Alan Watson and the Merseyside Big Band

Went out on Thursday evening to Maghull Town Hall in Liverpool (UK), with my friend, the Runcorn-based singer Alan Watson, who records with Sheer Joy Music. He sings with the Merseyside Big Band at their regular monthly visit to the venue, and I was treated to a great bit of swing. I especially loved the alto sax solos. Great evening! 

Advertise your CD on Sheer Joy Music FREE-OF-CHARGE!

     Here is a message for all of my creative musical readers out there. On the revamped Sheer Joy Music website we are launching a section called The Music Store Billboard, where we are offering the opportunity to publicise you CD absolutely FREE-of-CHARGE. I promise you that there are no strings attached. 
     We are happy to include Christian, Gospel, Country and Country Gospel CDs and also those which fit into the Classical/Crossover genre.  As well as an image of your CD cover, which we will link to your website, we will show the Track Listing and also a short bio, and it really is absolutely FREE-of-CHARGE!
     All you need to do is to email me with the details or any questions about this great opportunity.

The Black Eyed Peas - Don't Stop The Party.

Pitbull - Hey Baby (Drop It To The Floor) ft. T-Pain.

Everyday I'm Shufflinggg....

Lauren Elise: A rising Country Star!

I love music, and I especially love Country Music and Country talent, and here is a video that showcases both. Lauren Elise is a young singer who is well worth watching out for. She' already won several awards, and I predict that she will become a bigger and bigger talent in the Country Music Industry over the next couple of years. She definitely has STAR quality!
     Here she sings the enigmatic Bring on the Rain as a duet with Cortnie Frazier, producing some great harmony together.

New Release for Milli Alaira is HIT SONG 'If Only I Had Wings'

      The amazing, fabulously talented Milli Alaira releases her cover of the Hit Song If Only I Had Wings, which was one of the songs that so wowed the audience earlier this week when she appeared at the Showcase in St Helens, Lancashire. This is a singer who is well on her way to becoming a major STAR, so keep your eyes on the Music Industry news machines.
      You will have the opportunity to buy and download this single and also her recent release Dance! on CD Baby, iTunes and Amazon, very shortly.

Alan Watson: Easy listening from a polished performer!

      Alan Watson began singing in public at the age of 9 or 10, which was in 1946/7. This is his story.

      St Paul’s Methodist Church in High Street, Runcorn, (no longer there), stands out in my memory the most. My church, Camden Methodist in Lowlands Road, Runcorn, (also no longer there), held their Anniversary Services in the bigger church. I remember standing alongside the massive pipe organ and singing my solos, which was an awesome experience. I sang solos at my junior school in Victoria Road, and then went on to singing lessons with a Mrs Rylance who got me to sing solos at the Runcorn Townswomen’s Guild concerts during my early teenage years.  My wife-to-be, Blodwin, and I sang with the Runcorn Orpheus Choir for a couple of years when I was aged 16 to 17.

      When I was eighteen I joined three other teenagers of a similar age and we formed a harmony group called ‘The Kadds’ (Keith, Alan, David and Dennis). And we were good! We performed in the Runcorn’s La Scala Ballroom (ex-Cinema), and we also travelled around Cheshire in a chauffeur driven car to other dancehalls and events. At our zenith we appeared on a BBC show, part of which was broadcast. The newcomers like us, were there for the experience and a possible further appearance to be broadcast. Shortly after this event we began to be called up for National Service; two of us going into the RAF and two into the Army, and that, unfortunately, was the end of ‘The Kadds’! On my return to civilian life I joined a six piece band under Alan Williams leadership. This was followed by a ten piece band which was run by Don Moreman, before taking my first professional job with the Stan Clarke Band at the Scala Ballroom, singing three nights a week, with a wage packet for my troubles.

      I also had experience with the Ken Turner Band at the Mecca Dance Hall in Liverpool, ’The Locarno’, and appeared at the Grafton Ballroom with the Johnny Hilton Band, which was an eight piece. After a few years doing cabaret with a Trio called ‘Nice & Easy’, travelling all over the North of England and down to Stoke on Trent in the South, I did restaurant work with Trio’s in Liverpool and Manchester. After this I worked as a compére in clubs around Runcorn and Northwich for almost twenty years.

      In my 40’s I teamed up with The Freddy Smith Big Band (17 piece), staying with them for about ten years. After parting company with them I joined The Merseyside Big Band, which was also a 17 piece, and have remained with them up to date. In addition, since my early 40’s I have sung in my church many times, along with my wife. We have appeared in many musicals at our church and travelled around the North of England performing them as well. During 1987, my wife and I went to the USA to represent our church, singing and talking to congregations at churches in Seattle and Los Angeles who supported our church building project with both financial and practical help. We travelled for three weeks, staying with Christians from the churches, and enjoyed some wonderful hospitality.

