As with many drummers I started playing from a fairly early age.
Initially self taught, I learnt predominantly from playing along to music and watching concerts on video. This, I believe gave me a strong sense of ear. I would say at a young age I liked all sorts of
music and heard a fair bit of my fathers influences which were predominantly jazz and blues. By coincidence, him not being a drummer, my father was into the likes of Buddy Rich. Hard to say that influenced my but I guess you never know.
I spent many hours practicing any way I could. Eventually I got hold of a practice kit which allowed my to practice many more hours without fear of worrying about how much noise I was making.
Fast forwarding to when I was about 17/18 I started to have serious lessons with Paul Francis (former session drummer- Steve Harley, Rolf harris, Bill Wyman, Tucky Buzzard, Gena Washington,
Guilbert O Sullivan). This expanded my horizons massively and set me on a road which would eventually lead to me becoming a tutor too. Through Paul I opened up to a variety of styles, and
met many other world class drummers, including Chuck Silverman, Dave Weckl, Steve Smith, Dennis Chambers, Thomas Lang, and many others.
As time progressed and I gained wider experience with bands, and gained my guildhall grades, my tutor began encouraging me to become a tutor myself, which I ultimately did.
I have gained a lot of band experience both live and in the studio. I have worked with many original bands, working hard to get recognition and also many covers and tribute bands.
In more recent times I have started to perform many sessions and dep gigs for other bands. This is a very rewarding area and keeps you on your toes!
My gigging has taken me all over the Country including many gigs in London.
I still of course consider myself a student of music. I’m constantly working to improve my game,
and still discover new and exciting musicians on a weekly basis.
Great site and info! Regards,