REAL LIVE INSPIRATION (Part 1)
Last month I did a podcast with Grateful Fred in Southport. For those of you who don't know, Southport is but a crow's cry from Liverpool. Being that close to such a legendary music scene, Cavern and Fab-Four echoes (and stories!) abound, but they don't drown-out the louder love for a well-written song passionately performed. So it is no surprise that Fred's questions were a bit deeper than the usual questions one might receive in an interview. Fred took me down some long-forgotten paths. In reference to my influences, I mostly spoke of inspiration that came through the radio or a record player. In other words, people I don't actually know. Which isn't a bad thing, of course, but it has got me thinking about actual real ‘flesh and blood’ people who have, one way or another, given me a key to the castle in which I now reside. PLAY IT BROTHER! Margie, the middle daughter of my mother's best friend, generously gave of her time on the occasional Saturday morning to teach me chords and songs. Up to that point guitar had been a mysterious and distant constellation. I could make sound and form notes into melodies, but I hadn't a Scooby-Do. Margie, a classical violist first and foremost, was also a nifty fingerpicker and singer well-schooled in the Judy Collins and Joni Mitchell repertoire. She taught me Leonard Cohen's “Suzanne” the first day. My mind was truly blown! Next she got my finger's dancing up and down the fretboard playing The Beatles' “Blackbird”. Not a bad start for a 10-year old. Where does one go from there? Go forth and play, my brother, she said! So I did. THIS IS HOW YOU DO IT! In my late teens, with thanks to the gods and goddesses of government grants, I went to the local Uni ‘just in case’ this music thing didn't work out. It was my Plan B. One lunchtime I accidentally stumbled into a concert in the union ballroom. Performing that day was a singer-songwriter called Patti Larkin. She skillfully played a battered Martin 6-string acoustic guitar - with rockin' riffs an' all! - and sang songs she had written. To my ear it sounded like Bonnie Raitt if Bonnie was more Melissa Ethridge than Memphis Minnie. She was funny as hell and sang her heart out. Oh, I should tell you, there were only three of us in the room, including Patti and the guy who booked the gig. In other words, I was the only person in the audience. However, Patti Larkin sang like the room was a sell-out. I didn't realise it at the time, but that was the best class I had at Uni. You wanna do this as a job, she asked? This is how you do it.
Grateful Fred Podcast LISTEN NOW!
Photo Barry Palry
SUMMER CONCERTS 2026!
7 Aug Milkmaid Folk Club, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk (SOLO)
13 Aug Norden Farm Centre for the Arts, Maidenhead (BROOKS AND AARON)
16 Aug Music on the Waits (aft), St Ives, Cambridgeshire (SOLO)
29 Aug Guitar Workshop, West Kirby, Wirral SOLD OUT
3 Sep BAA Fest 2026 Assembly Hall, Bellingham, Northumberland (BROOKS AND AARON)
4 Sep Tin Shed, Flintshire, North Wales (BROOKS AND AARON)
5 Sep Didmarten Bluegrass Festival, Kemble Airfield, Gloucestershire (BROOKS AND AARON)
6 Sep Whitstable Sessions, Whitstable, Kent (BROOKS with Vera van Heeringen)
10 Sep Old Riverport Jazz & Blues Festival 2026, St Ives, Cambridge (BROOKS AND AARON)
11 Sep Blues On The Bay, Eaglescliffe, Stockton On Tees (BROOKS AND AARON)
27 Sep Nettleham Live!, Lincoln (LAUREL CANYON ACOUSTIC)
Photo Stuart Green
FREE DOWNLOAD!
Now And Then, A 4-Song Playlist. NOW. The 1st and 2nd songs are recorded live at Knox Presbyterian Church Concerts in Pasadena, CA USA on 20 June 2026. THEN. The 3rd and 4th songs are recorded bootleg-style at Uncommon Ground in Bristol, CT USA on 28 June 1992. Just follow the link at the bottom of this email for your free download.
AUTUMN CONCERTS 2026
(All dates UK unless otherwise noted)
4 Oct Barnoldswick Music & Arts Centre, Barnoldswick, Lancashire (SOLO)
5 Oct The Lightship, Blyth Harbour, Northumberland (BROOKS AND AARON)
6 Oct Warthog Live, Gunthorpe, Nottinghamshire (BROOKS AND AARON)
7 Oct The Atkinson, Southport, Merseyside (BROOKS AND AARON)
8 Oct The Kitchen Sings, Edinburgh, Scotland (BROOKS AND AARON)
11 Oct Hunmanby Community Centre, Filey, East Yorkshire (BROOKS AND AARON)
12 Oct The Bell Inn, Bath (BROOKS AND AARON)
13 Oct Hoy at Anchor, Leigh on Sea, Essex (BROOKS AND AARON)
15 Oct Furred Thursday Folk Club, Chantry Chapel, Buckingham (BROOKS AND AARON)
17 Oct Rose Garden Coffeehouse, Mansfield, MA USA (SOLO)
18 Oct Mapleton Music Project, Hughesville, PA USA (SOLO)
23 Oct Cantean, New Haven, CT USA (SOLO)
24 Oct Stone Church, Bristol, RI USA (SOLO)
25 Oct The Heritage Series (2pm), Southbury, CT USA (SOLO)
28 Oct The Exchange Arts, Bloomsburg, PA USA (SOLO)
6 Nov Acoustic Events, Derbyshire (SOLO)
7 Nov Birchmeadow Centre, Brosley, Shropshire (SOLO)
12 Nov Loughton Folk Club, Loughton, Essex (SOLO)
13 Nov Exmouth Pavilion, Exmouth, Devon (SOLO)
14 Nov The Liberal Club, Orpington, Bromley, Greater London (SOLO)
15 Nov Talbot Hotel, Oundel, Northamptonshire (SOLO)
18 Nov The Lamb Folk Club, Old Town, Eastbourne, East Sussex (SOLO)
20 Nov Soundbox Live, Chester, Cheshire (SOLO)
21 Nov Marlborough Folk-Roots, Marlborough, Wilshire (SOLO)
23 Nov The Park Hotel, Barry, Vale of Glamorgan Wales (SOLO)
Photo Jo Hurwitz Williams
BROOKS AND AARON
Come see your favourite guitar-fiddle-singing-whistling duo on tour this Autumn. Playing ALL the hits and nothing but…It's a dog and cat show for sure and we can't wait to see you!
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Whatcha Gonna Do About It
Sleeping with the Dogs
The Ballad of Hendrix the Cat
Rising
Photo Ely Folk Festival
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