My Story

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I WAS BORN IN THE 40’S IN LONDON, AND AT THE AGE OF TEN I STARTED LEARNING TO PLAY THE GUITAR. IN 1956 I HEARD ROCK AROUND THE CLOCK BY BILL HALEY AND THE COMETS AND I WAS HOOKED ON ROCK AND ROLL. I PLAYED GUITAR AND THEN PROGRESSED TO BASS GUITAR IN AN AMATURE BAND PLAYING ROCK AND ROLL.  I WANTED A BETTER LIFE SO MY WIFE AND I EMIGRATED IN 1966 TO COME TO AUSTRALIA AND I DID NOT PLAY MUSIC AGAIN UNTIL I WAS IN MY MID SIXTIES, AND I DECIDED TO GET BACK INTO MUSIC AGAIN. THERE ARE MILLIONS OF GUITAR AND BASS PLAYERS OUT THERE, AS THEY ARE FAIRLY EASY TO PLAY COMPARED TO A SAXOPHONE.

 

I HAVE ALWAYS LOVED THE SOUND OF THE TENOR SAX IN BANDS, SUCH AS BILL HALEY AND THE COMETS, LITTLE RICHARD AND FAT’S DOMINOE SO I DECIDED TO LEARN THE SAXOPHONE THINKING IT WOULD BE EASY LIKE A GUITAR. MANY A TIME I THOUGHT I SHOULD SQUASH IT UNDER THE BACK WHEELS OF MY CAR, AS IT IS VERY HARD TO PLAY. I PERSEVERED AND MANAGED TO JOIN THE ROCKIN BODGIES WHO WERE A GOOD BAND, PLAYING 50-60’S MUSIC. MY LOVELY WIFE WAS DIAGNOSED WITH A TERMINAL DISEASE SO I LEFT THE ROCKIN BODGIES IN 2013 TO TAKE MY WIFE TO SEE THE WORLD AS WE HAD DONE VERY LITTLE TRAVELLING. SADLY, MY WIFE HAS PASSED AWAY SO AFTER TRAVELLING THE WORLD FOR SIX YEARS WITHOUT PLAYING I TOOK MY SAX OUT OF IT’S CASE, BUT THEN COVID STOPPED ALL MUSIC FOR 2 YEARS.

 

RECENTLY I ASKED 3 LOCAL BANDS IF THEY WOULD LIKE ME TO PLAY WITH THEM FREE OF CHARGE, AS I KNOW ALL THEIR MUSIC. ALL THREE BANDS KNOCKED ME BACK. I KNOW THE REASON, AS GUITAR PLAYERS  LOVE TO BE THE STARS, AND THEY DO NOT WANT A SAX PLAYER TAKEING ANY OF THEIR LIMELITE.  I HAVE LISTENED TO ALL THESE  GUITARIST’S AND WHILE THEY  PLAY WELL, THEY FRANKLY ALL SOUND THE SAME TO ME. IT APPEARS TO ME THAT EVERBODY LOVES THE SOUND OF THE SAXOPHONE, BECAUSE IT IS UNIQUE. I HAVE DONE A LOT OF VISUAL STUDY AT THE ROCK AND ROLL DANCES I HAVE ATTENDED, AND MADE MY LIST OF SONGS SO THEY FIT IN WITH THEIR DANCE REQUIRMENTS, AS THE ROCK AND ROLL DANCERS INCLUDING LINE DANCERS JUST LOVE TO DANCE. ON MY LIST OF OVER 190 SONGS, I PLAY TWO LINE DANCE RECORDS TOGETHER. 2 WALTZE’S TOGETHER AS THEY NEED TO LINE UP AND ALL GO IN THE SAME DIRECTION.  

 

YOU WILL FIND THE WANDERER AND PRETTY WOMAN ARE NEXT TO EACH OTHER AS THE DANCE STEPS ARE VERY SIMILAR, I ALSO SPREAD THE SONGS OUT SO THEY ARE NOT ALL THE SAME SPEED. ROCKABILLY IS ABOUT 180 -200 BEATS A MINUTE AND IS OK FOR ONE SONG AT A TIME, BUT YOU ONLY WANT A FEW OVER THE LIST AS THE OPTIMUM SPEED FOR DANCING IS ABOUT 150 -160 BEATS PER MINUTE. SLOW JIVE IS ABOUT 120-130 BEATS PER MINUTE. I NOTICED THAT SOME BANDS PLAY SONGS THAT THEY- WANT TO PLAY, AND THAT IS WHEN ALL THE DANCERS WALK OFF THE FLOOR BECAUSE THEY CANNOT DANCE TO THEM. ALL THE SONGS ON MY LIST ARE PURELY FOR DANCING, AND HAVE A GREAT BEAT. I GET GREAT SATISFACTION ON WATCHING THE ROCK AND ROLL DANCERS ENJOYING THEMSELVES WHILE I AM PLAYING FOR THEM. IF YOU WOULD LIKE ME TO PLAY ALONG WITH ALL YOUR FAVOURITE ROCK AND ROLL AND LINEDANCING RECORDS, ALL I NEED ARE MY TRAVEL EXPENSES (FUEL) AND MAYBE A CUP OF COFFEE.