March 1st 1972 - First Fiddle Lesson with Ainsley Harries in Llandrindod Wells.

1973 – I am allowed or should I say made to stay up to watch Stefane Grappelli and Yehudi Menuhin play on the Parkinson Show on BBC. Dad immediately goes out and buys ‘Jealousy’ the LP, he then realised tht we didn’t have a decent record player to play it on so went out and bought a stereo system. On asking the young assistant what record would best demonstrate the system’s stereophonic qualities, was given the reply ‘Dark side of the Moon’ by Pink Floyd… so there were my earliest influences. Mum enjoys listening to Val Doonighan – ‘Paddy McGinty’s Goat’ is also in my early repertoire.

Parents take me to many local Eisteddfods – I win pouches of money (4 pence) for recitation of ‘Mr Giraff’

‘Oh Mr Giraffe, you make me laugh,

You seem to be made all wrong.

Your head is so high, up there in the sky,

And your neck is so very long.

It seems to me that your dinner and tea,

Have such a long way to go.

And I wonder how they manage to find,

Their way to your tummy below.’

 

Move to Llwyncelyn, near Aberaeron in May 1975. Have lessons through school peripatetic teacher Wynford Jones.

Dec 1975 First ever public performance - solo - Nativity sketch! Play 'A Hundred Pipers' during the Inn scene. Audience of over 100 parents, including my own pulling those goofy proud faces that want to scream out "That's my child". Blinded by limelight and the seed had been sown!

August 1975 - Go to my first Carnival at Aberaeron. First time to hear live jazz!

January 1976 - Join the local area’s Primary School Orchestra in Aberaeron Primary School. Move from Llwyncelyn to Aberaeron in March 1976 and continue with private violin lessons from Mrs Elaine James in September (through the grades to June 1985 on leaving comprehensive school.)

1978 - Have piano lessons with Rosalind Varley - ex-concert pianist. Posh lady and didn't suffer fools. Had a speedboat too!

1979-1985 During comprehensive school, took part in nearly all musical events, through orchestras, school plays and musicals and, of course, eisteddfods. From School to Local, Chapel to Urdd playing classical music without copy and accompanied most times by Frances Shaw. A new found way of earning/winning money on a Saturday afternoon to go out on a Saturday night, that is after paying my father for the petrol!