I started out in the real home of heavy metal, the Steel Works! Like all the kids in my town, I went straight from school into Consett Steel Works. I had other plans, and with another steelworker from my school formed a band and together with two other guys, we served two apprenticeships. One of them by day in the Steel Works. The other by night in the pubs and clubs of the North East of England with our band, Bullfrog. I played bass guitar. Our contemporaries and influences were Cream, Deep Purple, Led Zep, Black Sabath, Free, The Groundhogs etc. This was late sixties/early seventies. I recall the very first song I ever played on a public stage was Cream’s ìSunshine Of Your Loveî.

A couple of years ago I took my musical ìSteel Townî back to my home town and passed by the pub where I drank in all these musical influences and saw a sign outside; ìspecialising in 70’s juke boxî ñ jeez, they hadn’t changed the records in over 30 years. That’s me in the picture from the time I speak of with the blast furnace I worked on in the background. The Gibson EB3 I am playing shows up later in this story in association with Venom, a drill, and a crucifix.