L A Country - Epping Riders CMC 10th February 2025 Nick Catford 2025-02-16 | Allen Glassock was brought up in Kent in the 1940s. By 1960 he was playing skiffle before switching to pop and rock 'n' roll. His first band, The Venoms, had moderate local success and led on to him joining the already successful Tunbridge Wells based band Tony Diamond and the Defenders. After leaving The Defenders, Allen first discovered what was to become a lifelong love of Country music while working in ESE Music in Maidstone. Allen moved to Cornwall in the early 1970s and eventually joined Frank Yonco in a reformed version of his popular Country band The Everglades. After leaving the band in the late 1970s, Allen returned to Kent where he joined John Horton's Redwing. Allen Glassock stayed with Redwing for a year. In the mid-1980s, he moved back to Cornwall where he did a number of dep jobs playing lead guitar, pedal steel guitar and bass. He also set up his own recording studio, Desert Wind Studios, near Saltash.He formed a trio called Fusion which included a female singer. When she decided to leave the act, after advertising and searching for a replacement he was delighted to find Lottie Roberts. Lottie grew up listening to a wide range of music from Gloria Estefan to Fleetwood Mac but never Country. She always loved music and enjoyed singing. When she was 20 she went to work overseas for tour operator Thomas Cook in the Canary Islands and Turkey. She worked as a tour rep and in the resort office but while in Turkey she did some singing in a few bars and beach bars alongside her day job. This was all solo singing and covered a wide repertoire which included modern chart music, R & B etc. When she returned to the UK in 2010 she was working as a contracts manager for a recruitment company and decided to test the water to see if there was any chance of a singing career. She put a demo on a web site as a singer looking for a band to work with and was quickly contacted by Allen Glassock who told her he ran a function trio in the South West. Their female singer was leaving and he was looking for a replacement. Lottie went along to his studio and the two of them hit it off instantly and Lottie was asked to join the trio. After a few months spent learning their programme, Fusion were ready to go back on the road. They also worked as a duo LA2 which really began to take off in 2011. Within just two years of joining the trio it was the duo that were getting most of the bookings. Lottie was still doing her day job time which was extremely demanding and it was impossible to do this as well as working in the duo and trio. Within a few weeks of handing in her notice she and Allen found themselves working on a cruise ship sailing around the world.At this time, their repertoire was pop, rock and jazz but Allen was keen to introduce Lottie to Country music. One day he played her some music by the Time Jumpers and she quickly fell in love with Dawn Sears beautiful voice and was intrigued by Country music as a genre. They started putting more and more Country into their act and Lottie quickly felt it was a lot more natural for her to sing Country than the pop, motown, disco and jazz that made up most of their act. After working on the cruises, they worked in Egypt, Ibiza, The Canaries and mainland Spain for Tui hotels as a cabaret act. After working for many years living out of a suitcase and working seven days a week they decided it was time to slow down a bit and returned to the UK in 2016. They continued working in hotels, function rooms and clubs playing mainly dance music and also took on some cabaret work. Allen was however keen to concentrate on Country and the idea also appealed to Lottie having heard about Allen's earlier career as a Country musician in the 70s and 80s. They sent a demo to Sylvia McMaster of Sylvan Entertainments, an agency specialising in Country artists. Sylvia liked what she heard and it wasn't long before they relaunched as L.A. Country. Lottie is the voice and sings most of the vocals. Allen has always considered himself a musician who could sing and he sung some lead and harmony vocals in most of his bands but he know likes to do what he does best play his guitar with the odd comment. Allen and Lottie married after lockdown in 2022. L.A. Country are based in Afan Forest near Neath in South Wales and are happy to travel all over the country. They have a very wide repertoire designed to satisfy line dance and traditional Country music clubs.
