Q: What are your first memories of the blues and what inspired your love of the music?

A: As a child I got to listen to little music as I was always chasing a football around but got to listen to the radio when I was about 12 but in those days there was only one in the house so it was Pick Of The Pops with Alan Freeman. My Dad gave me our old valve radio when he bought a radiogram and I used to turn the dial to find those pirate radio stations that were so good and played all sorts of music. I started buying Kinks, Stones, Yardbirds etc out of my 2/6p pocket money, queuing at Boots record counter in Lincoln during school lunch time to get the latest releases and driving Mum and Dad nuts. It was only when I got to go to work that I got a little money and bought a portable record player (made in Chechoslovakia), it cost me £3, 2 shillings 6 pence out of my £8-15 shillings wages. I then bought the first Led Zeppelin album and some samplers like Decca’s World Of Blues Power and Island's Nice Enough To Eat. My tastes grew from there really as I’d been restricted to what Mum and Dad listened to mostly and they had no real musical interests but listened to Shirley Bassey, Sammy Davis Jnr. and Ferante & Teicher... so I came late to the Blues but caught the end period of the UK Boom. I remember seeing Tony McPhee and the original Groundhogs backing an American artist but I can't remember who it was (I thought it was Howlin’ Wolf) at the LSE around 1968/9 I think, fabulous stuff. Then gigs like Spooky Tooth, an amazing band, again at LSE, Steampacket in High Wycombe Town Hall. I just love music with emotion that stretches out and absorbs you.

Q: How did you go from being a blues fan to starting a magazine? When was this?

A: Oh, this was when I met Kim Simmonds, my old "guitar hero". He came to tour UK in 1995 or 6 and I met him at The Kings Hotel in Newport. We talked about his fan club (lacking any continuity) and he said that if I had any ideas I should contact him. Several months later I did and started the Shades of Savoy Brown International Journal. Gosh, there was so much change in that band over the years it was like a revolving door. So many great players, singers and Kim the constant all the way through. Now it is great to meet him when he comes over and catch up. Anyway from that I took it as far as I could and got frustrated, being new to IT, lacking funds, etc and it all got to me but I had found out so much about SB and a lot of other musicians who still performed around and crossed over to other bands etc – lots of cogs going round all the time – and it frustrated me that British Blues has never really got the credit it deserved in effectively turning Blues into a "mainstream" medium and the title came out of that frustration... and here we are...

Q: What was the response like when you published your first issue?

A: From the fan point of view pretty good but from industry slack to say the least. That was why issue 2 took almost another 18 months to appear after funding the first myself I had to look at it more and see where we could take it. Self funding continued before advertisers got involved with BM. It has been hard, very hard.

Q: Do you feel that in the 2000s blues is an ever-growing market, or one that has a steady, loyal base?

A: The Blues will always be around BUT it never gets the backing of say Country, Folk or Classical music in funds or radio/press coverage. Look at the big companies and corporations that get involved in those, the money that moves in those areas and try to find it in the Blues. The fans are out there, it is a World market place and the web opens things up but where is the focus? Folks like to go out and not pay to see entertainment but if we realize that paying can get us better venues, better entertainment etc then maybe the cycle can change. Venues need to survive too but at the same time to pay a decent fee so nominal door charges can help. Festivals seem to traditionally pay low money to acts but they get the profile of playing them which is important and helps to sell records. Some acts want silly money while most seek a reasonable wage for their performance. It is not easy getting Blues reviewed in the "bigger" magazines and papers unless you are Chris Rea, Bill Wyman or Jools Holland and that is not fair when there is so much talent out there... this could be a growing market but the media seems to stifle it in that way. Chris Rea was big enough on Radio 2 a while ago to say (something like); I’m not the only Blues musician around you can listen to many if you go out and find them... we've got better acts on the label than many that appear on TV shows and new names that deserve to be on Blues radio shows but apart from Paul Jones where is the profile. We need to change that and open things up more which takes backing.

Q: What has been the effect of young, successful "blues" bands like the White Stripes, Gomez and the 22-20s been on the market?

