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L to R - John, Michele, Danny and Peter |
I
went to a local school in Letchworth until the age of twelve, and then I started
going to school in the next town- Hitchin, just a bus-ride away. There was nothing
wrong with the local school in Letchworth, but my mother wanted the best possible
education for me and the Hitchin School was, (and still is,) an excellent school
and more importantly for my mother, an all boys school. I’m sure she thought
that I would study harder with less distraction. She was right- at first.............
In
my early teens, after many months of staring longingly in the local music shop
window, I acquired my first electric guitar and amplifier, which survived just
long enough to be burnt in a fire unwittingly set by my brother Danny. You see
we shared a room together and it was in this room that I kept my guitar and
also where Danny conducted his experiments with matches. After the smoke cleared
away I was left with my only other guitar- an acoustic, and I started developing
my love of acoustic music, which stays with me to this day. In fact now I play
almost exclusively acoustic guitar. Thanks, Danny!
I
could have gone on to college- it would have pleased my mother, but the call
of the music business was too strong. After leaving school at eighteen, I worked
for a few months in a soup canning factory- no one could understand what I was
doing there, but I was waiting for my “big break”. It came in the
summer of 1974. A summer season in the south of England at a holiday resort.
My first professional music engagement and I was quite happy playing, among
other songs, “Tie a Yellow Ribbon” every night! It was not what I
had dreamed about (joining Led Zepellin) but I was nineteen and having the time
of my life- living away from home for the first time and playing music, (and
getting paid for it!). 
After
the summer season ended, I went back home to Letchworth dreaming of more and
bigger musical adventures. Soon enough I took the train to London, and after
a few auditions ended up meeting Al Stewart,
a Scottish folk singer. He invited me to join his band, and very soon I was
touring up and down England and then soon, all over the USA, playing keyboards,
guitar and feeling semi-famous! For the first time I was touring with an artist
who actually made records that people bought! I was now 20. And
I had finally made it to America.
Meanwhile
my crafty brother Danny, (remember the guitar burning incident?), seeing my
progress in the world of music, decided to start recording music of his own.
He formed a group called Matt Bianco, (Bianco is Italian for White- get it!),
met up with a lady named Basia, and
soon started selling millions of albums. Boy, was I jealous! Luckily he didn’t
play guitar so he asked me to be a part of their recordings. (Time and Tide,
London/Warsaw/New York etc.). Since then I have recorded and played on-stage
extensively with Basia and Danny which
gives me great pleasure as I have been able to spend a whole lot of time with
my younger brother. He is a terrific musician and I have had the pleasure of
having him play with me also when I appear in the UK. 
I
recorded my first solo album in 1990, after years of hearing my guitar playing
on the radio, but never getting any recognition beyond the Al Stewart fans.
My life was about to change again. I started playing with my own band, and developing
my own show. 
I
met Robin, my third wife at a show in Cleveland in 1989, where she was living
at the time. I immediately was attracted to her spirit and independence. I visited
her a few times in the converted loft where she was living. I was impressed-
I had heard of people living in lofts but had never seen one first-hand. We
continued a long distance relationship for a while but it didn’t get really
going until I was on tour with Basia in 1994 and on a stop in New York I saw
her after a 2 year break and immediately fell in love all over again.