A bit of "stuff about me".....
I took my first musical steps at the age of six when, under my Dad's tuition, I started playing the tenor horn. I joined Oxted Band aged 8 and after hours of dedicated practice (!) was principal horn player of a championship section band by the time I was 11. All this blowing activity left little time to devote to my vocal ambitions which, although dusted off occasionally, were tucked away for quite a number of years!
I joined the National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain aged 12, rising to become principal of the tenor horn section. This was a great experience - not only musically but I finally met other people who didn't think there was anything "weird" about playing a brass instrument. Quite a revelation having been a bit of an oddity at school for a number of years! Also, at this time, I was awarded a scholarship to study at the Junior Music School of the London College of Music, attending on Saturday mornings for almost 4 years (and avoiding 4-part harmony homework at every opportunity!).
Highlights of my playing career include winning the Alexander Owen Memorial Scholarship in 1980 (the second female to do so since Gracie Cole in 1942), performing at the Royal Albert Hall with the NYBB of GB, appearing as the guest soloist with the City of Coventry Band for Yorkshire Television's "Brass in Concert", hosted by ex-NYBB trombonist Peter Skellern, joining Harry Mortimer's All Star Brass for a BBC production to celebrate Harry's 80th birthday and being the first female to play with the renowned James Shepherd Versatile Brass, causing a furore at rehearsals which were held in a northern working men's club - an experience I drew on years later when playing the part of Gloria Mullins in "Brassed Off".
In 1982, I headed north to undertake a 3-year performance course at Salford College and it was here that I was introduced seriously to jazz and popular music. There was a thriving Jazz and Popular Music course and I would watch the lovely Rita singing with all the bands and thinking "I want to do that!" Confidence was still lacking, though, and the nearest I got was finding myself in classical singing lessons and being told – at my first lesson – "you’ll never get anywhere with that husky voice."
Ten years on, undeterred and (finally!) armed with some self belief, I took to the boards. Since then I've had the pleasure of undertaking some great lead roles including Mrs Barnum - "Barnum", Sally Bowles - "Cabaret", Audrey - "Little Shop of Horrors" and Edith Piaf - "Piaf" (and ever grateful that the eyebrows DID grow back!). I also appeared as Tess in an original musical working of "Tess of the d'Urbervilles" - a musical marathon, some two and a half hours long, and only off stage for 10 minutes!
Since the role of Piaf in February 2005, and really feeling it was "now or never", I have devoted my time to developing my singing, working with numerous instrumental combinations and exploring new material. This has culminated in the production of my first CD - "What's New?" - a collection of jazz standards, with a contemporary twist, and songs by writers such as Bob Marley, Sting and Joan Armatrading.
Joining me on the CD are Paul Malsom (acoustic guitars), Danny Sheppard (double bass), Andres Ticino and Buster Birch (percussion). It also features Derek Nash on saxophones and was recorded at Derek’s Clown’s Pocket Studios in Bexley in August 2006.