advised me, introduced me to the right people, supported me in every way he could and by doing so allowed to spread my wings and fly solo.
Other people helped along the way too: Allan Taylor came to Darlington in 2002 to record his song „Piaf “ with me, Vin Garbutt who back in 2004, selflessly offered me to be his „roadie“ (as he doesn’t drive) which meant I officially became both his chauffeur and his support act. What a fantastic offer that turned out to be as thanks to him, I got the golden opportunity to perform in sell-out venues and hence be heard by loads of people… my job was to try and win them over in 25 minutes… the power of word of mouth would do the rest… hopefully! Actually it did, as I was contacted by organisers willing to give me a gig in my own right following my first appearance at their venue with Vin and without him, this would never have happened or at least not as fast as it did. He is my hero! I learnt a lot from observing him on stage and developed my own French-Geordie patter and humour to engage even more with the audience. I do believe he has helped bring out the British side of the stand-up comedian in me and I love it.
I got to meet some really amazing musicians over the years, some of whom I ended up performing with and still do to this day. Tey are, to name but a few: Paul Donnelly (fantastic guitarist from Saltburn), Chris Parkinson (accordion maestro based in Whitby) Simon Keegan-Phipps, multi- talented instrumentalist based in Sheffield who can play the piano, the trumpet, the guitar (and more) to an equally high standard, Neil Harland (double bass)
from Newcastle etc. Over the
years, I have been working hard to keep my singing as diversified as possible and thanks to accompanying musicians of exceptional standard as the ones just mentioned above, I’ve enjoyed playing folky sets just as much as jazzy and bluesy ones or purely French ones (particularly the songs of Edith Piaf and Jacques Brel) as required by organisers of events to suit their needs. Tis will explain the variety of my CD collection* which I believe covers (in both meaning of the word!) a multitude of styles.
Other people who were really helpful include Phil Beer and later on Show of Hands. I did a couple of support slots for Phil in early 2009 and ended up being Show of Hands support act on
their extensive County Town Autumn Tour that same year. Tat was a truly amazing experience both because of the warm welcome I was given by the team but also because of the fantastic venues we were playing every night. I felt truly blessed to have been part of the whole experience.
I have met loads of wonderful people over the years, performers and members of the audience alike. Some have become firm friends. Keith Donnelly is one of them. We met at the Spring Ting Festival in Darlington in March 2001, not long aſter I had just been introduced to Tom and Jenny. I loved his set and he loved mine so we got talking and stayed in touch over the years. I even sang one of his songs at Saddleworth Festival in July 2001 when he invited me on stage. As we oſten bumped into each other at festivals, Keith asked me back in 2008 if I would consider singing his songs as he felt we would make a good team… he was right! Our duo Dark Horses was born and we started performing at festivals up and down the country… so much so that Fairport Convention chose us as their support act on their 2010 Winter Tour! Again, this was an amazing experience which allowed us to play in fantastic venues whilst helping us promote our then new album „Dark Horses“. Needless to say that the whole team were absolutely great with us and we really felt part of the „family“ throughout the tour.
One of the highlights of 2011 for me was my first ever solo tour of Holland, Germany and Belgium back in January… I have to thank Pete Morton for recommending me to his agent over there and thanks to whom I ended up doing this tour. Also I wouldn’t have felt as confident driving there if it hadn’t been for my SatNav… what a wonderful invention. Tank God for technology! I will be heading back to Holland in January 2012 for another tour accompanied by Chris Parkinson on accordion this time and I’m really looking forward to it!
Te other highlight of 2011 was Keith’s and my extensive tour of Australia between March and May organised by our agent Ray Downes. We were away in this beautiful country for 8 weeks, having stopped over in Hong Kong for 5 days just before. It was my first time over there and again, I won’t forget those beautiful landscapes and the fantastic times we had at house concerts and big festivals alike. Keith and I enjoyed working together on yet
PHOTOGRAPHY: PAM AINSLEY -
www.pamainsley.co.uk
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