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The first tune I was captivated by
My earliest memory is stepping into a space at preschool where they were spinning Yellow Submarine by the Beatles. I was captivated by the sound effects, and John Lennon shouting: “Full speed ahead!” When it reached the refrain, I recall believing: “This must be music!”

The very first record I purchased
When I was eight, I was victorious in a contest at school to pick a brand new record to play at the mini disco we had on Friday afternoons. My teacher took me to a local store, and I opted for Come Back My Love by Darts. The first record I purchased with my own pocket money was Mull of Kintyre by Wings from a record shop in Lancashire. It was topping the charts at the time, and I selected it when my dad noted that it was by a former member of the Beatles.

The tune I do at sing-along
I honestly do not enjoy karaoke and avoid it at all costs. But under duress, I’d go with Summer Wind by Ol' Blue Eyes.

The piece I strangely remember all the words to
I just discovered that I know pretty much the entire lyrical content to The Boy in the Bubble, You Can Call Me Al, and each track on Graceland by Paul Simon.

The perfect tune to put on at a gathering
It depends on the point of the evening you are at. Early doors it would likely be I Heard It Through the Grapevine by the soul legend. As the night wears on, I’d work through the Artist, the Rolling Stones and Bowie, and when it really kicks off, Phat Planet by Leftfield, Born Slippy .NUXX by the techno pioneers, and Ascension by Gorillaz, which is an undeniable hit.

The number I can never bear
I strangely loathe Mr Brightside by the Las Vegas band.

The best song to have sex to
Come Together by the Beatles.

The album that changed my life
When I was twelve and beginning to study the six-string, I’d only listen to classic rock ’n’roll, and was fixated on Elvis, Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis, the New Orleans legend, Buddy Holly and the rockabilly star. Then my babysitter introduced me to Let There Be Rock by AC/DC. It was still guitar music, but it was powerful rock ’n’roll. Instantly after he dropped the vinyl on the record player, I was hooked.

The track that wakes me in the AM
What’d I Say parts 1 & 2 by Ray Charles.

The song that brings me to tears
All music makes me touched. The Queen of Soul, The Chairman of the Board, Elvis and the Beatles all make me cry because of the harmony and utter brilliance of the voices. But The Ocean by Richard Hawley gets me going consistently.

The song I’d like played at my funeral
The King. If I’m cremated, I’ll have Burning Love. If I’m laid to rest in the ground, I’ll have Way Down.