BIOGRAPHY

I was born on 20th July 1958 in Ruislip, Middlesex. Unfortunately, the early part of my life was relatively uneventful until that warm July day in 1975 when my parents Denis and Pamela began a new hobby; Square Dancing! I started dancing at Up-To-The-Centre later that same year. I confess that initially I was far more interested in the Club Caller's sister-in-law (an attractive, blue eyed, dark haired temptress, who very soon had ensnared me into a life of happiness, security and relative stability, etc.). In 1976 I picked up a microphone and set myself on a course from which there was to be no escape, Calling!

Once bitten, all signs of shyness soon disappeared, I found myself travelling far and wide, with my family and my girlfriend (soon to be fiancée, soon to be wife), seizing any and every opportunity to Call. In 1977 Jim Ive plucked me from obscurity and offered me my first Job as a Club Caller, for Rockin' 8s.

During 1978 I became Club Caller for Up-To-The-Centre, following Ron Hepden's departure to the sunnier climes of Basingstoke. My One-Nite-Stand bookings increased to cover almost all my Saturdays and most of my Fridays (with the odd Sunday or mid-week for good measure).

Hazel and I were married on 16th May 1981 at Pinner Parish Church. The building was straining at the seams to contain all the Dancers who came to bear witness to our union. To this day Hazel still reminds me that our honeymoon included a Dance in South Devon, a demonstration outside a cinema in Golders Green and - on the final Saturday - a Dance at Hastings. The Tuesday after we returned from our Honeymoon I started Calling for a new club - the Chalfont Grand Squares (well, after all, the Honeymoon was over!).

As we set about setting up home together my life took on several new directions, apart from those usually associated with newly weds, my Calling career discovered new frontiers. Europe! I Called at the Windmill Dance in Holland in 1982 and since then have been a regular visitor to Europe. By 1983 my Saturday bookings had almost all transferred from One-Nite-Stands to club Dances and weekend festivals. It was also during 1983 that I received my first invitation to Call in Scandinavia at the Swedish National Convention of 1985 in Katrineholm.

Following the birth of my two daughters; Verity in 1987 and Cherish in 1989, I became more of a lone traveller. At one stage Hazel accompanied me to all my bookings but as a mother, with two little girls (and me) to look after, her attendance at Dances has become a regrettably rare occurrence.

Since 1985 I have been invited to Call at all the British National Conventions and was involved with the planning and the Calling at the B.A.A.S.D.C.'s 50th Birthday Dance in March 2003. I have also Called at National Conventions in Sweden (four times) and Denmark (three times) as well as at the European Jamboree held in Canterbury in 1986 and the International Plus Advanced and Challenge Convention (IPAC) in 1997.

In 1992 I was invited to tour Australia and New Zealand and in 1994 I became the first European Caller ever to be featured at an Australian National Convention, in Canberra (in fact it was only the third occasion that they had used an invited guest Caller to compliment the considerable wealth of Calling talent that is indigenous to the Antipodes). During this trip I was also featured at the only Square Dance ever held at Parliament House (the Australian equivalent to our Houses of Parliament). I have been featured twice on the APAC (the Australian equivalent of the IPAC) in 1997 and 1998. I have now enjoyed travelling to Australia - by invitation - on a total of six separate occasions; three times to tour various states and three times to call at a single weekend event!

In August 1997 I had the honour to appear on the first Pan European Square Dance Convention, at Hocheim in Germany, which brought together Dancers from all countries in the European Union and the greater European region. In June 2000 I was again one of the featured Callers at the second of these events when it was held in Helsingborg. In 2002 I represented the U.K., for the third time, at the Pan European Square Dance Convention in Copenhagen, Denmark.

I have also Called, by invitation, at many special Dances in Germany, Holland, Belgium, Switzerland, France, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Australia the Czech Republic and New Zealand.

I have Called at three American National conventions one Canadian National convention and at a number of clubs in the USA; including in 1996 a week at Copecrest, Georgia with Tony Oxendine and - in 2003 - the Rivco Festival in Palm Springs, California, alongside Jerry Story, Larry Letson, Johnny Preston and Bronc Wise.

I am an accredited member of the Square Dance Callers Club of Great Britain, on whose Council I served as Public Relations Officer from 1978 and as Vice President from 1980 till 1987. I am currently the Training Director of the S.D.C.C.G.B., responsible for co-ordinating a team of regional Caller-Trainers in the U.K. and for managing the Caller-Training and Caller Accreditation process.

I joined Callerlab, the "International Association of Callers and Teachers" in 1983. I am presently a full and accredited member and I have served on the Mainstream, Plus, Mainstream Quarterly, Plus Quarterly , Target 2000 committees and the Extended Applications ad-hoc Committee. At present, I am the Vice Chairman of the Plus committee and am a member of the Applications Review Committee and the Program Policy Committee.

In April 2000, having met the relevant criteria and completed the necessary examinations and evaluations my application for accreditation by the Executive Board of Governors of Callerlab, was successful Callerlab, in turn bestowed upon me the extreme distinction of the title of "Callerlab Accredited Caller Coach".

