My musical heritage and where it lead!

I consider myself exremely lucky to have been born into a very musical family:o). My Dad played trumpet, taught as a young child by his father (a prominent trumpet player and conducter in his day), euphonium, piano, guitaar, bass guitaar and also a great singer. My grandfather also comes from a long line of talented musicians.
The brother and sisters also played brass instruments, guitaar and/or sing and in most cases thier siblings too! The music gene is rife in our family so it seems!
My Mum is a great singer and has recently started to play the bodhrán (Irish drum) and she's good too!
My older brother plays amazing guitaar and is well known in England on the gigging circuit.
And a cousin of mine is also active and successful in the music scene in and around his home town. Here a link to my cousins 'space' also a great musician and great guy!! http://www.myspace.com/badmanstaggerlee.

Whilst at school, even from junior school i was always picked out to sing the solos at church do's or school events'.
By the time i reached high school i was in a number of bands of varying genres, until at the tender age of 16 i discovered folk! Then the bug bit!
Regularly joining my parents at the local folk club The Railway Inn, in Lymm, Cheshire, i was bitten by the bug and began treading the path at folk clubs
in and around the North West of England.

Influenced by the likes of Deidre Scanlon, Tríona Ní Dhomhnaill,Maddy Prior, Dolores Keane, Niamh Parsons and Karine Polwart,i love both traditional and contemporary folk
from all sides of the British Isles and Ireland. This is to be heard in the broad range of songs and styles i sing today.
I also plays Bodhrán (a lovely blood red Brendan White)penny whistle and a wee bit of guitaar. I came to the Netherlands some 15 years ago,where i began my ‘Dutch folk career’ with Bert Haasjes in my first mainland Europe endeavour,
the duo “Widdershins” in which i played for some 5 years.

Later i joined the North Holland band ‘Emerald’ with whom i gigged in and around the Netherlands and Belgium with for a further 4 years.

After a brief musical interlude and tour to Germany and Hungary
with the dynamic band ‘Dolmen’ i continue to regularly visit Irish/traditional sessions around the country where i am a well known face.
Today i can be found as the vocalist of the fresh new band Drumlin, with which we have had a number of successful theatre gigs. Now we will just see what the future will hold!