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Alan West & Me at The Castle, Axminster - Also there was Steve Black and Siobhan Parr. | |||
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Music has been a big part of
my life from the age of 5 when I was taught to read music and plat
piano, by a dear old lady who would
come round every week (her name escapes me), but I have fond memories
playing the old joanna in our living room.
At the age of 12 I became interested in the Guitar, and after various atempts at trying to build one, I badgered my mum to buy me one that came with an amp in woolies, bless her, she bought it (£15) about a weeks wages then. By 14 I was competent enough (I thought so) to start a band with a school friend (Trevor Sedge) |
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| I
spent the next 10 years in various bands; Sapphire, The Herbs, Just Lee,
playing around Kent and the Country circuit around south London.
One of the most memorable gigs was at the Gravesend Civic Hall, where we played with the top UK and USA country Bands. The warm up session in the afternoon was awesome - One big band of 30 members - excellent |
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Me and Louise - the current duo | ||
| In
1983 I moved to Devon and started the band 'Negative'. All the musicians
were top class and enthusiastic, We ran for about 7 years, so popular
was the band that we had one couple change their wedding date just to
book the band. With summer season bookings, most weeks in the summer, we
would play every night as well as hold down a day time job (Couldn't do
it now).
In 1990 I moved to Spain and met Ken Moore (Keyboard player with The New Vaudeville Band), who owned a bar in Sabinillas (The Moorehouse), we worked every Friday, Saturday and Sunday for 2 years, before circumstances forced me to move back to England |
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| On returning to England,
I met Terry Stacey who had moved down from Sussex, to open a music shop,
and for ten years or so we worked together in a number of bands and
recording albums.
I retired from playing in 2002, only to be inspired again by listening to Steve Black, and came out of retirement in 2006, and started a duo with Louise, now playing local pubs. I do the occasional gig with Steve, and on Sunday Evenings I run an open mike night at The Red Lion, Axminster (if you're ever down this way pop in and say hello). |
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