Shure Thing: Wraysbury CMC, Wraysbury, Berkshire 7th February 2025 Nick Catford 2025-02-09 | Shure Thing are Alan Waite, Graham Walker, Bob Pearce, Richard Summersby and Nick Bevan
Peter Shaw: Epping Riders CMC 27th January 2025 Nick Catford 2025-02-09 | Peter Bradshaw joined his first band, Lapwing in 1986 when he was in his late teens. After three years, the band folded and Peter joined a Preston based band called Southern Roots. This was not a happy band with personality clashes and their time together was short lived. In 1989 he reunited with Simon Brady from Lapwing and formed On the Border, a 5-piece country rock band. The Country club circuit was not ready (and still isn't) for Country rock and the band quickly became a trio and then a duo playing traditional Country music. In 1992 Peter formed Rainbow Stew with Ian Wallace. In 1995 Peter and Simon Brady once again got together and formed Painted Pony duo. After a few years they changed the name to Broadcaster and carried on until 2012 when Peter went solo as Peter Shaw.
Spread Your Wings: Snodland CMC 19th January 2025 Nick Catford 2025-02-09 | Although Neil Woodward's mother was once in a girls' choir, neither of his parents would have described themselves as musically inclined so it must have come as a surprise when Neil took an interest in music when he was just 4 years old. He has no idea where the influence came from. He turned out to be the kid at school who was given a recorder and came back the next day playing tunes he had heard on the TV - his teacher was gobsmacked!Members of the local brass band lived in the same street and were keen to teach new potential recruits for the band. Neil joined the band when he was 8 and it gave him a good grounding in music. He quickly progressed in the band learning to play the cornet; this would stand him in good stead in his later career as a Country musician. Within a few months of joining the band he was playing in a brass band contest at the Queen Elizabeth Hall; the leading London venue showcasing world-class performance and classical music.He left school at 16 and went to music college where he enrolled in an A level music course with an ambition to be a professional musician. He learnt piano and keyboards but eventually decided he was more interested in guitar music than classical music so he left the brass band when he was 18. His dad ran a printing business and he eventually joined the family firm and forgot about any aspirations of becoming a professional musician. When the local music shop was putting a band together, he volunteered to join what became a 5-piece covers band called Scotch Mist. They chose that name because the lead singer was Scottish and, according to Neil "a complete nutcase - a Scottish version of Freddie Starr!" The initially worked in working men's clubs and as they got more established they started working the cabaret and holiday camp circuit. After the demise of Scotch Mist, Neil put an advert in a local paper "experienced guitarist looking for work". He was hoping to join a full band but the first response came from singer John Hewitt who only lived a mile away. John was a relative newcomer to performing, not taking to the stage until well into his forties. He had just finished a stint with a Country duo where he was a bass player and harmony singer. It wasn't exactly what Neil was looking for as he was a cabaret singer and John was a Country singer. Neil was, however, already a fan of Country music which came from his grandad who was a big Country fan, especially Johnny Cash who is now one of Neil's influences.Neil and John formed Saloon Drifters Duo in 1999. Neil was obviously on lead guitar but has only ever sung harmony vocals so John had to front the band as lead singer. He was not happy playing bass and singing at the same time so they decided to do away with the bass and John became lead singer without playing an instrument which gave him a good opportunity to project his personality and he always gave 100% on stage ensuring everyone had a good time. Saloon Drifters decided to come off the road at the end of 2019. Two years before they came off the road, Neil got to know Stumpy who was a country fan who used to turn up at many of the duo gigs at clubs and festivals and at their November holiday weekend at Morcambe. Neil and Stumpy and his family became good friends. Stumpy's daughter was Vicki-Anne Boardman. One day, Vicki-Anne spoke to Neil about recording a song especially for her father as an 80th birthday present. Prior to this, Vicki-Anne had done a little singing with a local theatre group but nothing serious and she certainly didn't consider herself to be a singer. Neil said "yes" and invited Vicki-Anne to his house. She found a song on the internet called You're My Hero. They changed the words a little to suit and Neil rearranged the music and the song was recorded and presented to Stumpy on Father's Day - he loved it. Neil quickly realised that Vicki-Anne had a really good voice and he was keen to do other things with her. He got her to record a Kerry Ellis song Roll With You but at that time there was no suggestion that they should form a Country act together. After Covid, Vicki-Anne told him that she wouldn't mind recording some Country songs and eventually talked him into forming a duo. Spread Your Wings was conceived at this time. They both agreed that they didn't want to be like any other Country duo "We wanted to do it our way" Neil told me, and that is what they have done.A first gig was arranged at the Spirit of Dixie CMC at Bury but John Broom persuaded them to do a gig at his Brewers Saloon CMC in Burton on Trent in March 2022, even though they weren't ready to start gigging. They agreed to play and it went very well. They haven't looked back since and are now getting bookings from all over the country. Even though Neil lives in Nottingham and Vicki-Anne lives in Cheshire it seems to work for them.Having been on the road for less than two years Spread Your Wings already has a CNN nomination for Duo Of The Year in 2024.
