"Most people currently know me as Beggar’s guitarist. However, it’s a bit more interesting than that.........maybe.
Growing up, music was always in my house as my dad played pedal steel guitar. He taught prominent session player Brian “BJ” Cole in the ‘60’s, who has since worked with everyone from Robert Plant, Sting, Elton John etc. Dad brought a Ukulele back from his travels to Hawaii (bear with me, it’s important) and I started playing both that and acoustic guitar in the school band. This was 1970. I was 10 years old.
A mate had an older brother, and he invited me a concert. I’d heard a bit of Deep Purple, but was mesmerised by them and Ritchie Blackmore live. The uke got confined to the back of the cupboard and I bought an electric guitar. This was 1972, and my lifelong love of all things Blackmore started.
First paid gig at 14 (except from the school band). My guitar teacher called me up as his regular second guitarist in his band ‘Country Brew’ had injured himself at work and could I stand in? When, I said? “Errrr, now...” so he picked me up and off we went to Tilbury WM Club on a rainy Wednesday night. Guy got shot in the club that night. Tough start to the gigging! I must have done ok, as they kept me on. My heart wasn’t in it, musically, so I looked around for other guys around my age to play rock covers.
I was going to gigs too. We had The Kursaal in Southend, who had Quo, Uriah Heap, Lizzy, Feelgoods, AC/DC, Sensational Alex Harvey Band etc. The mid ’70’s was a great time to be a music fan. I saw Led Zeppelin and later the emergence of an LA bar band called Van Halen.......
Growing up near Canvey Island meant we were never far from the r’n’b artists like Eddie and the Hot Rods, Lew Lewis and the ubiquitous Dr Feelgood. We’d bump into them all the time at rehearsal studios and pubs, and they’d take the piss out of our long hair and call me “Heavy Metal Mark” - I’d gone to school with their road manager Dean Kennedy, who passed away last year and I used to date one of John B. Sparkes (Feelgoods diminutive bassist’s) sisters.
Started my first originals band about 18 with schoolboy chums Andy and Simon Adams. Contained various line ups and later joined originals NWOBHM band Random Black at 20. Their first singer had worked with Tim Friese-Green, Paul Webb and Lee Harris who went on to work with Mark Hollis and they formed Talk Talk - who had a stellar career and pop chart success in 30 countries including a huge single in the USA with “Its my Life”
My first gig with Random Black was supporting Dennis Stratton’s new band Lionheart (he’d just left Iron Maiden) and NWOBHM stalwarts Samson, who contained a vocalist called Bruce Bruce. He will crop up later. They also had Thunderstick......
Random Black’s second demo produced by Matthew Fisher of Procul Harum. Averagely successful in the NWOBHM world and that (and many gigs here and there) got us a record deal with Ebony Records. Our drummer was (and still is) John Blandford. John has played in various rock tributes in the UK, the USA and Canada. Currently sings in an AC/DC tribute, and is considered the best “Bon Scott” out there.
Back into the recording studio again. The vinyl thing we did with Ebony was called Metal Warriors. Did ok in the metal charts (14 in Sounds HM chart) and got us more work, but we didn’t do any more with them. One of the guitarists (Ray Frost) of ‘Black has reinvented himself and is going great guns as a solo country artist and has just had a number 6 single in Australia. Another of the guitarists was Steve Adams, who’s previous band Speed cut a single with a certain Bruce Dickinson (wonder what happened to him?)
I also did an R’N’B band (a la Feelgoods) called Driving Sideways too, as well as some notable deps.
I left Random Black and formed Redline with members of Crucifixion who were signed to Neat Records. Cut a two track demo looking for a better deal, no joy as the industry had become replete with synth / new romantic bands. Redline contained bass player Chris Mann with whom I play in Beggar to this day. A lifelong friend.
We called it a day after and joined the band US. The band US were specifically formed to work the USAF Air Force bases in the south of England. Did that for a couple of years and formed Landslide, another covers band. That finished and I did a few deps. Went on to teach, and one of my students was looking for a lead guitarist so formed Outcry. Same sort of covers band, did the usual slew of gigs at the usual venues like The Cauliflower / Valentine blah blah. Singer Pat Doyle approached us as his band had folded, he had the Beggar name. We’d lost our singer. Beggar had been around since the late ‘70’s so had a bit of history, like Hedgehog, Expose, Java etc. We’ve been doing our version of Beggar for about 20 years now.
Beggar do 60 gigs + a year, the usual venues and are a 5-piece with keyboards and a strong set of backing vocals as 4 of us sing. We’re all mates, and have been for a long time. Current singer Noel Ashton does theatre work with other guises.
I met Becky in 2011. I’d been asked to fill in for a jam night as their house band guitarist, and she was singing in it. I’d been working with an Adele tribute, and had some gigs to fulfil as the faux Adele had got a bit bolshy and we parted company. Diva! We formed ReMark (Rebecca and Mark) as a duo in 2012, and we’ve done over 300 gigs since. We’ve ran jam nights too (one for 7 years) and also do a band version of ReMark with circuit music vets like Glen Buck, Simon Pinto, Five Minute Clive, you (don’t ask) etc.
There’s been a resurgence of interest in the NWOBHM period, and we’ve just had Redline’s studio and live work released (without permission, I might add) and there has also been Random Black release - a double album called “Under the Cross” on High Roller records. It’s a bloody good slice of late ‘70’s and early ‘80’s NWOBHM a la maiden.
I’ve never been a superstar (never wanted to be) but hope my peers consider me to be a solid guitarist who you could trust with a gig or a recording. I’ve met and played with some great players (and some solid pro’s) and have racked up over 2,000 gigs during the years in various guises. Loads of funny stories (and some sad) but it’s been a fabulous journey. I’ve enjoyed almost every minute of it........"
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“When life appears all dark and grey, bumfoolery will light the way.”