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The earliest tune I was captivated by
My first recollection is walking into a space at kindergarten where they were blasting Yellow Submarine by the Fab Four. I was enthralled by the sonic landscape, and John Lennon yelling: “Full speed ahead!” When it reached the hook, I remember thinking: “This must be music!”

The very first single I purchased
When I was eight, I won a competition at school to select a new record to play at the weekly dance party we had on Friday afternoons. My teacher took me to Woolworths, and I chose Come Back My Love by the group Darts. The first record I bought with my own pocket money was Mull of Kintyre by Wings from a record shop in Colne. It was topping the charts at the time, and I selected it when my father mentioned that it was by a former member of the Beatles.

The song I sing at karaoke
I honestly cannot stand karaoke and avoid it at all costs. But if forced, I’d choose Summer Wind by Frank Sinatra.

The song I oddly know all the words to
I recently discovered that I know pretty much the entire lyrical content to The Boy in the Bubble, You Can Call Me Al, and every song on Graceland by Paul Simon.

The perfect tune to play at a gathering
It depends on what stage of the event you are at. Early doors it would probably be I Heard It Through the Grapevine by the soul legend. As the evening progresses, I’d move on to the Artist, the Rolling Stones and David Bowie, and when it hits its peak, Phat Planet by the electronic act, Born Slippy .NUXX by the techno pioneers, and Ascension by the virtual band, which is an absolute banger.

The song I can never listen to
I for some reason detest Mr Brightside by the Las Vegas band.

The ideal song to make love to
Come Together by the Beatles.

The record that altered my perspective
When I was 12 and just learning to learn the six-string, I’d only listen to 1950s rock and roll, and was consumed by The King, the rock pioneer, Jerry Lee Lewis, Fats Domino, the glasses-wearing icon and Eddie Cochran. Then my babysitter brought round Let There Be Rock by AC/DC. It was still guitar music, but it was powerful rock ’n’roll. As soon as he dropped the record on the turntable, I was a fan for life.

The tune that gets me up in the morning
What’d I Say in its full glory by The Genius.

The track that brings me to tears
Virtually any music makes me emotional. Aretha Franklin, The Chairman of the Board, Elvis and the Beatles all stir my emotions because of the tune and pure perfection of the singing. But The Ocean by the Sheffield crooner hits me hard every time.

The music I’d like played at my memorial service
The King. If I’m cremated, I’ll have Burning Love. If I’m buried, I’ll have Way Down.