Chris was born into a musical family in Banbury in 1951. "We made our own entertainment, as the saying goes, in those early days!" Most of the family played some sort of instrument. "Mum would start playing the piano, then perhaps my Uncle Cec, would join in on accordion. And so it would go on. Friends and family would visit to keep the music flowing for a few hours." A cousin introduced Chris to the guitar when he was eleven and sparked an interest that would never fade. "My first guitar, a Selmer 222 acoustic, was borrowed from my cousin Stan. A couple of years later he said the guitar was mine and I cherished it for many years until it became un-playable!" Inevitably school groups were started and to Chris, nothing else really mattered! "School didn't really encourage my interests. Two comments that I'm proud of in my school report are, "All his attention is paid to his guitar." and "Tends to be too comical!" I remember taking the guitar to school and waiting outside the music room during lunch break. "Don't take that in there Tobin, that's not a musical instrument!!" - That was the Music teacher! (Git!)Over the years, Chris played in successful semi-pro bands originating in the Banbury area. The Lee-Malvern Four (Approx. 1968- 1973) was a band that Chris was particularly proud to be a part of. The original line-up featured Malvern Lee on Bass, Gina Nutt on Keyboards/Vocals and Nigel (Jonty) Barratt on drums. When Gina left to study, the group continued as a trio and for a few weeks vocalist, Mick Dancer, would join them for the more 'sophisticated' gigs until he became permanent lead vocalist! Eventually, Ken Jarman replaced Jonty on drums. Ken was also a strong vocalist. Although we did mostly covers we would do our own arrangements and interpretations.Chris was also a founder member of the Ken-E-Lee Set with Mick Dancer, Eddie James (Bass), Mickey Walsh (Sax) and John Gardner (Drums). Chris was replaced a couple of times over the years while doing other projects (Chris has also played with a few Coventry based bands). Looking back, it's not easy to recall the bands in chronological order. Slotted in somewhere was the 'A & L' (Arms and Legs) band with Gina returning on keyboards and vocals. Other commitments and 'old age' persuaded the group to reduce they're 'gigging' schedule and play the occasional reunion session. Sadly, in 2000, John Gardner passed away - No more reunions.“Playing in a group can be a great apprenticeship, especially with a varied play list for all occasions. When my group playing days ended, it worried me that if I didn't start playing again, I would lose confidence, so I began to study the local paper to see what was happening musically. I decided to visit a couple of folk sessions and I was 'knocked out' by the musicianship and the mixture of musical styles that were played. This solo venture has given me some of the most rewarding times of my playing years; with the opportunity to play my own material, a few old standards, blended with a bit of blues and jazz, but most of all to find great new friends and musiciansâ€
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