The first inklings of my future musical taste came at about the age of
five, when I remember listening to an album of 50's rock'n'roll hits that
my parents owned, and being totally wrapped by the Everly Brother's 'Wake
Up Little Susie.' Thankfully, my obsession of around the same time with
Neil Diamond , where I would set up the various pieces of lounge furniture
as a drum kit and play along with the record, would have absolutely no
bearing on my future as a musician.

I began piano and theory lessons at around the age of seven, and
continued them on and off for around ten years. During this time, at around
the age of eight, I was introduced to a few basic jazz, blues and boogie
pieces. While I persevered half-hearted with classical piano, I continued
doing the odd jazz piece which kept my musical interest alive, and in my
early teens nearly began studying jazz piano full time. However, around the
age of fourteen I discovered, via George Thorogood and then Stevie Ray
Vaughan, the Blues; and more importantly the guitar. I began teaching myself
on my dad's old 1950's acoustic guitar while listening to "A Spoonful Of
Blues," a blues show on the local university radio station 6UVSfm. (This
show can still be heard on 6RTRfm.) I followed his dream of being a burnin'
blues guitar player for about a year and a half, fuelled by watching the
film "Crossroads" which featured a soundtrack by Ry Cooder (now one of my
major influences), and also studying classical guitar for a year. At the
age of fifteen I began studying music at high school, and being the only
one who played guitar, I was informed that I would have to fill the bass
guitar chair in the school orchestra, which I dutifully, though
disdainfully did.

Funnily enough, it was another film "La Bamba" which which was to provide
a turning point in my life. Entranced by Brian Setzer's version of the
Eddie Cochran classic "Summertime Blues" which featured in the film, I soon
became infatuated with rockabilly music. After listening to the Stray Cats
and watching Sydney band "The Eddies", I was soon fascinated by the funny
thumping and clicking sound that seemed to emanate from the double bass.
Learning that the sounds were a result of a technique called "slapping", I
knew he had found my calling and informed my parents that I MUST HAVE a
double bass, which I was unbelievably lucky enough to receive for my
sixteenth birthday. Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately) the education
department wasn't too interested in sending a double bass teacher to the
nether regions of Kalamunda so once again I began teaching myself.
Being only one of three or four slap bassists around Perth, I soon found
myself playing with an older (always older) semi-professional
rockabilly band called The Mercuries, which after a few line-up changes
would be known as the Dixie Outlaws. At this time my sister Emma had also
begun singing and playing with prominent local rockabilly/country band "The
Coolgardies." In November 1989, two weeks after turning seventeen and
finishing my final school exams, I filled the newly vacated bass spot in
the Coolgardies and began working professionally.

In early 1990 I, along with two other members of the Coolgardies moved
to Melbourne.

Though this was to be the demise of the Coolgardies, I soon found work
within the local rockabilly scene with bands such as "the Rancheros" and
"the Chickenhawks," with whom I released my first recording, "Trouble It
Comes" under the guise of "Bobby Qualtrough's Ocean Stairs," recorded at
Melbourne's Preston Records.I also did my first freelance gigs with
legendary Melbourne r'n'b band "the Swingin' Sidewalks." It was during this
time that I was introduced to the wider field of roots music, particularly
western swing, hillbilly, and jump blues, and to a lesser extent to Cajun
and Zydeco.

I returned to Perth at the end of 1990 musically the wiser (though
refusing to listen to anything post 1960), and began playing with local
bluesman Ivan Zar in various line-ups, and in which I first worked with
future Zydecats members Lucky Oceans, Bill Rogers and Kent Hughes. In early
1991 I rejoined the Dixie Outlaws, which by that time had begun to
establish themselves locally. The Dixie's following three and a half year
blitz on the Perth music scene took no prisoners, and I earned myself the
"bass player of the year" award at the 1992 West Australian Music Industry
Awards.

In 1992 I began to rediscover my interest in jazz and completed the
certificate course in jazz at the W.A. Conservatorium of Music. It was at
this time that I began to take the electric bass (and perhaps bass playing
in general) a little more seriously, and began to open my ears a little
more to post 1960 music, particularly funk and soul, Irish folk music, and
also to more contemporary pop and grunge music, though I still harboured a
general dislike of 70's music!! During this time I continued playing with
Ivan Zar, and began doing various freelance blues gigs with artist such as
Lindsay Wells and The Bayou Brothers.

Towards the end of 1993 the Dixie Outlaws began to suffer under the
strain of indecision to either remain a rockabilly band or pursue a more
original path, and disbanded in September 1993 after hundreds of gigs and
releasing a self-titled CD. The resulting loss of my mainstay gig led me
back to studying at the Conservatorium in 1994, undertaking the associate
diploma course in jazz. It was during this time that my taste in music
became truly eclectic; I even got over my dislike of 70's music. During
1994 I began to concentrate more on my original band "Wampus," which, while
formed in early 1993, was only starting to come to fruition. Originally
started as an "alternate" funk band in the mould of Primus (Les Claypool
was perhaps my first major influence on electric bass) and Fishbone, it
went on to explore more of a pop/hip hop fusion and would last until 1997,
when a lack of gigs would cause the group to part ways.

The call to join the Zydecats came in early 1995, and it has since been
my main group. Since joining the Zydecats I completed another one and a
half years of study (incomplete due to a case of RSI received while
studying in 1994) while working on Wampus and still doing freelance gigs.
In 1997 I began playing with Irish folk/rock band "Reckless Kelly" on a
weekly basis which continued until very recently.

Currently, as well as the Zydecats, I am working with three piece
original pop/country/folk/funksters "Carus Thompson and the Haymakers" with
which I am finally enjoying my first stint as the oldest member of the
group. Other sideline projects include working with fellow Zydecats Kent
Hughes and Konrad Park in the Hendrix tribute "Bag of Snakes" and
rock'n'roll outfit "Trevor Lee and the Sheiks of Araby," and working with
N.S.W. folk/blues impresario Damon Davies when time permits. I also have a
busy schedule teaching bass and guitar at a local music shop.

These days my musical influences are too numerous to name, being more
influenced by genres than particular artists, though Tom Waits must be
acknowledged!! Currently rediscovering my love of country blues music, I
spend a lot of time annoying my house mate as I teach myself slide guitar
and further my interest in music and recording technology and production,
while biding my time to become the oldest member of the Zydecats.