Old Friends

Meet the people who have been an important part of the F2B story and what they said about it at the time...

Hi I’m Redders, my job’s easy,

I just love to sing.

Although I have only been involved in bands for the last three or four years I have been involved with music all my life.

It doesn’t matter what style the music is whether it’s classical or rock, instrumental or choral what’s important to me is that it is good.

What turns me on about the blues is that it’s not just about playing songs its about being the music. You just get lost inside each song and make it your own.

...Forever Young....

At midday sometime in the mid 1950's, a young man, maybe sixteen or so, returns home after spending all morning rummaging through the many pawn shops that traded on Sheffield's grimy industrial northside - back in those bad old good old days.

He lays out the new acquisition on the kitchen table, carefully opens the case and lifts out the contents. Wow! What a rod! Rod? Yep, I did say rod, and you guessed it, this guy is a budding young angler.

After a swift lunch, it is time to give the rod a workout on the back lawn, the reel's fitted, the tip is slightly weighted, we're away - swish - swoosh - swish - crack - oh 'sh....t'!

After inspection it becomes clear that the rod had previously been broken and then carefully repaired (bodged up!) rendering the thing completely useless - time to return to the old hock shop.

Having been told a refund was out of the question (b...'s), an exchange deal is negotiated and the younster walks out with his second choice.......
.......a guitar. Yes, a Hoyer 6 string acoustic (made in Scandinavia I think) complete with soft case and chord book. It weighs a ton, but it's almost new and after a string change actually plays.....well it strums.

Six months later, and after weeks of just hanging on the bedroom door as 'decor' the guitar is finally relegated to the the dark eerie place in every teenagers bedroom....

.....until maternal complaints over dumping and health & safety hazards forces its removal and relocation to a new dumpsite.

And so, adhering to the general practice of elder siblings, namely, if you need to get rid of something totally useless - trade it for cash - to an equally useless younger brother..... me!.........I got my first guitar.

It was love at first sight....or more accurately.... love at first touch - a love affair that has endured for nearly fifty years.

I spent the first few years learning the basics, chords, their inversions and progressions, scales, modes and all that......

......and then I heard "that sound"...... for the very first time, pulsating out over the radio. Wow! What the 'fxxx' was that!!

Over the years I have owned many guitars, ventured into many different styles of music - yet one thing has always remained, burnt deep into my soul, influencing everything I have ever played - that sound.. the BLUES

Well, WOW!! ... what can I say, except it's been a real pleasure performing for all you folks out there in bluesville; it's been about 4 years now since the band formed, but thanks to your support, it seems like 4 minutes - doesn't time fly when you are enjoying your having fun.

As I am sure you can imagine, the ups and downs of some band situations can be a bit of a roller coaster ride, but being with F2B has been more like a 'merry-go-round', in the nicest sense - a real joy ride.

My time with F2B has also been a merry-go-around in the sense of bringing me back full circle to my first love - the blues - and it is at this point I would like to say "Thanks, Steve, Rich, Andy and Tony, it is a privilege and a joy working with you". I'm sure those of you who have seen F2B will agree that these guys really do the business.