Kay D: Hickory Lake CMC, 12th January 2025 Nick Catford 2025-01-13 | Kay D at the Hickory Lake CMC, Feering, Essex on 12th January 2025. Unlike many British Country artists, Kayleigh Dawn Larter (now Shaw) wasn’t influenced by her parent’s choice of music. Instead she discovered Country music by chance after watching the Judds life story film, Love Can Build A Bridge, when she was 13.Having got hooked on Country music she listened to other artists and started singing some of the songs and quickly realised how much she enjoyed the way you could tell a life story through song.She performed on a few showcases, the first being at Stradsett Country Music Festival in 2006 and it wasn’t long before Kay D was launched onto the Country circuit as a solo artist in 2007.The Judds film also inspired her to start writing songs. Club and festival organisers were quick to discover this new talent with a passion for Country music and her diary for 2008 began filling. It was also suggested that she would be even more successful, especially at festivals if she fronted her own band. Within weeks, Kay D & The Redneck Rodeo were launched comprising five top class musicians; Kay D on vocals and rhythm guitar with Harley Dave (lead guitar), David Ord (bass), Chris Senner (pedal steel guitar) and Frankie (drums).She recorded her first CD, One For The Rodeo, in 2007. It was originally intended as a promotional demo but she eventually opted for a full length album and included one of her own songs, Love Left Me A Long Time Ago. The band was unfortunately short-lived but Kay was quickly able recruit four more top class musicians and the new line-up was Kay D (lead vocals and rhythm guitar), Andy Green (lead guitar), Jamie Lennon (pedal steel guitar), Steve Heffernan (bass) and Pat McGrath (drums).In 2009 Kay D was nominated for female artist of the year and won the award for New Rising Star. She continued to work solo in clubs and fronting the band at festivals and large venues.A second album, Let It Rip followed in 2010. Sadly the new band line was also short lived and Kay continued as a highly successful and popular solo singer.She was voted Female Vocalist of the Year at the 2016 CCN Awards.In summer 2024 she was forced to take 4 months off when she was diagnosed with Muscle Tension Dysphonia a voice disorder that occurs when the muscles around the larynx are too tight, making it difficult to speak. She has recovered well and some say her singing is better than ever.
Paula MacAskill: Chichester CMC 10 January 2025 Nick Catford 2025-01-13 | Paula MacAskill at the Chichester CMC on 10th January 2025. Paula MacAskill has been surrounded by music all her life, having had lessons from the age of 5 after being given a bass accordion for Christmas. She started playing in public in 1975 when she was 8, and has been working ever since learning to play numerous instruments including cornet, tenor horn, bagpipes, guitar, clarinet and saxophone. She achieved a Grade 1 with honours at London's Trinity College of Music in 1978 and after leaving college she decided to concentrate on keyboards and accordion and also started singing.By 1990, she was gigging in a 4-piece band called Free Beer in Cyprus where her husband Aidan was stationed in the Army. In 1991, the family moved back to the UK and since 1992 Paula has lived and worked in Fort William in the Scottish Highlands concentrating on her career which has included touring with Dominic Kirwan, Joe Dolan, and Brendan Shine etc.
