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My passion for playing drums and making music, began at the tender age of 15, as I watched my mates band rehearsing, the only thing on my mind, was to get a drum kit and join a band. ("mummy mummy I want to be a drummer when I grow up." well, make up your mind, dear . you can't do both.") A year later I had a kit and the band 'Long Tall Shorty' playing Kinks/Beatles/Stones covers at local gigs :youth clubs,village hall dance's etc, after a couple of years (end of the 60's) this band evolved in to a heavy blues trio 'Disraeli' obviously influenced by Cream, played numerous London gigs,the band lasted a couple of years.
71-73 worked in Germany and Greece with a various soul and pop bands, many tales of the managers and promoters doing disappearing acts with the bands money etc, always arriving home penniless. 74-76 Playing in a couple of bands 'Asylum' and 'Gun Runner' Mainly London gigs plus a lot of supports: Def Leopard, Kilburn and the Highroads etc.
76-80 Gigs with Ron Kavana (Balham Alligators + Juice on the Loose). Also Joined the 'Mike Khan band' .based in Islington, shared management and many gigs with 'The inmates', regularly playing The Hope and Anchor, and The Kings Head, Which also has the theatre club, Mike being well connected with the theatre, occasionally wrote songs for plays and films, hence I was called upon for a recording in Bush House for a BBC radio play 'The Actress and the Bishop' (nudge nudge say no more). About this time I was interested in recording and set up my own home studio, Mike came down and recorded some of his songs, this was just before 'The Mike Khan Band' set off to Athens Greece, billed as 'London's best pub rock band' typical within a few hours of our arrival (spent in a taverna drinking) Mike started a fight and we all ended up in the local nick. However the gig was great, played in a massive basket ball stadium, this time I didn't come home penniless but unfortunately the band folded. During the early 80's I was married and had a baby daughter, I continued gigging , but my attention was focused on my home studio, recording and producing songs written by a young guitarist : Mark Simkins (Mark Michael band / Ginn House) we were looking for that elusive deal, we had a record producer show interest and recorded some of the songs in a professional studio but we were put on the back burner when he signed a Scandinavian band 'AH HA' . Mid eighties took a year or so sabbatical from playing (moved house and a new addition to the family also started my own business) persuaded to get back playing by a mate in his new band 'Los Dildos' rock, RnB and Blues with a humorous touch, big sombreros and hilarious stage antics. Come the early nineties played in various bands, the most memorable was : 'Simply Reg' nothing to do with 'Simply Red' just a name I suggested and it stuck, we played a regular gig in Croydon, 'Ruskin house blues club', (now called 'Mama k's blues bar') where I met Bill Smith who offered me the job with 'Lonesome Whistle Blues Band' later to become Bob Brunning's : new ' Deluxe blues band'. also played in the early 'Borroway Blues Band' which led to 'The Freeze' being formed.
By the end of the nineties apart from 'The Freeze', and 'Deluxe' my list of bands included 'Highway 51' and 'Bobby Fosters Memphis blues band'. 2001: I depped for 'Bad Town Blues' at a pub in Ipswich, long journey from Croydon for a pub gig but I'm glad I made the effort. Since that gig, just keeps getting better, I'm having a great time working with this excellent band. Although I will continue playing in other bands and deps,also helping out with the running of 'Mama K's blues bar' but I'm looking forward to the future with Bad Town Blues.
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