With my father being a long-service member of the Royal Navy and frequently at sea, I grew up in a house full of music provided by my mother, and thus was subjected daily to music sung by the great 1940s and 1950s crooners and played by the Big Bands of the time. The music and lyrics of Cole Porter, Ira and George Gershwin, Irving Berlin, Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart, Duke Ellington and Count Basie - to name just a few - became my joy and happiness. Back then, the radio was the cheapest method of listening to the songs and tunes of the day. We know this music today as The Great American Songbook. I'm passionate about this genre and everything it encapsulates ..... its melodies, its well-written words and the ever-changing arrangements of these originals that keep the music young and fresh. It's what I sing and what I play on Easy Jazz.

As a teenager, I - like millions of other youngsters - was exposed to Rock'n'Roll and LOVED it! Elvis Presley, Bill Haley, Gene Vincent, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Fats Domino and all the others took over the airwaves ..... but not totally, as it was still possible to hear Jazz standards on the air - if only now and then. Through vinyl records, I obtained the latest Frank Sinatra, Mel Torme, Doris Day, Ella Fitzgerald and orchestral albums. That meant lots of chores to earn the money before I joined the Army, at which time the records and wind-up portable gramophone had to be left at home.

Over the past 50 years - despite The Beatles, Soul, MoTown, Disco, and other genres - my choice and preference has remained for songs and music of The Great American Songbook. Long will it remain.

Being given the opportunity to share this passion with others has come about through my singing and now with the wonderful opportunity since June 2007 to present my two-hour programme on Radio Kidnappers. I warmly invite you to join me every Monday from 3pm-5pm for Easy Jazz - vocals and instrumentals which are definitely easy on the ear, and designed to make a relaxing afternoon. Or enjoy the music again, during the repeat on Friday evening.

I would love to hear any feedback or suggestions from listeners. You can click here to email me.