"I think Lost Boys Studio is one of the best of the new breed studios. The gear is tip top, the service is second to none, the rates are fabulous for what you get and the location is priceless. I highly recommend it for recording, mastering and anything that requires quality."

And as for me...........

It all started twenty years ago, I was a frustrated teenage bass player looking for a break in music that was a little more challenging than the flavour of the moment 'Punk Rock'. I'd long been a fan of the career of Britons most successful musician (in the terms that he has played on more top 30 records than any other human alive) Mr Herbie Flowers. I wrote to him and asked if he could give me any advice. He replied saying we must have a cup of tea some time and invited me to call him, which I did. What a top bloke he was (and is) as on calling him he invited me to meet him the next day at Deccas studio in Hampstead, where he was working with Justin Hayward of the Moody Blues on a session produced by Jeff Wayne. That was the beginning of a two year apprenticeship with the greatest musician I have ever met. I'll spare you the details of how after my time sitting in on literally hundreds of sessions and going on the first Sky tour I became a full time professional session bass player who went onto do many things in music.

Long before Herbie became my mentor I was fully au fait with all his top bass parts, including: 'Rock On' by David Essex, 'Space Oddity' by Bowie, 'Everlasting Love' by Love Affair, 'It's Not Unusual' by Tom Jones and Lou Reed's 'Walk On The Wild Side'. I learned them all by heart and my style of playing was almost a carbon copy of his (although there was another player I greatly admired and studied - James Jamerson RIP, the chap who played on all the early Tamla Motown hits).

Years have past since my time with Herbie, and although firm blood brothers for eternity our paths rarely cross. These days Herbie, in his 50's is still hard at it, doing this and that. Which in reality means occasionally playing for the LSO and raising money to provide summer school music workshops for under privileged children. If there is a more versatile and talent musician on the planet who has helped launch careers of the likes of Elton John and David Bowie they've keep themselves very quiet. And I bet they never wrote a hit record as big as Grandad. He once told me, "you can be a musician for 18 months with a pop group, dashing all over the world having an awful time being feted as the chart position rises and ignored as it falls, or you can play music until the day you drop down dead". Like him, I chose the later.

But when the opportunity arises it is always a great thrill to meet up. The last occasion was at the Stables Theatre in Wavendon were he was playing his one man show which won a five star review at the Edinburgh Festival last summer, it's called 'My Mums A Yoghourt'. It's a must if you're interested in the beginnings of the pop industry of Great Britain as he talks about working with everybody, from the Beatles to Bowie to Tom Jones to Reg Dwight to Frank Sinatra to T Rex to the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra to Rolf Harris to Tommy Cooper to Al Kooper to John Williams (both of them) etc. etc.

In truth it's a two man show as there's a splendid piano player accompanying him - Marvin Hanglider AKA Mike Hatchard. It's a fascinating insight to how the British pop industry started in the 60's and takes you right up to date. Plus the two of them play the most cultured music it is possible to create with a Piano and Bass or Tuba or Ukele or Garden Hose Pipe.

So there I was, in the third row watching my old mate tell stories I've heard many times and playing like a master to the delight of the entire audience. When he came to the part of the show when he talked about doing the classic; and arguably the best bass line ever played; for Lou Reed's Walk On The Wild Side. I won't tell you the story, as you'll hear it when you go and see him yourself. The only thing I will say is, there are two bass lines on the track, one electric and one on the double bass. Obviously he can't play both at the same time during his one man show and usually explains the story playing just the double bass, except this time. This time, out of the blue, he called me up on stage to play the electric part on his bass guitar. Which is the same one he used on the record and as a Herbie Flowers clone I know all his bass lines off by heart, especially his most famous. He's only ever had one electric bass - an early Leo Fender Prototype - and one double bass - a priceless 1802 vintage which he paid £40 for. So for the first time ever in the world since it was recorded over 20 years ago the same instruments were playing that CLASSIC tune.

And the coloured girls go....

see George's epic CV here...

Click here if you wish to email me