i started playing the guitar at age 10 and sang with my sisters as a family singing group though my teenage years. Took up the flute for a couiple of years but it didnt really grab me. I loved composing songs and felt that keys were a better fit to me. i was about 20 and went into rackhams ( are department store in the UK) in Birmingham and on the top floor roland had a display of home instruments and highend electric/digital pianos. A guy was sitting at the keys of a roland EM2000 playing Michael bolton s song ' how am i supposed to live without you ' and i was stunned that such great music was coming from this one instrument. As a song writer it was a dream come true and i was literally moved to tears.

I was a student with no money but i worked all through the summer holidays coaching basketball and saved up until i could buy my first arranger which was a casio HT 5000 i think. Then i bought a technics KN1000 which was awesome and then the yamaha psr 8000. Many years later a client of mine who was a jazz pianist agreed to teach me to play jazz piano if i gave him free financial advice. Musicians are typically terrible with money ! Anyway he is now a very well off retired musician and i now have a life time love for arrangers , jazz funk and blues. Just finished a DVD for my choir with 9 songs on it all played live on my PA1X and if i get clearance i will put excerps up on yutube for you all.