John Permenter at Country Revival CMC, Dagenham - 22nd December 2024 Nick Catford 2024-12-25 | John Permenter got his passion for Country music from his father. He first took up the fiddle in 1973 and by 1977 he knew his future career was as a Country musician. He quit his job in the construction industry to make a living out of singing and fiddling, learning his trade in dance halls and honky tonks across Texas. In 1987 he joined Clint Black’s band and went on to work with many established Country artists.In the mid-1990s he began travelling to Europe, building up a strong fanbase in the UK, where he played his first gig in 1996. He was backed by a number of top British Country bands including Memphis Roots and Little Rock. In 2008 he moved to England and after getting married he became a UK citizen. In September 2016 John settled in Ireland where he joined Mike Denver’s band. John relocated back to England in September 2018 and as well as doing solo gigs he now has his own John Permenter Band with Lee J Hodgson and Jon Keys from Memphis Roots and Glenn Rogers.
Glenn Rogers at the Country Revival CMC with guest Miguel Olivares-alvarez : 8th December 2024 Nick Catford 2024-12-21 | Glenn Rogers was joined on stage by Miguel Olivares-alvarez front man of the Country rock band Union Jack in the 1990s.Glenn Rogers has been surrounded by music all his life; much of it was Country music although he didn’t realise that’s what it was at the time. He was brought up in London’s East End where he developed his passion for entertaining, singing cockney songs around the piano in local pubs from the age of four. In the 1970s, he obtained music and technical theatre degrees from Brooks College, Oxford.Glenn has been a professional entertainer for over 44 years, initially as a session musician before progressing to cabaret as a singer and comedian earning the nickname The Outrageous Glenn Rogers. He formed his first band, The Glenn Rogers Experience in 1985 playing middle of the road music but as he began to sing more Country the band became the Glenn Rogers Country Experience.
Rancher at Milton CMC 15th December 2024 Nick Catford 2024-12-18 | Steve Lovett first played guitar when he was nine, joining his father’s band, The Convoys, in 1978 when he was 11. In 1983 the lead singer left the band and Steve stepped up front as lead vocalist and, at the same time, the band’s name was changed to The Ramblers.After the demise of The Ramblers Steve and his father Michael formed Southern Comfort duo. Although he loved playing Country and rock ‘n’ roll he also had a passion for rockabilly so while still working with his father he formed a rockabilly band, The Niteshift Trio with a couple of school mates; Steve was lead singer and guitarist. They became very popular around the clubs and one evening after a gig they met Dell Richardson from Fury Records who asked them to do some recordings for a couple of compilation albums. This was followed by their own vinyl album, You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet, in 1989. The line-up was Steve Lovett (vocals and lead guitar), Gary Venn (double bass) and Keith Bailey (drums). The album gave them the opportunity to work abroad, especially in Germany where they toured with other top Rockabilly bands.Despite this success, Steve had been married since 1986 and he decided to quit the band to become a solo artist and spend more time with his family. He was soon playing the major holiday venues all over the country and performing various types of music, although his love of Country music never went away and he eventually settled down as a Country singer.With the advent of CMT (Country Music Television) and the increasing popularity of line dancing he was running three line dance clubs in the Berkshire area by the mid-1990s. Steve was a line dance dj and singer and his wife Debbie was a dance instructor.John Hallett first met Steve at one of his line dance clubs while he was on stage doing his solo act for the dancers. John too has had a lifetime in music and has played bass and guitar since he was a child. In fact he can turn his hand to virtually any instrument. His house is like every musicians’ dream and is full of all kinds of instruments, including a drumkit, saxophone, clarinet, mandolin and even a ukulele!He has been in numerous bands, one of which was called White Lines but none of them played Country music. Steve and John quickly became good friends and found they had much in common when it came to music. So, with the popularity of line dance acts like the Dean Brothers and the Cheap Seats, they decided to form Rancher in 2002 but initially they only played around their local area of Berkshire. Since then, they have become increasingly popular and due to such high demand they are now going further afield and are quite often travelling up and down the country for a gig.They received a CCN nomination for Duo of the Year 2018, 2019 and again in 2021 and in 2024 wond the award.During lockdown, Steve Lovett has been has been streaming every Thursday evening from 8 – 10pm and this has been proving very popular. Sometimes it was a family affair with Steve being joined by his son Craig Lovett and his daughter Kerry Knight.
