Who Are Thursday’s Child?

I picked up guitar at 16 and started writing songs immediately spending hours in my bedroom inspired by bands like the Jam, The Beatles, the Yardbirds and so many from the 1960s. My dream was one day to play in America and in venues like the Albert Hall.

Me and some guys from school did form a band and ‘try real hard’ but we didn’t get much further than the local pubs we filled. I swapped the harshness of the music business for that of the city of London and have spent nearly 40 years as a broker.

35 years 3 children and a dog later and confined by covid I emerged with new skills and songs and met an unsung hero with the same dreams and passions (and a decent wardrobe) in Craig Minto and a writing partnership was formed.

Pretty soon we were a 4 piece adding a very valuable and experienced rhythm section who have helped create a decent live act. Our original material sets us apart from other local bands who just play the same covers which is what we enjoy playing the most. That’s not to say we don’t perform some different but popular covers too!!

The songs I write are usually about human situations and those that are close to home. Social commentary and protesting has its stars already, to me its all about the music!! 

Lead singer, rhythm guitarist and keyboards. Age 58. Profession, Acupuncturist. 

A self-taught musician, I first picked up a guitar in 1984, aged 16, and learnt my first 3 chords -  instinctively, within a few weeks, I wrote my first song. 

Although not my career, music and songwriting has always been an important part of my life and I have received airplay with various bands on regional radio stations over the years, as well as having a song signed to a publishing company owned by a member of The Hollies.

It was Lockdown, and my inability to do my job as an Acupuncturist, which gave me time to write and record new material at my home studio. I reached out to other musicians for collaboration at that time and hooked up with Andy Cornell. We hit it off both musically and personally and ‘Thursday’s Child’ was born when we realised we were both born on a Thursday. 

After gigging locally for a couple of years as a duo we then recruited our bass player Matt and then David on the drums. We have released two albums and received air play on Radio Caroline. 

We play local venues, events and festivals mixing ups our original material with well loved covers from the 60s-90s.

I am 78 years old. Drummer  Retired Textile Manufacturers Agent and DVSA Examiner.

I started performing at the age of 15 while still at Dulwich College where I was Drum Major in the CCF. At the same time I was playing in the school jazz band performing Dave Brubeck’s Take Five and similar jazz numbers of the time.

It was the early days of rock so I was in at the beginning, listening to Lonnie Donnegan, Elvis, Cliff Richards etc.

As there weren’t many drummers around at the time I would sit in with different genres from skiffle, trad and modern jazz eventually getting type cast as a rock drummer with a light touch.

At the age of twenty I packed my drums up and caught the Union Castle Shipping Line to Cape Town, working during the day in a wholesale company and at night playing the drums with a newly formed rock band called The Aristocrats. 

South Africa was a bit behind the times as far as music was concerned so we concentrated on taping all the latest songs from London and performing them to stay ahead of other local bands. As a result we entered the South African Battle of the Bands, winning the semi finals.

After 18 months in South Africa there was a pause in my musical life for marriage and two children. Once the children were old enough I resumed my drumming forming “Perfect Strangers”. I slowly built up connections with various bands in the South East offering my services for weddings, private parties, clubs etc.

I’ve also played at the O2 a few times at the Water Margin jazz club in a jazz quartet but, so far, never made it to the arena. 

I was always into music and at 16, when a mate asked me ‘did I know any bass players’ I simply said ‘Yes, me!’. My brother had a bass under his bed that he didn’t play so I ‘purloined’ it and duly set about learning.

By 18 I was playing semi-pro in a band that travelled the country (at weekends!). It was an originals outfit and the fondest memory is of my cousin (who lived in Manchester) telling me that his mate had played him a cassette in his car (yes, that long ago!) saying ‘this is a really great new band’ where he was able to say ‘I know, that’s my cousin!’.

By 20 I was a certified bass nerd and my brothers bass had gone back under his bed. Replaced with ‘a bass like Stings’ and a handmade fretless that has more Mwwaaa than Pino’s ‘Ray!

Playing in Birmingham and being offered a Chinese takeaway as payment for the gig made me realise that, as a newly married man of 23, concentrating on my career in Banking so that I could provide for my family was the only realistic choice for me. I still played regularly though. I found that popping out in the evening after the kids had been put to bed to play music worked a lot better than popping out for 4 hours on a Saturday morning to play golf!

I met Craig in a local coffee shop. We started talking because of a particular ‘musical t-shirt’ I was wearing and I ended up playing bass on Thursday’s Childs tracks for what became the album Beautiful Game. It was great to be able to add whenever I felt that a track needed. A while later he said that he and Andy wanted to gig the material and I jumped at the opportunity. They write fantastic songs with great lyrics and catchy tunes. And the bass lines are fab…