Lee’s interest in live music began at a very early age all thanks to his parents. His Father, once time professional trumpet player and his mother who used to be a jazz / swing band vocalist, the number of gigs he was dragged along to must have had some effect.
With the desire to follow in his parent’s footsteps, well more his fathers, Lee took up playing the trumpet at an early age. According to his father he actually kept attempting to play his trumpet from the age of 3 (some would say his technique hasn’t altered much since). Lee officially started playing at the age of 5 when he received his first student model trumpet, a Zenith, as a Christmas present.
To begin with Lee’s father taught him until he was lucky enough to take up lessons at the age of 10 via the Aylesbury Music Centre with teachers Nick Care & Kathy Gifford. At the age of 16 these lessons stopped as they were held at school.
Lee’s first band involvement came while he was only 11; this was with the Aylesbury Music Centre’s Junior Brass Band. Over the years he was a member of the centre he played with several of the bands and orchestras eventually getting the chance to join the award winning Dance Band. After leaving the music centre Lee’s love of music continued and he joined several bands over the years; Anything you like, Giro, Flipside, Bucks Berks & Oxon Big Band, Big Band Swing and now Who’s Got The Dog, which he joined in 2000 when Andy moved from Trumpet to Keys.
Lee has been lucky enough over the years to perform at some prestigious venues with various bands, these include; The Royal Albert Hall, Royal Festival Hall, The Mean Fiddler, Knebworth and of course, good old Aylesbury Civic Centre! He has even performed on Record Breakers and got to meet Roy Castle.
Influences of Lee’s include Clifford Brown, Maynard Ferguson, Stevie Wonder, Earth Wind & Fire, Jamiroquai . . . The list goes on. Anything with a decent beat, tune and something you can groove / dance to!