      In recent times I have made two CD’s which have been well received, and had a live interview on BBC Radio Merseyside. I have also had tracks from the CD’s played on the radio on numerous occasions on BBC Merseyside and GMR. More recently again, I have just released a CD of Worship songs on the Sheer Joy Music label. I’ve appeared with The Merseyside Big Band all over Merseyside, the top venue being the Liverpool Philharmonic Hall, where I sang on two great occasions, where all the top International artists have appeared, people such as Jack Jones and Vic Damone. 

   To my great delight a CD and tape that my wife and I made has travelled all around the globe, from Australia to Africa, through USA and Canada, where I sang in a church in Alberta two years, and has recently been digitally remastered and released on the Sheer Joy Music label. 

      All of the CDs below can be purchased online from the Sheer Joy Music shop. In addition, Songs of Worship is available from CD Baby, Amazon and iTunes to digitally download either single tracks or the complete album.

On his latest CD, Taking it Easy, Alan sings the beautiful love song, When I'm With You, in addition to the country favourite which was recorded recently by Darren Mullen in Australia, Forever Friend. Add to these the haunting Listen to the Rain and the foot-tapping sing-along song, The Happy Song, and you have a great EP album. But there's one more. Anniversary Serenade is a new song written especially for Alan by the song-writing partnership of Colin Gordon-Farleigh and Greg Scheer, and is a great song to help celebrate special anniversaries.

Peter Furler sings 'Reach'

Former Newsboys front man, Peter Furler, in the official music video for "Reach" from the new album "On Fire." Order by following this link. 

'It Is Well With My Soul' by Dave's Highway

      What an amazing, inspirational sound from these three young people who make up Dave's Highway! I hope that you enjoy listening to them as much as I do. Delaney, Zachary and Erika Daves, aged 15, 14 and 12 years old respectively, are based in Brandon, Mississippi and are an emerging act in the worlds of both country and gospel music thanks to the many fans who solicited the attention of three major influencers.
      The trio have been performing together for four years. The self-taught trio’s voices combine to create a remarkable musical blend, which can only be created by what’s known in the South as “blood harmony.” Prior to becoming the internet sensation Daves Highway, the young siblings began singing in church and school and then won the 2006 Mississippi State Fair Talent Competition. Regional notoriety resulted in 
invitations to perform on local television in nearby Louisiana, Tennessee, Georgia and Florida and sing "The Star-Spangled Banner” at games hosted by the NBA’s Memphis Grizzlies and various minor league baseball and hockey teams. The versatile trio which effortlessly jumps from one genre to another cites its primary musical influences as the Eagles, Stevie Ray Vaughan, The Martins, Martina McBride and Lady Antebellum, among others, and especially enjoys performing country, classic rock and gospel. Delaney, who is 15, plays guitar, mandolin and sings alto; 14-year-old Zachary plays acoustic and electric guitar and sings tenor; and 12-year-old Erika plays piano and sings soprano.
     I'm sure that we'll hear much more about this trio in the years to come!

Siobhan Owen sings 'My Lagan Love' live on Radio Adelaide

A young singer from Adelaide, and who originates from Wales, sings My Lagan Love, in a video recorded live on Radio Adelaide when Siobhan Owen was just sixteen. This talented singer is also a talented harpist, a you discover in this video.

Deirdre Shannon with Lord of the Dance

Regular readers of this Blog will know that I'm always on the lookout for great new singers, and love the opportunity to help showcase their work by displaying their videos here. Irish classical/crossover singer Deidre Shannon has one of those voices that speaks right into your soul, and the tones are as pure as the mountain stream.


In 1997 she was chosen by Michael Flatley to be the vocal soloist in his smash hit, Lord of the Dance, when she was cast in the role of Erin the Goddess, and ultimately performed extensively in the Americas, Africa and Europe for over ten years.


Deirdre has one award-winning album under her belt, self-titled Deirdre Shannon and is currently releasing her second album Anamċeol has just been released. I recommend it to you if you want music to soothe, excite and generally create a feeling of harmony in your innermost being. Buy it by clicking here.


I hope you enjoy the video below which affords you a taste of her voice and ability.

Alan Watson's new CD, 'Taking it Easy', to be released tomorrow

      The long-awaited new CD from Alan Watson is released tomorrow by Runcorn-based Sheer Joy Music. Taking it Easy  showcases a new batch of songs from the stable of Greg Scheer & Colin Gordon-Farleigh, and features the musical backing of the late Eric Pim. 

      Featured on the 5-track EP are hit songs like 'Forever Friend' and 'When I'm With You', in addition to which the first track is a song written especially for Alan, 'Anniversary Serenade', and the hum-along song 'The Happy Song'. The track-listing is completed by the evocative 'Listen to the Rain'. All in all, a great new addition to the music library of all of Alan's fans, new and old.

     Taking it Easy will be available to download, either as an album or by track, on CD Baby and iTunes in a few days time.

The photograph below shows Alan Watson in the SJM recording studio. Now in his 70's, Alan has been singing for over fifty years, professionally and semi-professionally, and continues to perform at concerts in the Cheshire and Merseyside area.