Darren Knight - Epping Riders CMC 2nd December 2024 Nick Catford 2024-12-04 | Darren Knight at the Epping Riders CMC, Epping, Essex on 2nd December 2024
Wayne T - Delta Dawn CMC 29th November 2024 Nick Catford 2024-12-02 | Wayne T at the Delta Dawn CMC, Tonbridge, Kent on 29th November 2024
Richard Palmer - Epping Riders CMC 25th November 2024 Nick Catford 2024-12-01 | Richard Palmer at the Epping Riders CMC, Epping, Essex on 25th November 2024
PJ at Milton CMC - 17 November 2024 Nick Catford 2024-11-24 | PJ at the Milton CMC Gravesend on the 17th November 2024PJ is a Country music DJ and dance instructor. He grew up with a mixture of Country and 60s pop music but it wasn’t until introduced to line dancing after a chance social night out at a dance class with friends and family in October 1996 that he realised just how much he loved Country music – he has been hooked on the music and dancing ever since. He started attending classes five nights a week and in August 1997, went to the very first ‘Chance To Dance’ festival hosted by the Dean Brothers at Harrogate, and quickly realised he had a real passion for dancing.Not only was he enjoying learning the dances and participating in the classes and festivals, he realised he had an aptitude for explaining the dances and teaching them to others. A small number of dancers wanted to learn more up to date dances which were popular at festivals so he started teaching one class a week. Gradually, more people heard of the class and started to come along – that was when he started teaching more seriously. He took exams with the Scottish Western Academy Of Dance (SWAD) in March 1998. The SWAD has since folded so he is now a member of the Best Western Dance Academy.In 2012 he opened a Country Music & Line Dance club called Redneck CWC at Belmont near Durham city and hosted his own Phoenix country music festival in 2014 (The club is now called Whiskey River CMC). Over the years he has taught many classes in different locations but now only teaches once a week and runs regular live nights and workshops. As well as being a keen line dancer and instructor, he also choreographs his own dances. In May 1999, he entered ‘Limbo Rock’, a dance he choreographed into Ann Napier’s (SWAD) choreography competition up in Dalkeith near Edinburgh. The dance was one of over 60 entries and made it to the last eight. At the final, the choreographers demonstrated their dances and his dance was announced as the winner. It has now been renamed Eruption.PJ has always enjoyed singing but only ever sung at karaoke and other social events until he started singing on the Country circuit in 2017 so he is still a relative newcomer. He started live streaming from his home towards the end of lockdown and has been nominated for ‘best newcomer’ in the 2021 CCN awards. He has always been solo, but has been invited to perform with a few other artistes including Texas Gun, Badlands and was also privileged to be invited to play with The Breeze at one of the Gary Perkins tribute shows. At a recent festival PJ was approached to front a band at a recent festival and hasn’t ruled it out for the future although he really enjoys performing as solo Country singer. He did however tell me he is looking forward to some exciting new ventures musically!He has a wide repertoire of Country music spanning the last 50 years and lists his influences as Garth Brooks, Tim McGraw, Merle Haggard, Gary Allan, Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, The Eagles, George Strait and John Denver to name just a few.He lives in Co. Durham and still work full time during the week, so most of his gigs are in the North of England and he occasionally venture into Scotland but he is limited to the distance he can travel mid-week because of work, though he is trying to break into the south as much as possible, using holiday entitlement to enable putting a few runs together. His ambition is to eventually leave work and go full time on the circuit – this was going to happen in 2020 until Covid scuppered his plans.As well as gigs and dancing PJ also started presenting programmes on internet radio station UK Country Radio in November 2019 at 12 noon on Saturdays and Sundays. He interviews the weekly Spotlight UK Artist as part of the show.
