In probably 1948/9, when we were young teenagers running around playing tig, hide and seek, etc, an India lad Sean Barkatula ( yes an Irish Christian name ) was welcomed in. It turned out his dad loved all the old Hank Williams, Hank Snow stuff on 78's, and I couldn't get round his house often enough to listen to them. I was hooked - I loved the music. ( curry was good as well ! ) Later in the 50's, a young guy on our street played me some records by Mick Mulligan, and others of that era, again I was taken by this music. It was not until I started my apprenticeship that I had a bit of money that I got my own record player, but, strangely, the first 78 I bought was 'Opus 1'. A school friend 'Caigo' joined the army and he had an old portable wind-up 78 player which we used to hump down to the beach in the Summertime. That was when I could get to hear my Opus ! record. Caigo brought home some records which were quite saucy (well he was young and in the army), and one had the title ' Please Mister don't touch my Tomato ', so I looked it up on YouTube and it's there, but I feel sure the Josephine Baker version he had were different words !! You might find the video '(1925) Josephine Baker dancing the original Charleston ' amusing.There was live music in Belfast back then, but, on £2.00 a week ( 10 shillings (50p) after Mum got her keep allowance ) the train fares and entrance fees, it was 'no go'.

It was not until I was in England a year or so at the age of 24, and living in Essex, that I got back to jazz again. I was fortunate, with another couple of friends, that we met up with a real cockney guy ( yeah, he spoke in Cockney rhyme as a matter of course ) Took some getting used to, but the main thing was he knew his way round London's East End like the back of his hand. And that's how I discovered the Isle of Dogs where virtually every pub was jumping with music - and lots of jazz. The cream of them all was the Iron Bridge Tavern on the East India Dock Road in Poplar, owned and run by the amazing singer and actress Mary 'Queenie' Watts. I couldn't stay away from it, and when I met Meryl, my wife to be, she was equally taken by it. We got to know Queenie quite well, but my wife's joy was standing beside talking to Bert ( known better as Fingers Fred ) while he stomped away playing stride piano, and virtually never looking at the keys ! There's a lot come on YouTube in recent years and perhaps many should explore this brilliantly talented lady. See 'The Quest for Queenie Watts', 'The Best is yet to Come' .

The natural progression from here was to visit jazz clubs and festivals all over the place, until I met Malcolm Cookson, after the 100 mile round trip to his Roa Island jazz venue. It was then that Dave Wellock and I got together to put on our jazz events under the banner of Heysham Heritage Hall. The rest they say 'is history'..