Children's Favourite's on a Saturday morning in the late 1950s with Derek McCulloch was the first music I remember hearing as a child.
My parents were listening to Beethoven and Bach on their mono Radiogram at the time.
In the early 1960s my father bought a Rogers stereo hifi and demonstrated its good quality by playing his favourite Russian song, namely "Kalinka", to invited visitors
Beatles songs were the first pop songs that really made an impression on me as a child.
Their 45rpm vinyl singles were played incessantly on my fathers record player, with "She Loves You" being a particular favourite.
In 1963 my parents took me to see the film Summer Holiday at the Odeon cinema in Birmingham with Cliff Richard as the star. I enjoyed listening to Cliff's songs while watching the film.
In the 1990s I was inspired to create some Cliff Richard and the Shadows artwork which found its way into fandom, where the art was promoted through charity organisations.
I was later contacted by Ian Samwell from the USA who had written Cliff's first hit song "Move It".and had seen my artwork in Cliff's Dynamite International magazine.
It was so nice of him to call me and he wanted to buy my Move It ! original painting which I had already sold to another buyer.
I became more aware of pop songs by watching Top of the Pops on the BBC from 1964.
The beautiful songs I heard from seeing the musical Sound of Music film in 1965, at the Gaumont Cinema in Birmingham, made an impression on me.
Around 1970 I bought a stereo Hifi system as I wanted to play my own music which I had come to enjoy over the years.
I discovered progressive rock by hearing the sound of Pink Floyd and later the Moody Blues' A Question of Balance, a vinyl stereo album played at my cousin's home in 1970.
I was drawn to the ethereal sound of Mike Pinder's mellotron keyboard instrument and bought many of their other albums after that and enjoyed listening to their uplifting love, peace and harmony songs.
Following their lyric sheets printed on their gatefold album sleeves as the music played added to my musical experience while sitting on my bed.
In 1995 I felt inspired to create some Moody Blues art after joining the Official Moody Blues Fan Club based in Surrey.
I submitted some fan art which the editor liked and I was invited, along with my young daughter, to bring my original artwork down to Fan club HQ to meet the editor Ivy Stewart.
It was a pleasure to meet Ivy.
My artwork was later used on the official Fan Club Newsletters, published four times a year in the UK and distributed around the globe to waiting fans.
My artwork appeared in American Moody Blues fanzines too.
The editor of the Desert Blues fanzine; Jan Stackhouse contacted me from the USA and commended me on my Moody Blues artwork and how she would like to use it in her fanzine.
So nice to speak to Jan.
I donated several pieces of my Moody Blues art to the official fan club and also to a Children's Charity in California promoted by Mike Pinder's Have you Heard fanzine
My Moody Blues artwork also appeared in the 20th Century Guitar magazine published in the USA in 2006 and the editor described me as an Artist Extraordinaire. I liked the phrase and took it as a compliment.
I had the pleasure of speaking to one of my music heroes in 2006, namely Mike Pinder and his wife Tara in California, who bought a Moody Blues painting of mine which was dedicated to him and his two sons, who formed a band called The Pinder Brothers. The Pinder Brothers are talented like their father and I like their albums.
In 1997, Paul Bliss from Birmingham who became the session keyboard player with the Moody Blues for 19 years following the departure of Patrick Moraz, commissioned me to paint a CD cover for his solo album called "Edge of Coincidence".
It was a pleasure to speak to Paul.
The CD was promoted through the official Moody Blues Fan Club and sold well.
My Moody Blues artwork can be found on several Youtube videos online.
Annie Haslam of Renaissance fame inspired me to create a portrait of her with Justin Hayward of The Moody Blues when they released a duet song called "Angels Cry" in the 1990s.
She later contacted me from the USA wanting to buy my portrait painting of her and Justin. It was a pleasure talking to her along with Joanne Shea from the Annie Haslam
Appreciation Society
In 1972 I heard the prog band Yes for the first time, again through my cousin at his home and I later felt inspired to create some Yes artwork.
In 2006 Impact Films approached me about an up and coming Yes Documentary to be put on DVD and wanted to use my Yes artwork as part of their documentary.
I agreed to this request.
Listening to the latest Yes album called Mirror to the Sky released in 2023 reminded me how good the band still were musically and creatively.
Over the years I have attended many Yes and Moody Blues concerts along with other famous bands.
The Moody Blues will always be at the centre of my musical universe as I discover and continue to discover so many different kinds of music through their music.
The Moody Blues and Yes have made the world a better place with their uplifting message of love, peace and harmony. Their music is timeless.
Great escapism!