Rocky Road Ramblers - Wraysbury CMC Nick Catford 2024-11-21 | Rocky Road Ramblers at the Wraysbury CMC 1 November 2024. Jonny Williams and Lynnette Marie were both successful solo country singers until they decided to form a duo together in 2009. Since then this husband and wife duo, who were married in 2014, have been much in demand with their traditional style of country music that has earned them a CNN duo of the year award in 2116 and 2019, a female vocalist of the year award for Lynnette in 2017 and 2019 and a CCN for Services to Industry in 2023. Completely different in style to any other duo on the circuit today they have a unique presentation with Lynnette playing a slap bass affectionately called Maybelle, an instrument we see far too infrequently these days and Jonny who plays a classic Gretsch guitar which gives the duo an authentic ‘50s sound.Jonny has been in the music industry for almost 30 years. Initially he played rock 'n' roll in a four piece band called The Mercurys and at one time they were a support act to Morrisey. He switched to country in 1998, always preferring the traditional style and as a soloist he has won numerous awards over the years. Lynnette has always had a love of music forming a band with some of her school friends. She became a cabaret singer in 2003, switching to country in 2007. In 2027 Jonny & Lynnette formed a band called Rocky Road Ramblers which also features Lynnette's younger brother Adrian Marsh on lead guitar and Jonny's daughter Sophie O’Shea on drums. You don’t see many female drummers or to be fair you don’t see many drummers of any gender these days! The band initially got together for a one-off show at Walesby’s Golden Buckle festival in the summer of 2017 and from that performance one thing led to another and the band found themselves on the road heading north to the Broken Spoke festival and the rest is history.In 2018 their debut album ‘In The Jailhouse Now’ was short listed for a BCMA ‘Album of the Year’ award and the following January saw the band head over to America to record a second album The Sun Sessions at the legendary Sun Studios in Memphis Tennessee.
Aiden J Daniels Hickory Lake CMC Nick Catford 2024-11-16 | Aiden J Daniels at the Hickory Lake CMC, Feering, Essex on 10th November 2024
Danny McMahon Spirit Eagle CMC Nick Catford 2024-11-10 | Danny McMahon at Spirit Eagle CMC, Alton, Hampshire. 2nd March 2024
Joe Keeley at the Milton CMC: 13th October 2024 Nick Catford 2024-11-02 | Joe Keeley at the Milton CMC, Gravesend on 13th October 2024
Tony Rouse: Milton CMC Nick Catford 2024-11-01 | Tony Rouse at the Milton CMC, Gravesend, Kent. 27th October 2024
The Loco Boys: Best of British CMC Nick Catford 2024-11-01 | The Loco Boys at the Best of British CMC, Larkfield, Kent. 12th October 2024
Ian Highland Band: Hickory Lake CMC Nick Catford 2024-11-01 | Ian Highland Band at the Hickory Lake CMC, Feering, Essex 20th October 2024
Rob Childs: Epping Riders CMC Nick Catford 2024-10-23 | Rob Childs at the Epping Riders CMC on 30th September 2024
Julie Dawn: Hickory Lake CMC Nick Catford 2024-10-23 | Julie Dawn at Hickory Lake CMC, Feering, Kent 29 September 2024
Badlands: Lone Wolf CMC Nick Catford 2024-10-23 | Badlands at Lone Wolf CMC, Broadbridge Heath, West Sussex - 6th October 2024
Billy Bubba King Phoenix Riders Linedance Club Nick Catford 2024-10-22 | Billy Bubba King at the Phoenix Riders Linedance Club, Witham, Essex on 20th September 2024
Nancy Hays Golden Spurs CMC Nick Catford 2024-10-20 | Nancy Hays: Golden Spurs CMC, Herstomnceux, East Sussex. 18th October 2024
Kevin Barry: Western Nights CMC Nick Catford 2024-10-14 | Kevin Barry at the Western Nights CMC, Marks Tey, Essex
Cliff Weston Mini mix - Epping Riders CMC 9th September 2024 Nick Catford 2024-09-22 | The first of these songs is Cliff's own composition Since I'm Getting Over You
Steve Hanks - Youre Gonna Miss Me When Im Gone. Performed at the 2024 CCN awards. Nick Catford 2024-09-13 | Steve Hancock comes from Doncaster, South Yorkshire and his father Gordon was in a popular Country trio, Dusty Road in the early 1980s. Despite this upbringing in Country music, Steve was a late comer, not learning to play guitar till he was 20 when we was working as a RAF technician in Norfolk. Having learnt to play, he soon joined his first band, Country Style in which he played lead guitar and sung harmony vocals. After a year with them he left in the early-1980s to front his own band Moonshine. The band quickly became popular in the Norfolk area. By the mid-1980s, Steve left the RAF and took full time employment working as a fitter at Norwich Airport. Travelling 50 miles to work and working in a band proved too much, and he had to leave Moonshine but he soon found a place as a bass player in a well established Irish band from Norwich called