Some years later, now aged eleven and living in Hertfordshire, I was about to encounter the first steps on the path to my dream of becoming a Drummer.

Desperate to play drums but without the wherewithal to pay for lessons I joined a local amateur highland pipe band!   I was then taught to play military side drum, sight-read drum charts, drink pale ale and stay out late by two ex-pat Scots. These guys were good!  One had played in The Edinburgh Police Band and the other the Shotts & Dykehead Pipe Band, both bands had won numerous International Pipe Band Championships, and it’s fair to say that I received the most rigorous training.

They gave me a pair of sticks and a rubber practise pad and taught me the rudiments of drumming.   They made me play on a cushion and a telephone directory to build up stamina.  
It was six weeks before they let me loose on a real drum. I was charged with cleaning and maintaining the six gleaming, chrome ‘Carlton Gaelic’ side drums and naturally I managed a crafty rat-a-tat-tat here and there!

Stevenage Pipe Band functioned as a charity fundraiser, playing most weekends at fairs, fetes and football matches with the zenith being a ten minute half time spot, centre-pitch at a rugby international at what was then Cardiff Arms Park.  The atmosphere was intoxicating!   No matter what, this had to be my way forward in life!

The thoroughness of this basic grounding stood me in good stead for what was about to come as, years later and having progressed beyond the side drum, I began a successful period as a session musician which included recording, broadcasting and touring with many ‘household names’ as well as with many more complete unknowns!

Having squandered a grammar school education (late nights gigging had severely reduced my ability to revise!) I turned pro at 18 and soon realised that I had a few things going for me as I tried to get a gig of some sort.    My strengths, as I saw them, were that I had already played a very wide variety of music in pubs, halls and working men’s clubs, I could (just about) read drum music, I had good equipment, my parents had a telephone to relay messages and I was cheap!

The strategy worked as a small, local studio needed a small, local cheap drummer!

This gave me some studio experience and, more importantly, introduced me to many musicians, producers and music-biz folk who, bit-by-bit, began asking if I could do a session or play a gig somewhere. I played anywhere and everywhere, learning my craft and just about making a living.  

We now spool on to the early 1990’s by which time I had retired from touring and sessions with a million-and-one great memories ………… a lengthy stint with Leo Sayer, highlights of which included a nine month world tour; headlining two nights at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles with Deniece Williams and her 30 piece orchestra supporting; being the first ever act at an open-air theatre in Alice Springs, Australia and recording a BBC2 TV six part series which is still being shown around the world!   

I remember an extremely hectic year or so with Helen Shapiro where, in just one week, we played concerts in Bridlington, Bedford and Brussels …. and Southend-on-Sea!    

There were sessions that stretched across the musical spectrum from folk to pop, rock and blues, both country AND western and from punk to cod-classical. I worked with artists as diverse as Maddy Prior, Al Hodge, Cherry Vanilla, Clifford T. Ward, Mr Fox, Opera Nova, Lesley Duncan, Sad Café, The Incredible String Band and The Hitchin & Luton Accordionaires!

It’s odd sometimes, the stuff you do as a session player. (if you want to eat that is!)   One year I played a WINTER tour of seaside resorts with a singer named Jackie.   Famous for singing the theme to a kid’s TV show featuring Rupert The Bear, Jackie also had a hit with a song called White Horses but she earnt her living singing ‘jingles’ for radio and TV so, as well as ‘Rupert’ and ‘Horses’ and a couple of chart-covers, her show consisted of snippets of the jingles she had worked on.   We finished her spot with the Martini Advert!   “It’s the bright one, it’s the right one, it’s …..”  I am haunted by it to this day!

However that was then and, as mentioned, I had retired from the mainstream and was now ready to turn ‘semi-pro’ but still felt the need to continue making quality music. Having been fortunate enough to enjoy an illustrious career I did not want to end up playing The Birdie Song in some caravan park house band!

Well thankfully that didn’t come to pass and I have been most fortunate during the latter part of my career to have worked with a variety of supremely talented ’local’ bands and artists, not least with the dynamic rock’n’roll, boogie-woogie pianist Jon Clare.

This now allows me to bring my story bang up to date with my recent inclusion in the line-up of a dynamic trio dedicated to rock’n’roll, rockabilly, jive and swing.   ROCKIN’ THE JOINT play for dancing, homing in on no-nonsense grooves and rhythms and keeping it lean and mean.   It’s great for a drummer as the music provides the need for just enough flair and razzamatazz whilst demanding rock solid dancing tempos.  Musically for me it could well be full-circle and time for me to recall my cousin Terry and his maroon and gold Dansette!   Keep rockin’!

Alan Eden
Somerset
July 2010