Firstly, I feel it necessary to mention that I dislike brief 'Biography' or 'About Me' sections. I've found these sections make some good reading if you are interested in a particular artist. That said, I hope I have given myself license to go into a bit of detail here...
Born and bred in Liverpool, you could say it was the Bontempi-style keyboard my mum won at the bingo which started the ball rolling. Apparently, at aged 3 or 4 I worked out the melody to a song heard on television on the small keyboard and in turn, my parents felt compelled to buy an upright piano.
Despite this early musical affinity, I didn't begin taking regular, strict piano lessons until I reached secondary school. Much to my disappointment, the study material was of a classical nature. Whilst I now have a much larger appreciation for classical music, as a teenager I was much more interested in playing pop/jazz/blues/soul after being raised on a stable diet of Pink Floyd, Eric Clapton & Dire Straits. However, the only knowledge gained about these genres was from transcribing from the tracks themselves; the experience of which has served me well when working in many professional applications.
After completing grade 8 piano, I was adamant that I would move more towards learning jazz piano. In light of this, I began transcribing a little more and looking for private teachers. Since then I have been fortunate enough to study with Dominic Schirmer, Dane Chalfin, Mike Walker, Simon Purcell, Liane Carroll, Jean Toussaint, Rachel Brand, Sophie Bancroft and John Peace.
Then there's the singing. I first began singing frequently at the piano when I was around nine years old after listening to a Beatles Greatest Hits album. I volunteered to sing 'Hey Jude' unaccompanied at a Beatles-themed school play (we tried it with flute accompaniment - don't ask - but I knew it would sound much better with just my voice and silence and so that's how it was performed!). This led me to audition for the Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral Choir (L.M.C.C) and gain a place as a probationer which would be promoted to chorister under the condition that I passed a years induction. After completing the induction I became a member of the choir for a further 3 years. In that time, I was fortunate enough to tour the UK and America, appear on Granada Television and record several CDs with the L.M.C.C.
Much like the classical based piano approach, the singing of sacred and secular music was not something that appealed to me much in the long term. I longed to sing the more contemporary, radio friendly songs. As a result of this desire I began singing anything and everything when I came out of the choir, performing at charity gigs (which my dad would organise in a local social club), family parties/birthdays...wherever I could.
This year, I am in the process of writing and recording my first album which I'm planning to release independently in the summer. I felt the needed to take some time out from my Music degree at LIPA to concentrate solely on song writing and honing my skills as a singer/pianist. So far, I have supported Ian Shaw and Liane Carroll in my year out - whose music and performances have inspired and taught me a great deal.
Just before Christmas, Liane was kind enough to invite me to perform in my home town at her gig in St. George's Hall, which I can only describe as 'special'. I am also performing solo in a number of venues which you can check out in the gigs table.
|
|
  |
|
