At the age of 13 I was shown The Beatles through the ABC broadcast of The Beatles Anthology. It literally changed and shaped my life.
I learned to play guitar and sing through the music of The Beatles chronologically. Beginning with Love Me Do and ending with a solo acoustic performance of the Abbey Road medley.
I work as a music teacher, singer, instrument salesman, and mentor to beginning musicians, and I use my love and respect for The Beatles as the underpinning of all of them. My recommended beginner guitar curriculum is the Hal Leonard Guitar Method and the Complete Beatles Chord Songbook, which I donate several copies each year to several music lesson centres throughout Ontario.
I played John Lennon in a 3 year run of the stage show “The Beatlers Present: A Tribute to the Touring Years”. The show consisted of three acts, each recreating a typical Beatles Concert from three world tours. Act one presented the look and music of The Beatles first appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show and other material from that year. Act two presented the Shea Stadium look and sounds, and act three presented the Budokan performance.
I have a working repertoire of 200+ Beatles songs as solo-acoustic performances ready to go, and available at request at all times.
I’ve learned to be a home-recording engineer using the recordings of The Beatles as my blueprint. I’ve also learned to be a songwriter, with roughly 150 original songs completed, using the songs of Lennon-McCartney as my starting point for musical theory and melody.
I have learned to be kind and outgoing through the confidence my musical abilities have granted me. None of which could have been possible without The Beatles Anthology and the musical journey it inspired.
I’m also a talented and accomplished public speaker. I have emceed many events around Ontario as well as taken part in a series of Podcasts for The Barry Kirkey Show.
02nd December, 2015