A: Oh they sure have raised a few eyebrows, caused a few ‘purists’ to have fits and been dismissed but they bring an element of the Blues to a new audience so they have to be good for the Blues. It is no good being all "purist" about the Blues, it needs to develop or it will die. It is great that we get re-issues of the ‘classic’ acts but there is no pre-definiton of where you have to come from or what colour you have to be to play the Blues, everyone gets it sometimes and some are lucky enough to be able to express it in musical form to us. Without this process there would be no music business, no labels, no music media so all praise to new talent and new forms.

Q: What are the principles behind Blues Matters, the record label?

A: Simple, get good music out there. Show the diversity in the Blues to the world. It is amazing how many people say "oh, the Blues is boring and dreary" then name them a few songs and they say "oh, is that Blues, I like that". I like lots of music and hear the Blues in lots of things, it is an expression of emotion not always in a "pure" form. I like to find acts that can show that diversity of the Blues transversing styles and bring something new/fresh to the scene. I think so far we have signed some fine, fine acts and I like them all for different reasons. SwampNobs take you back and entertain and give a set that involves the audience and explains some of the history of the music while being original as well, Danny Bryant can make you cry with his guitar and writes great songs, and just those two cross a wide, wide bridge in the Blues world. It is hard to believe that the label is now the biggest ever independent British Blues label (for British artists), not even Blue Horizon or Indigo released as many British Blues artists and of course Ace, Document, JSP etc do not focus on "home" talent.

Q: How did you first hear of the Mustangs and what were your first impressions?

A: Easy, we got a CD to review at the office, played it and wow, it showed a good appreciation of diversity and writing skill with great performance so it was a case of talking over the label idea... might they be interested??? Call or e-mail and find out... and the rest... well, welcome to the label guys!!!!!

Q: What do you feel they will bring to the BM stable of artists?

A: Entertainment, more quality of musicianship and songwriting craft. The Mustangs are a band that can get a crowd up on their feet or enthrall a sitting audience and that is a great combination to have in your musical armoury.

Q: Tell us some of the other great BM artists that our readers should look out for?

A: All of them! I’m a fan of the Blues and I enjoy all the acts we sign. When I talk over the label to artists I try to be a someone in the crowd. We have quality in depth, Danny Bryant was recently named by Walter Trout as one of his top guitarists in the world in the same breath as Roy Buchannon and other greats. Roadhouse are a fabulous band, really professional, thoroughly entertaining, Lights Out By Nine from Scotland have taken Butlins by storm twice now as well as other Festivals "up North", Sean Webster is a great new talent and he will be featured artist in the Where’s Eric fanzine and Mr. C has a copy of his latest album. Innes Sibun is a fine guitarist who played with Robert Plant, he is a great player and performer, Roy Mette is new to the label and we have an exciting setoff albums to come from him including one of Hendrix done acoustic Roy’s way...! How much room have you got for this... check out the BM web site: www.bluesmatters.com

Q: What are the plans in the future for BM as a magazine and a label?

A: The magazine and label are run separately, sometimes I wish I had named the label differently but it does identify that we are solid although we can get some criticism from some quarters for having both under the same name. They think it is pretty amazing in Europe, one Belgian magazine interviewed me and thought it was a terrific idea to have a magazine with a label as it gives continuity, solid base, focus etc but you can’t please everyone can you? What we try to do is all for The Blues. Our writers are independent, many have become friends over the years but they all know that they do no favours to BM acts when reviewing, they are always honest because they are all fans of the music who write for fans so integrity is strong. The future... we need to grow more, we need more staff but that only comes with profile and investment, once we get some of that in place then we can move on other areas I have in mind but for now focus on growing the label and the magazine are important for the Blues. We’ve achieved a lot in a relatively short time so to consolidate to grow is vital instead of stretch tooooo far which is easy to happen if not careful. Lots of ideas to work on for BM in several directions, and always lots to do for The Blues... as long as there is the music we have a job to do!! Right now there’s never enough hours in the day.

Q: Finally, as a blues "expert" tell us three desert island albums anyone new to the music should investigate...

A: I’m no expert, just a fan who now runs a magazine and label. Cheat on number one here, take the Howlin' Wolf Charly box set if you can get it, 7 fabulous discs, John Mayall’s Blues Breakers, yes that Beano album and I’d have to have a Savoy Brown one... unless I can take any of our own label ones of course!

Thanks Alan.