JOURNEY

Childhood Suburban Victoria
Like many people music was always in our house. For us it was in the shape of records and dad hammering away on the piano - Mum loved Strauss waltzes but dad was more into the serious stuff like Beethoven, Gershwin etc. As we got a little older there was Top 40 radio and stars like Normie Rowe, Petula Clark, The Beatles, The Bee Gees and The Seekers. Special thanks to my older brothers (Laurie, Russell and Trevor) for the numerous LPs they purchased and shared with the rest of us ie I recall when Trevor brought the Beatles White album home and the excitement of the  coloured portraits of the Fab 4 and then when he unveiled Let It Be how good was the glossy coloured book within! Also a special mention to my sister Karen for the happy times singing together whilst doing the dishes.

High School
The Bee Gees and the Beatles grew up with us whilst others emerged like Neil Diamond, James Taylor, Cat Stevens, Simon and Garfunkel, Elton John, Slade and good old Creedence Clearwater Revival. With adolescence and the painfully slow move towards maturity, song lyrics were a major philosophical treasure chest to help us make sense of life. Given that the stars were often only a few years older than us, the source of wisdom was dubious at times – but that was forgiven if the tunes were good.

Work life
My first job corresponded with the Rolling Stones live album Get Yer Yars Out (thanks Jill) and the classic Sticky Fingers then it was over to Goodbye Yellow Brick Road and returning to finishing off High School in my early 20s it became The Eagles, Bob Seeger and still the Beatles, but only as individuals and when John was killed it was like losing a brother.

Graduate Years and Still Maturing
After a few years in Government welfare services it was then a hard slog to get a Social Work degree. My fluctuating affair with the guitar was cast aside for a few years and musical interests relied mainly on past offerings. Certain songs throughout the 1980s and 90s still struck a chord: Small Town, Summer of 69, Handle With Care, and bits and pieces from Australian bands: Solid Rock, Reckless, The Hardest Years, Khe Sanh, Just Like Fire Would , Your the Voice, I've Got You, etc.

Into My 30s and 40s and Beyond
Settling into steady and often soul destroying public sector work, I gradually started putting more time into  music and started a little group (The Dirt Band), initially with a couple of workmates (Peter Grimes and Jim Jack) and then later with old youth club mates Geoff Speedy and Alec Stewart. I found some ability to write songs and from the mid 1990s until the early 2000s we put together a couple of demo albums which just never amounted to anything at all. We did a few gigs but I didn't enjoy live performing - it felt like delivering talks at Uni or AGM reports in various jobs – just plain hard work.

Giving up work
Having the good fortune to retire in one piece and with the help of several key people (notably my wife Megan,  musical guru Jon Navaho as well as Greg Stace and David Simon from Phoenix Entertainment), I have now been able to put together my first studio album: All In The Groove. Recorded and arranged at my home studio and then sent to Greg Stace for mixing and mastering at the Ralph Street Studios Sydney. The album has 12 songs with some written about my own experience and others being observations of other people and events.

Thank you for reading this wee bio and I hope you enjoy my music