My earliest memories are of my Dad singing us to sleep. So I just loved singing. When I was about three I was going to marry Vera Lynn.

At school English folk songs were the norm. We learned 'The Nightingale', 'The Keeper', 'The Ash Grove' and so on.

And in the Fifties came Lonnie Donnegan - WOW!

Then I got involved in American Square Dancing - Yes there's a lot of it in England. 'Sets in Order' magazine ran a series by Terry Golden of Colorado Springs called 'Americana'. It was American folk songs with a page or so of history about each one. I have a few of the articles still around somewhere. I wish they'd publish the whole set again. Little did I know that years later I was to live in Colorado Springs and getto talk to Terry Golden and to tell him how much I had enjoyed 'Americana'.

My first wife was a folk dancer, mostly international and Russian. So, for many years we did a lot of dancing. RIVERDANCE - Good dancers but I hate watching them. 'Cos the worst torture you can inflict upon a dancer is to play dance music and not let them get up and dance.

When I first worked in The Middle East I picked up a book at the local book store. I think it was called 'Folk Songs' and it was by Tom Glazer. There was a chapter in the back on 'How to play guitar' So I had some spare cash and a lot of time on my hands so I bought a guitar and learned a few chords. And things have gone from bad to worse since then.

Bert.