Born 1978, in Kent, England.   I was lucky enough  to have my musical influences played to me from a very young age by cassette tape compilations that my mother and father had made up of the music they grew up with.   Thinking back of those tapes they consisted of all the songs of the great, mainly American, Rock and Roll and Doo Wop artists and groups of the 50's and 60's - 'A Teenager in Love, Take Good Care Of My Baby, Diana, Dream Lover', to name but a few.   I often feel that I should have grown up in that era, that's where I may have been better suited.

Many occasions as a child, while in the car, when a tape or the radio wasn't on, I would want to be the radio and would ask my mother and father for requests so that I could sing them.   A few years later at the age of 10 I was sitting in the back of the car when on the radio a song came on that sounded very familiar to me.   I had possibly heard it in the past, but I totally connected with it, not lyrically but the whole feel of this song called,'Runaround Sue' .   There were many things that made it fantastic, but for me the lead vocal jumped out at me, like it was a sign.   I didn't know it then but that was the day I discovered my inspiration - Dion Dimucci.   After finding out who this artist was I was hooked.   My father dug out a handful of Dion's 45's that he had.  I found out amoung others, Dion had also recorded   'The Wanderer' as a solo artist and 'A Teenager in Love' while he was the lead singer of  'Dion and the Belmonts'.   At my first opportunity I went into a music shop and purchased a 'Dion and the Belmonts Greatest Hits' and have been collecting his work since then and still do to this day.

Of course there were other artists that I listened to, for instance, 'The Four Seasons, Del Shannon, The Everly Brothers and Roy Orbison', straight away come to mind.   Dion has covered such a wide genre of styles - Rock and Roll, Doo Wop, Blues, Folk, that the majority of the time he is all I ever need to listen to.   Everyone should have at least one Dion album in their collection.   Check out this legend www.diondimucci.com.

At the age of 13 I started going along with my parents to a local pub which held popular and regular Karaoke evenings.   I had always been an extremely shy kid so I needed alot of encouragement to push me past the nerves.   From the first song I received encouraging praises from strangers in the pubs I was singing in.   I sang in many places and won a few competions along the way.

When I was 17 I was put in touch with a agent, who signed me up and I went on to record two re-styled covers with a record producer and appeared on TV to promote myself.   Even though the expereince was short lived, I found it interesting and got to learn a few things to look out for in the future.

At around the age of 18, whilst at Karaoke in the same pub that I had started singing in a few years before, I   was approached about doing my own gigs.   This was something that I suppose, at the back of mind, I was considering, but the opportunity was presented before me and I agreed to it.   I already had my own equipment, so I was pretty much ready to go.   I have been doing my solo gigs for nearly 14 years, they have taken me to great venues, and as you can imagine some not so great  venues!   But you take the rough with the smooth.   In 1998 I thought I'd take my chances at being a entertainer in a popular holiday resort in Gran Canaria.   It wasn't long before I realised that it wasn't what I expected and I returned home to continue gigging in the pubs that I knew.

2002 opened a whole new chapter for me.   A chapter that I only wish I had started many years before.   I want for my music so much but sometimes I need a good push in the right direction.   This was provided by a good friend of mine - Phil Hadler.   Phil offered me guitar lessons.   I had had a guitar for about two years by then, but hadn't done anything with it.   I was taught only the basic chords, but they were the chords that worked for the music I liked, and have enabled me to write many songs of my own.   My thanks to Phil for everything he has done, I will always be grateful.

By 2003 I had made the decision to fulfil the ultimate dream.  That year I flew out to Pennsylvania USA, for a couple of days just to see Dion perform live.  Like many of the other great fans that I was lucky enough to meet, I was wanting to see another concert.  Later that year I flew to Florida.  I had been in contact since Pennsylvania, with someone who worked for Dion.  They were able to get me backstage to meet Dion in person.  Since then I have met him on two other seperate occasions.  In Las Vegas I handed him a CD of my own material.  Within days of returning to the UK I received an e-mail telling me that Dion loved my music - 'Baby Blue' in particular.  To the extent that he contacted a record company in London on my behalf, and personally called my house to pass on contact details.   I had never intended or expected this outcome.  It is an amazing feeling to have someone of Dion's stature - my idol, showing an interest in my music.

Currently I am venturing into a new path. I want to perform my own music live. I have already done a studio recording of a few of my songs, and am still writing.

This is my story so far. . . . . . . . . .

                                     ALL CONTENTS OF THIS WEBSITE © T HARNETT 2006 - 2011