Born on the Isle of Wight in 1972, I began my life in music playing drums but was quickly persuaded onto the guitar by my father's homemade instrument. From age 14 to 19 I played with blues-rock outfits Eat Your Cabbage and The Rhythm Method on the Island and began to broaden my musical horizons by playing in theatre pit orchestras.

A year in Chichester studying with, amongst others, saxophonist Bobby Wellins was followed by three more at Leeds College of Music to study jazz with such pl...