The fabulous Grace Bawden sings 'Angels Will Watch'

It's always a special occasion to listen to the fabulously talented Australian singer, Grace Bawden, and this is no exception. Angels Will Watch is the result of a cross-continental collaboration between renowned Los Angeles animation film score composer, Gregory Hinde, and Grace Bawden which started in 2009 after an internet-based introduction through Krystine McLeod in Melbourne

'Michael J Smith sings Here I am To Worship'

Era - Adiemus : Songs of Sanctuary

Adiemus is the title of a series of albums by Welsh composer Karl Jenkins. It is also the title of the opening track on the first album in the series, Songs of Sanctuary.

This music video is absolutely wonderful. Put together by someone on Youtube who uses the name 'FangnclawXD' all I can say is that they have done a fabulous job of making an awesome piece of film. I share it with you, dear reader, not only because I like it but also as a tribute to a true artist.

New CD coming from Krystyn Murphy, 'The Barefoot Soprano'

Krystyn Murphy will release a new CD in the summer, and you can have a listen to some of the tracks by going to her website. You can also find out how you can get hold of a 4-track EP, taken from the full-length album, on her site.

Krystyn Murphy adds a breath of fresh air to revitalise favourites such as 'Bridge Over Troubled Water' and 'Secret Love', and manages to make them her own whilst retaining their timeless quality.

Dubbed the Barefoot Soprano by an online following, 21-year-old singer Kristyn Murphy is using her nickname to lace her artistry with a carefree professionalism that she is using to break down barriers between genres, and make music, especially classical music, more accessible to audiences of all types.

“I don’t take myself too seriously. The things I do, yes, but not myself,” says the crossover singer whose approachable style blends together elements of the Classical, Broadway, Celtic, Pop, Christian, and Folk genres.

“I put my heart and soul into my music.  My music is constantly growing and I am a huge fan of trying new things. My newest CD project really is an expression of who I am, even more so than my past projects. I am sure that in years to come each new CD I create will reflect even more who I am as an artist and person.”

Kristyn has trained classically since the age of twelve.  She has studied voice at The Hartt School of Music in CT, and is currently studying voice Crane School of Music in New York.  Kristyn is also studying Music Industry and Business Administration.  After graduation she plans to launch her career as a full time performer, tour often and record many more CDs.  

Kristyn recorded her first CD, Sweet Freedom, at the age of 13, with a quartet known as the Center Drive Singers.  The CD, which was recorded after the tragic 9/11 events was dedicated to the heroes of America and sold as a fundraiser for the Center Drive Middle School.  In 2005 Kristyn recorded her first solo CD, To The Glory of God, as a memento for family and friends.  In 2008, Kristyn rallied together some high school friends and recorded a three song patriotic album titledSoul of a Nation.  The CD, which Kristyn recorded while her older sister was in Iraq, was given to the soldiers fighting overseas as a very special thank you gift.  

Kristyn is very happy to present her recording project: Kristyn Murphy, Barefoot Soprano, a CD that serves as an introduction to Kristyn and her music.

Why not take a listen today and find out more about this talented young singer who hails from Maine. 

I'm listening to Samantha Link's new CD: 'Bring Me To Life'

This morning I've been listening to Samantha Link's new album, Bring Me To Life, and I can thoroughly recommend it to you, dear reader. Difficult to select a favourite track because Samantha makes a great job of them all, but I loved the title track, 'Bring Me To Life' and 'No Woman, No Cry' which Samantha duets with Bruce Anderson. Being somewhat biased, I loved her rendition of one of my favourite songs, 'Myfanwy', especially as she sings the song in Welsh and English. Llongyfarchiadau, Samantha!

Annette Griffin plays the harp and sings 'Come by the Hills'

Annette Griffin sings the beautiful song Come by the Hills, accompanying herself on the harp. This talented singer/harpist can be found at Ashford Castle in County Mayo, Ireland, where she is currently the resident singer. 

The Hayley Oliver Band sing 'Tell Me Why'

Yesterday I mentioned that my friend Hayley Oliver had sent me 2 CDs as a gift, and I posted details of the first of them, Something to Remember, which features Hayley Oliver, Rob Smith and Richard Anderson. Today I'm playing the second CD, The Hayley Oliver Band, Naturally', which features Hayley singing some good old Country favourites along with her Band. The band is made up of Lee Ellis on Lead Guitar & additional Vocals; Nigel Nesbitt - Bass Guitar/Vocals; Wayne Lee - Keyboard/Vocals; Scott Gladman on Rhythm Guitars and Julian McLaren on Drums, and what a fabulous sound they make together!


It's difficult for me to pick out a favourite from amongst the 14 tracks on this CD because they are all great, but I particularly enjoyed the opening track, 98.6 Degrees and Falling, Sweet Dreams and I'm a Little Bluer Than That. The truth is that they are all great tracks!


This would be a great CD to add  to your own collection. You can buy it on iTunes by clicking here.  Have a look and listen with this Youtube video.