I was born on 29 September 1952 in Carrickfergus, Northern Ireland. My father was a shoemaker, my mother took care of me, my two brothers and five sisters. I had a happy childhood.
On my twelfth birthday my mother gave me a guitar. It was a Kent 2 solid body with a Domino amplifier; nobody will remember this brand, but it made me very happy.
When I was twelve I played in “The Blue Skies”, George Reed (guitar) John Hunter (bass), Norman Kelly (keyboards), Dennis Stanley (drums) and myself (guitar and vocals). We practiced in a room over my father’s shop in St. Bridestreet.

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My Dad drove us to the gigs, none of us were old enough for a drivers license.
When I was sixteen Norman and I decided to go to London, where we thought it was all happening. So we picked up our instruments and left…