In 1986 I was privileged to receive an invitation to become a Staff Caller for Sting Records, (well, I had to mention them somewhere!). In April 2000 I became the owner and producer of Sting and Snow Records. To date I have produced a total of 88 records; over 100 pieces of music for Square Dancing; of these I have recorded my own vocals for thirty-two records as well as two guest vocals one for Global Music Productions and one for Seven Cs.

As a consequence of my connections with Sting and Snow, I have had the opportunity to be involved in all stages of the production of music. From selecting the tunes and re-arranging them into Square Dance records to working with some of the best musicians and studio engineers in the world to produce a top quality, much respected and well renowned library of excellent music for use in our wonderful activity. To date I have travelled to Nashville on four occasions and intend to return each year to keep the labels stocked up with good music.

At present I am very fortunate to be able to Call regularly for Black Arrows 2001 (Advanced), Chalfont Grand Squares (Plus) and Rockin' 8s (Plus). In the past I have had the privilege to be the club Caller for Up-To-The-Centre, Bushey Hoedowners, Ruislip Rollaways, and Wyvern Wheelers.

As you will see from the above, Square Dancing has been a significant factor in my life for the last twenty-nine years. Judging from my calendars for future years this situation seems destined to continue. I am not complaining!

RECORDINGS BY THIS CALLER

TITLE	DATE	LEVEL	LABEL ID
When You Walk In The Room	1987 / 08	MS-68	SIR 305
Happiness	1989 / 03	MS-64	SIR 308
Let Your Love Flow	1991 / 06	MS-66	SIR 311
Bubble & Squeak (HD)	1992 / 02	PLUS	SIR 503
Home On The Range	1994 / 02	MS-53	SIR 312
Blanket On The Ground	1995 / 02	MS-58	SIR 314
Wild Weekend	1995 / 11	MS-56	SIR 315
Love Is All Around	1995 / 10	MS-67	SIR 316
With A Little Help From My Friends	1997 / 05	MS-65	SIR 317
Mighty Quinn	1997 / 12	MS-43	SIR 318
Cowboys And Angels	1998 / 11	MS-65	SIR 319
People Like Me	1998 / 12	MS-67	SIR 320
My Girl Lollipop	2001 / 03	MS-67	SIR 321
More Than a Friend To Me	2001 / 06	MS-62	SIR 322
Love On The Loose, Heart On The Run	2001 / 07	MS-65	SIR 323
Someone Is Looking For Someone Like You	2002 / 10	MS-62	SIR 325
I Wanna Be Like You	2002 / 09	MS-53	SIR 326
I'm Gonna Be A Country Boy Again	2002 / 03	MS-67	SIR 327
How Do You Do It?	2002 / 07	MS-67	SIR 328
From Both Sides Now	2002 / 05	MS-42	SIR 329
A Teenager In Love	2002 / 01	MS-52	SIR 330
I'm Walkin'	2002 / 09	MS-67	SIR 331
I'm Checkin' Out	2004 / 01	PLUS	SIR 332
He'll Have To Go	2003 / 08	MS-69	SIR 333
Que Sera, Sera	2003 / 06	MS-64	SIR 334
Feels Like I'm In Love	2003 / 05	MS-50	SIR 335
Time After Time	2003 / 10	MS-65	SIR 336
Rock 'n' Roll Is King	2004 / 12	MS-58	SIR 337
Every Breath You Take	2004 / 07	MS-69	SIR 339
A Hard Day's Night	2004 / 10	MS-67	SIR 340
Catch A Falling Star	2005 / 04	MS-67	SIR 341
Norwegian Wood	2005 / 01	PLUS	SIR 342
Nobody	2005 / 04	MS-67	SIR 343
I Want To Hold Your Hand	2007 / 09	MS-53	SIR 344
I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday	2005 / 11	MS-42	SIR 345
That Summer	2005 / 12	PLUS	SIR 346
Bridge Over Troubled Waters	2005 / 09	MS-64	SIR 347
Please, Please Me	2005 / 08	MS-68	SIR 348
All I Want For Christmas Is You	2006 / 11	MS-65	SIR 349
Georgy Girl	2005 / 03	PLUS	SIR 350
Merry Xmas, Everybody	2004 / 11	MS-56	SIR 351
Hi Ho Silver Lining	2006 / 08	MS-64	SIR 352
All You Need Is Love	2006 / 05	MS-56	SIR 353
Face The Music And Dance	2006 / 07	PLUS	SIR 354
Good Morning Starshine	2006 / 06	MS-67	SIR 355
Robin Hood	2007 / 03	MS-69	SIR 357
Venus	2006 / 03	MS-62	SIR 358
What Do You Want?	2006 / 02	MS-67	SIR 359
Thank You For The Music	2007 / 12	MS-57	SIR 360
You Were Made For Me	2008 / 07	PLUS	SIR 361
Golden Ring	2008 / 09	TBA	SIR 364
Las Vegas	2008 / 03	MS-	SIR 365
Cold, Cold Christmas	2007 / 12	MS-50	SIR 369
I'm Telling You Now	2008 / 03	MS-55	SIR 372
Nowhere Man	2008 / 04	MS-59	SIR 374
Your Good Girl's Gonna Go Bad	2008 / 10	TBA	SIR 375
As Long As She Needs Me	2008 / 08	TBA	SIR 376
Lily The Pink	2008 / 02	MS-68	SIR 377
All Right Now	2008 / 11	TBA	SIR 378