Jon Beasley

Bass

“I often ponder what my life might have been had I not found a love for music… to date I have not really come up with an answer, except I can't help feeling it would be much less interesting.

It all started one Friday evening when I was around 10 years old. I was playing football with my friend Dan and, for a reason inexplicable to me, he called time early on our game and said he was heading off to choir practice.

This happened on several occasions and I started to wonder what it was about and how it could be more interesting than football. So I went along, sang in the fantastic surroundings of Tewkesbury Abbey, made some great friends and that was it – I was addicted!

Fast forward twenty or so years and I'm pleased to say that I have been heavily involved in music since then. I can't help feeling that, what at the time appeared to be a slightly strange combination of choral singer by day and jazz musician by night, was actually just preparing me for now.

So, do I love singing with The Songmen – in a word, yes.

I love the attention to detail, the undying quest for musical perfection and I love singing with the boys.

In fact, the only time it gets even better is when, during an educational workshop, I notice a spark of interest from a student who would normally be playing football …”