Spiral. In the late 1980s, it was time for Steve to move on when he left Norfolk and moved back to Doncaster where he took full time employment at RAF Finningley. By now, Country music was in his blood and soon joined another Country band playing bass in Reno. After being made redundant after 18 months and with no likelihood of another job in the aircraft industry with the decline in the employment market, Steve decided to turn fully pro as a musician; this is something he had always wanted to do but never had the nerve. He quickly teamed up with Keith Sterling to form the duo Hanks & Silva. It was at this time that that Steve Hancock became Steve Hanks. The new duo quickly made an impression on the local club scene. In 1993 Nick Payne joined them on pedal steel guitar and Tony Austin replaced Keith Sterling and the duo became the Steve Hanks Band. Despite a few changes in line up which included bass player Stuart Ramsden in 1996 and multi-instrumentalist Steve Harrop in 1998 and a change of name from Band to Trio, they continued to prosper into the 21st century. Steve Harrop’s son Robben took the place of Stuart in October 2000. At the end of May 2002 the band came off the road and Steve Hanks launched his solo career. After a couple of years as a soloist Steve teamed up with Tony Hornsby, another former member of the Steve Hanks Trio in a new duo and, in 2006, he joined multi-instrumentalist Jon J Paul in a new trio called C’est La Vie. C’est La Vie toured for 14 months before Steve decided on a career change. Steve first trained as a teacher but another career change came in 2009 when he became a contract manager for a major welfare-to-work organisation. He was, ironically, made redundant in January 2012 as a result of changes in government funding and restructuring. It was logical for him to return to the Country circuit as a soloist with a brief return to teaching during lockdown. He also now provides the PA for many Country events and between that and singing he is still much in demand.Steve has also worked as a TV Actor/Extra and has had numerous appearances in programme’s such as Emmerdale, Coronation Street, Heartbeat The Upper Hand and speaking parts in A Touch of Frost and Coronation Street as well as several commercials and a couple of films.Although always a prolific songwriter Steve initially avoided singing his own songs until 2002 when he was asked to write a song for a film called Among Giants, The song Why wasn’t used in the film for copyright reasons but the response he got from playing the song live has prompted him to continue writing.
Cliff Weston: Epping Riders CMC Nick Catford 2024-09-13 | Cliff Weston at the Epping Riders CMC, Epping, Essex on 9th September 2024. Cliff Weston was born into a musical family and it was probably inevitable that he would end up with a career in the music industry. He formed his first band, Questionnaire with members of his family, including his father, in 1971. They were a pop band but he soon realised he wanted to play Country music, forming another family band, The Silver Dollar Band, by the end of the decade.He has been a member of a number of very popular Country bands, most notably Medicine Bow from 1992 – 1996. Medicine Bow were formed in the 1960s. On leaving Medicine Bow, Cliff joined Band Named Sioux, staying for 18 months before leaving to form the Corn Dogs trio alongside Kevin Blake and Shane O’Borne who both played lead guitar. The Corn Dogs were very well respected with three versatile multi-instrumentalists and three good singers, both harmonies and lead vocals. There were several changes in the line-up. Shane was, in time, replaced by Rick McKay and later by John (Stubby) Stubbs and finally by Nadine Somers which brought a change in name to The Corn Exchange.By this time, bands were generally in decline and eventually the trio folded. After a short break from playing, Cliff joined Calico Trio with Nikki Napier and Brian ‘Shanks’ Bennett c.2006. Cliff played pedal steel guitar and keyboard in each of the bands.After leaving Calico in 2010 Cliff formed The Westons family trio with his younger brother Paul and Paul’s wife Debbie, who is an excellent Country singer and formerly one half of Livewire.In 2016 he decided to continue his Country career as a soloist with an emphasis on strong instrumentation and good vocals although from time to time he still performs with Paul and Debbie as The Westons.He produces all his backing tracks in his own studio to ensure a high quality sound that is different to other solo artists. As it is difficult for a soloist to play pedal steel unless sitting down Cliff now plays lead guitar and dobro on which he has quickly become a past master. The technique is very similar to pedal steel he told me. This is an instrument we see too infrequently these days.
