🔗 Share this article

The earliest track I fell in love with
My most primal memory is stepping into a room at preschool where they were spinning Yellow Submarine by the Fab Four. I was enthralled by the sound effects, and Lennon bellowing: “Full speed ahead!” When it reached the refrain, I distinctly thought: “This must be music!”

The first single I purchased
When I was eight, I was victorious in a contest at school to pick a brand new record to play at the weekly dance party we had on Friday afternoons. My teacher took me to a local store, and I opted for Come Back My Love by the group Darts. The first single I purchased with my own allowance was Mull of Kintyre by Paul McCartney's Wings from a music store in Colne. It was No 1 at the time, and I chose it when my father noted that it was by a former member of the Beatles.

The track I perform at karaoke
I candidly cannot stand public singing and dodge it at all costs. But if forced, I’d go with Summer Wind by Ol' Blue Eyes.

The track I oddly recite every lyric to
I just discovered that I can recall pretty much every word to The Boy in the Bubble, You Can Call Me Al, and each track on Graceland by the legendary songwriter.

The perfect song to put on at a soirée
It relies on the point of the event you are at. At the start it would likely be I Heard It Through the Grapevine by the soul legend. As the night wears on, I’d work through Prince, the Stones and David Bowie, and when it gets lively, Phat Planet by the electronic act, Born Slippy .NUXX by the techno pioneers, and Ascension by Gorillaz, which is an undeniable hit.

The number I can never listen to
I strangely cannot stand Mr Brightside by the Las Vegas band.

The ultimate song to have sex to
Come Together by the Beatles.

The LP that changed my life
When I was 12 and starting to play the six-string, I’d only listen to early rock ’n’roll, and was consumed by Elvis, the rock pioneer, Jerry Lee Lewis, the New Orleans legend, the glasses-wearing icon and Eddie Cochran. Then my babysitter brought round Let There Be Rock by AC/DC. It was still guitar music, but it was electrifying rock ’n’roll. Instantly after he dropped the vinyl on the turntable, I was a fan for life.

The track that motivates me in the AM
What’d I Say parts 1 & 2 by The Genius.

The song that gets me emotional
Virtually any music makes me touched. The Queen of Soul, The Chairman of the Board, Presley and the Fab Four all make me cry because of the melody and pure beauty of the singing. But The Ocean by Richard Hawley strikes a chord consistently.

The song I’d like to be played at my funeral
Elvis. If I’m cremated, I’ll have Burning Love. If I’m laid to rest in the ground, I’ll have Way Down.