Amen, Al.

When I’m singing, my ‘accent’ varies with what it is I’m singing. In the pop/soul/R&R bands I was performing in up until the early-Noughties, I sang in what I call a ‘mid-Atlantic’ accent, a kind of almost-American twang because, for that kind of music it sounds ‘right’ - try singing ‘Mustang Sally’ or ‘Great Balls of Fire’ in a Lincolnshire accent, it’s sounds nothing short of ridiculous! When I sing contemporary, singer-songwriter material, including songs by British writers or ones I’ve had a hand in writing myself (admittedly only a few of the latter!), I sing in my natural Lincolnshire accent, because it sounds right.

And I’m 76 now, my gigging days are pretty much over, and my performing is limited to local ‘Folk and Acoustic Music Clubs’, where singing accents are as varied as the genres of songs being sung, and nobody gets po-faced or sucks lemons when individuals affect ‘Murrican, Oirish, or any other flavour of accent when they sing. ‘Live and let live’ is very much the order of the day, and long may it last.