I have always wanted to perform, to be listened to, to entertain.  I think I get that from my father who always enjoyed being the centre of attention in that way.  The guitar gave me a chance to rise above myself - for when I first performed, I was very low on self-esteem, shy, timid, but I found I could hide behind the guitar and, almost, feel like someone else, not pathetic me, but someone bigger.  The first time was probably at a party somewhere in Liverpool, but the bug really caught me once I'd discovered the Welcome Inn in Rusholme, Manchester, when I was a student.  Here every Tuesday a small pub room was overcrowded with folk-singers and musicians who introduced me to the real magic of folk music, but also encouraged me to have a go.  And I've been having a go ever since.

1981 - 1986  as a member of Oakenshield, a four-piece folk band playing in the clubs in the East Midlands and recording two albums, I played mandolin, guitar and hammer dulcimer and sang a bit too.
1987 - 1990  as a member of the Blind Date Band, also known as the Jo-Jo Hale Band, contributing bass, lead guitar and vocals around the pubs and clubs.
1986  for a short while as part of Grass Routes, a folk-roots threesome that played only about 4 gigs.
1989 - 1992  as a member of RedHanded, sometimes a three-piece, sometimes four-piece folk band who again played only a handful of gigs.
1995 onwards  as a duo with Ailsa, playing our mixture of trad and contemporary folk.

Our highlights include:
Playing live on Radio Shropshire (Genevieve Tudor's Folk Programme);
Being featured on Stan Ambrose's Radio Merseyside Folksound;
Playing at Shrewsbury, Brampton, Poynton/Woodford, Ireby, Glasson, Middlewich, Acton Bridge and the Four Fools Festivals.

In betwixt and between, I've played solo whenever the chance arose - and, of course, I will continue to perform as long as I am able and as long as there's someone prepared to listen!

My instruments are: a wonderful old Yamaha acoustic guitar; a mandolin made by Steve McKenna; also, a Taylor 414 acoustic guitar; two Breedlove electro-acoustics, a 6-string and a 12-string; a Fylde octave mandola; a Fender Telecaster Custom; an Epiphone Sheraton; a Vox Custom 25; a Whetstone Thunder III bass; a bowed psaltery; two ukuleles; a lute I can't play yet, a Yamaha keyboard and various harmonicas and percussion.

A new adventure in performing came about in July 2002 when Ailsa and I got involved in the Marbury Mysteries, a 'play in the park' (written by Robert Meadows) telling a series of tales about the history of Marbury Hall. I wrote some of the original music and we played and sang in the play, and we also had our first experiences of acting.  Quite enjoyed that, so later in the year we got involved with Moulton Drama Group and helped in their 2003 production of the musical, "Smike!".  I have since made my real acting debut playing the part of Detective Sargeant Slater in MDG's production of "Funny Money".  Since then, Ailsa and I both had parts in "Animal Farm" at Moulton, and then in 2005 the "Salt Tellers" (another community play written by Robert Meadows and for which I was Musical Director).  Then in 2006, I had a part in MDG's "Trivial Pursuits" and we both had parts in the Harlequin Players' "Dad's Army" as well as providing some live music.  In 2007 I took a part in another community play, "Underwych"; then we had parts in MDG's "The Monkey's Paw" (me) and "Black And White" (Ailsa), and then the Harlequin's "Alice In Wonderland".  In 2008, we both took parts in MDG's "Katherine Howard".  In amongst all this, there have been a few appearances at Tatton Park, playing psaltery at the Medieval Fair, ukulele at the WW2 weekend and singing carols in the Mansion.