My first recollection of music was listening to my dad playing piano. He was an all round musician - he could play anything. My mother was a semi-professional dancer. I also had an uncle who played xylophone, percussion and drums at the Trocadero in Liverpool and accompanied the old silent movies there. Both my grandmother's played piano.

I first became inspired to play music when I heard a song called "When I Grow Too Old To dream". It was from a movie, but I can't remember the title of it. I taught myself play this song on a Eb mouth organ made by the Hohner company and it cost me sixpence. I was eight years old. I also learned piano and violin, but packed up the violin as the E string set my teeth on edge!

My inspiring wife Vera, who was an accomplished singer and performer, sadly passed away in November 2010 and will be greatly missed. Her nephew was an excellent musician and played in a skiffle group "The Crescents " who came 2nd on a TV show of the time called “The Carol