Welcome to my AUTHOR PAGE 

Hi there, to all you lovers and creators of music and the arts. 

 I’ve had a lifetime of music, playing, singing and composing. I’ve also been involved in many creative aspects of musical theatre, television and broadcasting. 

My stage debut was as Mr Snow in Carousel in 1968 where I met and later married my dresser, Elaine. 

Other shows followed, including Molière's Mr Skinflint (The Miser), which was produced by Adam Leslie at his intimate theatre, in Doornfontein in 1969. The musical director was Sam Sklair, who later married Annabel Linder. Here I appeared opposite Joyce Dalton, the wonderful soprano, and our families have been friends ever since. I am happy to say that Joyce is still singing at the age of 95. She lives in England today, but we are in close contact, and we always look forward to seeing her when she visits our beautiful shores. 

Another show I sang in was Stephen Sondheim's A Little Night Music, directed by the doyenne of South African theatre, Taubie Kushlick, who also starred in the show. The beautiful ballad, Send in the Clowns, comes from it. Andre Hattingh was also in this show. Other well-known performers included Cathy Cota (now Plewman), Erica Rogers, Eric Flynn and Bruce Halliwell and many others.

In the mid 70's I met and accompanied Eddie Calvert, trumpeter of Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom, and O Mein Papa fame. We performed many memorable concerts together where part of our act saw me alone on stage at the piano. Eddie, out of breath, would come running onto the stage only to be removed, kicking and screaming, by some traffic officers. 

I spent eight years at the SABC where I produced and broadcast about a hundred TV shows, among which was the popular weekly, ‘Money or the Box Show’. During this time, I met and worked with many world-famous people, like Johnny Mathis, Chris de Burgh, Sergio Mendes (recently passed), Dave Brubeck, to name a few.  

I also worked with South African artistes, like Four Jacks and a Jill, Andre Hattingh, Michael de Pinna, Julia Mann and many others. I also wrote and directed Jazz RSA which featured many South African and overseas musicians, like Bruce Cassidy. Another popular show was the story of Satchmo (Louis Armstrong), which starred Ben Masinga.

I was fortunate to meet and work with Dr Chris Barnard (the first heart transplant surgeon who incidentally also played the piano). 

 Lately, | have taken to writing story books.  All these, I’ve discovered, need a vivid imagination along with plain ordinary hard work. 

Writing novels, like composing music, starts with a simple idea which eventually expands in all directions, slowly creating larger than life characters and building your story. After that comes the editing!

 People ask, ‘How do you write a novel?

‘One word at a time.’  

 I live, and love living in South Africa, with my wife, Elaine, my children, grandchildren and dogs. 

We also have a wide circle of friends and enjoy our mutual sharing of experiences, opinions and ideas, often getting together for a typical South Africa Barbeque (known as a Braai).

 Besides my books, I’ve composed many single Gospel songs, and three full-length Mini Gospel Operas (or Cantatas) performed at local Churches, plus two full-length musicals and (bottom-drawed) one full-length historical South African Grand Opera.

For thirty years or so, I was the resident pianist at the Country Club Johannesburg and now currently the lobby pianist at the Sandton Sun Hotel. Thursday lunchtime finds me at the Bryanston Organic Market, where I have also entertained the people for more than 25 years.

BUT WAIT......  poetry is creative writing at its best, do you agree?

If so, most songs of average three minutes encapsulate entire lifetimes, or dramatic love stories, and life-changing incidents.  Take for example the song 'I Left My Heart In San Francisco'.

I am playing it on the piano in a very simplistic style, if you play the piano and are interested, you can copy my style as you read the words.

I would love you to try this, and if you like this, it will be a regular event on my website. 

https://youtu.be/QWoJrBmuMk0

If you have any song requests feel free to let me know