peteraltongreen

I started playing guitar in the 1950's Rock 'n Roll era.Life in Britain then was bleak for music,as we had no commercial radio stations,and the musical output of the BBC,our only broadcaster at that time was very old fashioned.Where there's a will,there's a way. We could receive AFN,American Forces Network,Europe,our only good source of Rock,Blues & Jazz.At the time,I lived in Scarborough,U.K.,and took lessons from a local lady music teacher.I did my first gig in 1958,with a local dance-jazz band.I moved to Bridlington,a seaside town in Yorkshire,and started playing youth clubs with friends.Joined another jazz-dance band,and gigged around the area,then joined a local rock band.Moved to Kingston upon Hull in 1962,and joined 'the Sunsets',a local rock band.This band became 'Tony Martin & the Mods',and travelled all over the U.K.,our biggest gig was supporting the 'Rolling Stones' in May 1964 at the Palace Theatre Manchester.We supported most of the big groups of the day.This band eventually became the 'Hammer'. I made my first commercial recordings with this band,although I had,by this time left the band.I played rythmn guitar on a 1931 Epiphone archtop that I still have.The band eventually recruited Rod Temperton,on keyboards.He went on the write for Michael Jackson,George Benson,Patty Austin etc.

By the end of the 60's,I had become very interested in jazz.I'd seen Wes Montgomery at Ronnie Scott's Jazz club,London in 1965,and in 1968,I bought a Gibson L5 CES,which I still have.I loaned this to Joe Pass in the '70's to do a seminar at Ivor Mairants guitar store in London.I used to play this through a Fender Bandmaster Amp & a Showman cabinet.

In the 1970's,I started playing clubs around Yorkshire,and in the following 20 years,backed & supported many artists.At this time,I had moved on to the bass guitar ( Fender Jazz & Gibson EB2 through an Acoustic 118 & cab.I still played guitar gigs,picking up a great Gibson 335 in San Francisco in 1982,and in the U.K.,my first Heritage,an H140CM, in 1986.Over the years,this fantastic little guitar has served me well.I did a couple of mods to it,a pair of Duncan '59's & a stop bar tailpiece.In 1988, I bought a 575 to do a jazz-restaurant gig,as the L5 was becoming too valuable.I teamed these guitars up with a Fender 'London" reverb,a solid state amp which I still use occasionally,but I now use a Fender 'Concert' head through a 2x10" cabinet.

I've just left a country band gig,in which I played bass,and play with various other,mostly pop-rock bands.I plan to expand my jazz activity once again,A.S.A.P.

This is a condensed version of a very long story !