Vocal Coach / Vocal MD / Vocal Design Services
Vocal Coach / Vocal MD / Vocal Design Services
Songwriter / Top line
Songwriting came to me a little later in my career. I was around 24 years old and I had an operation on my side. The only way I could get comfortable was to sit slumped over a guitar (that I had bought for £50!) that I couldn't play.
I found that melodies came very naturally to me and I started to create the melody and lyrics then 'attempt' to find the chords over the top.This naivety with writing the music worked in my favour as I was creating music without rules and finding unusual chords based on their sound against the voice.
An instinctive approach that worked for me anyway!
I was working at that time in the studio with 'The Jones Gang' and on a break I started playing one of my songs thinking I was alone (I would never dared to share them) and the producer (Gary Stephenson) overheard me. He asked me to play it to him and then asked if he could produce it. He did, and I will be ever grateful to him for making me feel less of an amateur in that moment.
From feeling accepted as a songwriter I continued to write for years with renowned songwriter/vocalist Robert Hart and also with producer/writer Nigel Lowis.
I joined BMI, who assigned me to songwriter showcases in London and I was sponsored by Gibson Guitars (as pictured here, I am still dreaming of buying the Gibson Blues King that they loaned me for performances)
I have collaborated over time and have performed and released my own music. I enjoy top line writing and I have worked on a variety of projects, writing to brief and crossing genres.
I have been fortunate to have written and performed songs that have entered and topped the Soul charts in the UK and other countries around the world.
I enjoy lecturing in songwriting and working with bands at BIMM (Birminghams) to help them with creative processes, finding their sound and pushing the boundaries of writing original material.
I am currently working on a Global Jazz project which is taking forever, but it is a passion project for me so I am dragging it out! News on that to follow...
