ABOUT ROB...
It all started back in 1967.... The Beatles released 'Sgt Peppers', The Small Faces released 'Ogdens Nut Gone Flake', The Who released 'Sell Out' and my parents released me into an unsuspecting world. Un-beknown to them at the time, not just those recordings, but the life that they introduced me to would have a massive impact on my future from that moment onwards... My Father 'Thom' was a well respected country musician, touring and recording artist, My Mother 'Barbara' was studying to be a teacher, funny how that turned out for me!!! I grew up as a happy child surrounded by art, craft and music and somehow that made me feel 'different'. I can remember as a small child our lives being fuelled by tie-die, long hair, flared trousers and band rehearals, our summer holidays spent touring the length and breadth of the UK, playing on the beach with my sisters and the other kids from the band members during the sun-drenched days and donning a tux to introduce the band in the evening... Happy days indeed, those days will never be forgotten... In 1980, totally out of the blue my father suffered a massive brain heamorrage which resulted in his un-timely death at just 41 years of age, but something else happened to me that day, I knew from then on that music was my destiny and that I had a misson in life, to become a professional musician, learn every aspect and share those experiences so that others could benefit from it and keep that flame alive... I practiced and studied hard, sometimes to tears, learning all the instruments in the band and taking in as much as I could... At 15, just before my GCSE's at an awards evening at school I performed an original song of my fathers, at the end of the performance the head teacher asked me to remain on the stage and then presented me with an award for outstanding musicianship, they told me that I was the second musician in the schools history to have natural perfect pitch, I asked who the other person was.... the answer was 'Your sister'... We all cried... From then on and throughout the next few years I played in many local bands, earning a name for myself in the local area as a proficient player and reliable band member with a professional attitude...
My Big break came in 1990 when a chance meeting in a Southend Music Shop put me in touch with a band called 'Sunscreem' that would change my life... In 1991 we signed an 8 album recording deal with Sony Music, we went on to tour the world, record 3 albums and score 7 Top 40 hit records and 6 No1 dance records both here and in the USA, performing at all the major festivals and prestigious venues such as The Albert Hall. We won best newcomer award on MTV, performed on 'Top of the Pops' and many other TV and radio shows worldwide, it was a time I will hold in my heart forever... In the late 90's I left Sunscreem, although we never really broke up and still perform together to date, and turned my attention to production. With my studio partner Wayne Simms we re-mixed several recordings for Sony Music, Warner Brothers and some independant recording labels. As I got more into production my attention turned towards live sound and from the mid 90's I worked for a world renowned Pro-Audio company again touring the planet, but this time on the other side of the speakers... In 2007 I relocated to France and back into the Studio, writing and producing music which brought me back to the UK in 2010 which is when I landed in Norfolk. During that year I started teaching guitar and bass, part time at first, but over the course of a few months it became my full time job and I have never looked back... Since moving to Kings Lynn I have become a well known member of the local music community with my bands 'The Weller Council' and 'The Yesterdays'. I am also a regular judge on the 'KLFM/Twisted Melon' Battle of the bands competition and I am also a well known face at East Coast Music, where I have worked part-time for the last 2 years... Sharing everything I have learnt from all this experience is a wonderfull thing, my life has come full-circle, I am teaching music,... It's a perfect hybrid of where my life began back in 1967... And long may it continue........
