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Carmarthen's very own swing master.

"Mum and dad loved to dance to big band music, it was always playing in our house. Of course conkers were more important to me at that time.

So, when at the age of 10 I asked for a drum kit for Christmas they were both pleased...

They took me to Roy's bargain store - a second-hand shop - to purchase my first drum kit and arranged drum lessons with the drummer from the swing band that they would dance to on a Thursday night. He was a great drummer, a real swing master, he taught me well.

By the age of 18 I landed my first professional job playing. Shy at first but soon came round. After several years working hotels and holiday camps, it was time for a change which took me to the northeast where I was introduced to the 'art' of wearing make-up (well it was the eighties), and for four years I had a ball!

Then cupid's arrow struck and - as my mate Tony the bass used to say - 'what's the difference between a drummer and a pizza?' You can feed a family with a pizza'. So it was time to settle in Wales the birthplace of my wife.

Even though clubland has had its best days, much like myself, the clubs that have survived are great places, full of good Welsh characters! And in the land of song, I took up singing. And the songs I sing? Big band swing, the very music mum and dad loved to dance to."

Please tell us a little about yourself.
I work as a clerical officer in our local hospital. On the weekends I enjoy playing in a band. I have a wife and two daughters and have lived in Wales for 20 years.

What inspired you to make this story?
My Mum and Dad's passion for Big Band music and how it's rubbed off on me. It's also a way of saying thanks to them, for getting me that drum kit when I asked and making sure I learnt to play properly! All the years of music still plays a big part in my life.