Ed Cox at Carolina CMC Nick Catford 2024-09-08 | Ed Cox at the Carolina CMC, Bromley, Kent on 6th September 2024
Lee Hodgsons Bourbon Saloon at Country Revival CMC Nick Catford 2024-09-08 | Lee Hodgson's Bourbon Saloon at Country Revival CMC, Dagenham, Essex on 1st September 2024
RJ Montana Country Revival CMC Nick Catford 2024-08-27 | RJ Montans at the Country Revival CMC, Dagenham, Essex on 18th August 2024
Whitehorse Duo at Sands CMC Nick Catford 2024-08-11 | Whitehorse Duo at Sands CMC, High Wycombe, Bucks on 10th August 2024
Rob Childs Country Revival CMC Nick Catford 2024-08-10 | Rob Childs at the Country Revival CMC, Dagenham, Essex in 4th August 2024
Spread Your Wings Crab and Winkle CMC Nick Catford 2024-08-01 | Spread Your Wings at the Crab & Winkle CMC, Brightlingsea, Essex, 20 July 2024
Tony Crooks Duo: Hickory Lake CMC Nick Catford 2024-08-01 | Tony Crooks Duo at the Hickory Lake CMC, Feering, Essex. 28th June 2024
Blue Steel Carolina CMC Bromley Nick Catford 2024-07-28 | Blue Steel Duo at the Caroline CMC, Bromley, Kent - 26th July 2024
Bob Keeley Epping Riders CMC Nick Catford 2024-07-24 | Bob Keeley at the Epping Riders CMC, Epping, Essex on 22nd July 2024
Jeff Gallant Trio Sands CMC Nick Catford 2024-07-22 | Jeff Gallant Trio, Sands CMC, High Wycombe, Bucks: 13 July 2024
Clint Bradley Band - Wraysbury CMC 5th July 2024 Nick Catford 2024-07-14 | Clint Bradley Band at the Wraysbury Country Music Club, Wraysbury, Berkshire on 5th July 2024.
Pete Jones at Country Revival CMC, Dagenham, Essex Nick Catford 2024-07-01 | Pete Jones at the Country RFevival CMC, Dagenham, Essex - 30th June 2024
Gary Leonard Duo Nick Catford 2024-06-16 | Gary Leonard Duo at Best of British CMC, Larkfield, Kent. 8th June 2024
Darren Flack Caught In The Act Nick Catford 2024-06-15 | Darren Flack at the Western Steppers Country Music Dance Club
George Payling at Country Revival CMC Nick Catford 2024-06-13 | George Payling at Country Revival CMC, Dagenham, Essex - 2nd June 2024
The Thornhills - Tempted Nick Catford 2024-06-04 | The Thornhills at the Hickory Lake CMC, Feering, Essex 26th May 2024
Peter Pedro Barlow at Carolina CMC Nick Catford 2024-05-19 | Peter 'Pedro' Barlow at Carolina CMC, Bromley - 17 May 2024
Dan Thornhill sings Face On The Cutting Room Floor Nick Catford 2024-05-15 | Dan Thornhill sings Face On The Cutting Room Floor at Hickory Lake CMC, Feering, Essex on 5th Mat 2024.
John Douglas: Ill Be there Nick Catford 2024-05-14 | John Douglas sings his own composition, I'll Be There at the Carolina CMC, Bromley, Kent on 3rd May 2024.
