"Kansha", a Japanese word for gratitude. This is the inspiration behind this song, gratitude. 

Gratitude for music, guitar, writing, learning and just being.

Kansha

A track that was inspired by the classic war movie, "Das Boot", by Wolfgang Peterson.

The scene at the start of the movie is a chaotic party that the sailors throw before putting out to sea, as the evening descends into chaos I always feel sorry for the band who have to entertain the unruly mob. At one point the drummer is taking cover behind his cymbals as a drunk sailor fires a pistol recklessly. 

This song was inspired by that scene and the style of 30's/40's jazz the band were playing.

She's All About That Jazz

This was a track that came together relatively quickly, but the problem was I didn't know what to call it.

As I listened to the track I kept getting the image of a 1970's Robert Redford style character taking a Greyhound bus across the United States. The problem I now had was, where is this character going?

Then it all came together when I listened to an interview that the jazz guitarist Martin Taylor did with John Knowles. In the interview John was joking about all the nicknames he had accumulated over the years, and how Tommy Emmanuel referred to him as "Music City Johnny".

There it was! I had my title! Plus I now knew where the character was going too, Music City (Nashville).

Music City Johnny

This is one of those tracks that had been kicking around for some time. Several years in fact! I kept putting it back on the shelf and leaving it. I finally decided, either finish it or bin it.

To be honest, the initial inspiration comes from a time when I was living with a lot of regret in my life. Things I should/shouldn't have said or done etc, and that title came into my head and stayed with me "Am I Crazy? (Or Misunderstood).

Am I Crazy? (Or Misunderstood)

Shadow Play is a slightly more elusive track and I think that where it got its name from.

It was really the outworking of playing around in one of my favourite keys, A minor.

Shadow Play

This was a track that was inspired by listening to a lot of Snuffy Walden material.

Snuffy is one of those guys that you probably know without realising, he has written the theme music for a string of hit TV shows and movies. (The West Wing, Roseanne, Ellen, The Wonder Years and Thirty Something, to name but a few)

Her Smile To Me

Lament O My Soul came after listening and learning to play the John Knowles track "After Paris." 

I ws really enjoying the process of learning that tune and sometimes when that is the case I will start to swap chords around, change the melody or tempo. In doing so you just never know when inspiration strikes and you end up going down a completely new avenue with your own idea.

This is what happened with Lament O My Soul.

Lament O' My Soul

This was a track I tried to write in the style of one of my guitar heroes,  Jerry Reed. 

He was nicknamed "The Wild Man From Alabama" and that is where this song's title comes from.

I Wish I Was A Wild Alabama Man

A track I wrote for my 2 year old nephew and the comical bounce he has in his step when he runs.

Bounce When Ya Walk

Islay - The original idea started in 2017 and was inspired by the small Island of Islay off the coast of Scotland. The idea then sat in a demo folder on my computer for 3 years. When I re-discovered the track and started to develop it more and more I was heavily inspired by a Ted Hughes poem entitled "Wind". In the poem Hughes describes with amazing imagery a storm that is raging outside his house and I started to think of the island Islay in a similar way. In the track I tried to capture the eery calm that always comes just before a storm unleashes its power, as black cloud descend, the lighthouse starts to shine, streets become deserted as people run for cover and birds flock away from the impending storm. Islay is my tribute to this island of rugged beauty.

Islay -

A guitarist who composes instrumental guitar tracks...

An Irish Guitarist

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