BIOG

Andy started playing in bands in 1976, doing covers of Rolling Stones, New York Dolls, Velvet Underground, Doors, Stooges  and other preachers of the dark side of life.

After a while he wasnt getting enough creative satisfaction from this, so he created a band as a vehicle for his own material. This coincided with the advent of punk in the UK, and he followed this path. Andy released, as Accident On The East Lancs, two singles We Want It Legalised/Tell Me What Ya Mean, and Back End Of Nowhere/Rat Race on his own label, Roach Records, and an album Shotguns and Hotshots on Cargo Records, all recorded at the famous Cargo Studios in Rochdale.

Fast forward to 1982, and it seemed like he missed the boat, although the singles are now fetching stupid money on the collectors market, and have been re released, as has the album, numerous times on different labels. In an article in Record Collectors magazine for the 100 most collectable punk singles, We Want It Legalised came in at at number 43, and suggested that Tell Me What Ya Mean should be covered by The Strokes.

In 1984 Andy got a one single deal on Vibes and Vibes records in London and released I Believe In Love, a funky Prince/Bo Diddly type ditty.

In 1986 Andy discovered Alt. Country/Americana, through Steve Earle, Dwight Yoakam and Lyle Lovett. He realised that he had been writing Americana type music from the get go, even during the punk period, and this was where his heart and soul was musically.

Andy writes about friends on the wrong side of the law, living and dying on drugs, child abuse, not being able to make ends meet,  alcoholics, drug addicts, no hope desperados fighting life and all that brings, and if he does write of love, it has usually gone wrong, although not always. A lot of Andy's songs draw on his life experience, and people who have passed through it.

In this vein, Andy has released two albums on Lanta Records, the first one being Walking In Familiar Footsteps, which features ex Rolling Stones guitarist Mick Taylor, Manfreds frontman and harp player extraordinare Paul Jones and Jeff and Tommy Vee, sons of the late Bobby Vee. It was co written and produced by Hilly Briggs, with two co writes with Mick Taylor and one with Paul Jones.

The second, Dirt, featuring The Smokin' Jackets, and including Paul Green,  Captain Bliss on harp, Huskie Jack on slide and acoustic finger picking, The Kid Casswell on suitcase drums and percussion and The Excellent John T on Bass.

Andy's influences, besides a somewhat chaotic lifestyle and the people involved in it down the line, are The Rolling Stones, Steve Earle, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Tom Waits, Townes Van Zant, Warren Zevon, Howlin Wolf, Muddy Waters, Son House, Johnny Cash, Patti Smith, Lou Reed, Iggy Pop and Johnny Thunders to name but a few.

Andy has written over 400 songs, most of which have never seen the light of day.

Walking In Familiar Footsteps and Dirt are both available in CD format, and download on this site.

Shotguns And Hotshots  on purple vinyl with bonus live album is currently available from OzitMorpheus Records.

Andy has just recorded 36 new original songs, live in the studio with Danny Bourassa, Phil Watts and Phil Cawsey, with Mr Wilsons Second Liners brass section playing on four tracks. It is a smorgasbord of country blues, electric blues, alt country, cajun, rock n roll, soul, and world music. It is a masterpiece and needs to be checked out. It is due out in September 2023, and is well worth the wait. It is called - COUNTRY ROCK n ROLL n DURTY BLUES