The other half of our rhythm section is Ian. At the age of 5 his
parents took him to a donkey sanctuary in Devon where he
‘adopted’ a sweet little creature with long ears, a fluffy
coat and a winning smile... he was devastated when he visited two years
later to discover that what he’d thought was a bunny had grown
into a dirty great kicking, braying mule. Had Ian’s parents known
where this experience would lead him they would surely have chosen
Monkey World instead....
Having previously owned a sports car,
Ian's mid life crisis led to him taking up the sticks at the tender age
of 43. A year of intensive lessons, much practice, and constant tapping
(much to the annoyance of all around him who were rapidly running out
of fags) saw Ian join the Muleskinners as his first band.
Ian's influences are many and varied
but his interest in the Blues came whilst at University in Hull during
1981-84. Dingwall's opened one of their famous venues there and regular
visits to see the likes of Wilko Johnson,
Dr Feelgood, and The
Blues Band cemented Ian’s love of rocking blues.
