April this year will be the 20th anniversary of my first CD ‘Recital for Guitar’. Such high hopes I had for the album. It was made prior to widespread use of the internet and without the support of a retail distribution network, selling large quantities was always going to be a difficult challenge. I remember waiting for the the recording studio producer and being invited to try out a new thing called ‘The Internet’ using a software program (nowadays known as an app) called Altavista. They said it was the ‘way of the future’ but I didn’t find anything of interest and considered it just a curiosity. Many friends, family, concert attendees, other guitarists and music lovers generously supported my entrepreneurial venture and I am most grateful to them all. I remember selling the very first signed copy to a happy work colleague and visiting local shops in search of possible outlets. While out and about I chanced upon my dentist, Mr Calder, who rather obligingly purchased a copy. I’ll never forget his first asking skeptically, ’It isn’t all ‘plinky-plonky is it?’. I assured him it was quite the opposite! Little did I know that a few years later, while in the dentist’s chair I was to be treated to the sound of stress-relieving music - my own CD. :-)
