Until he was 22 years old, Phil lived in a cottage next to a Methodist church in the village of Glazebrook, about 12 miles west of Manchester. His grandfather was not only the the church caretaker, but also the Sunday School Superintendent. Having shown musical ability beyond his very young years, he was allowed to sit and play the pipe organ in the church and with a good ear for music, was able to play dozens of hymn tunes from memory by the time he was 9 years old - even if he couldn't reach the bass pedals, he was complimented for his appropriate legato playing style.

About this time, it was suggested that it would be interesting to allow him to play for a Sunday afternoon service - with the consent of the circuit Minister and agreement that the visiting preacher would be agreeable to choose hymns that Phil was conversant with on that occasion.

The preacher on that first Sunday service was Dennis Townsend and the response from both congregation and church "officialdom" was that all was well and that every encouragement to repeat the experience would be made in the future. It was also decided at this time that (for whatever illogical reason) that formal tuition was to be undertaken. Piano tuition. Hmm.

For reasons that will be dealt with very soon on another webpage, this was to be more difficult than first imagined. The "problem" turned out to be the way that Phil sees a colour or shape for every sounds he hears. The word for this unusual means of absorbing information is "Synaesthesia". Look it up in the dictionary in the meantime. It turned out to be a fascinating distraction or very helpful asset according to a given situation, but more of that later.

Over the next couple of years, Phil played for more and more services, until, by his 12th birthday he was taking a regular turn on the organist rota. For the next few years and now easily able to reach the bass pedals and making good sight reading progress, re-arranging tunes and introducing modern ones (he was one of the first to realise that Love Divine could be sung to the tune of "The Carnival is Over") it was time to provide the music for a wedding.

Ok - it was his sister's wedding but you have to start somewhere! He was 14, and until the move to North Wales in 1973, he became one of two regular organists at the Temple Church. The other organist, Stan Wright, his earlier Sunday School teacher, alternated the role for the majority of the services until the closure of the church in 1972. A further highlight was being invited - still only 16 years old - to play the Compton organ of the Central Methodist Hall in Manchester at a very formal wedding.

In March/April 1985, Phil visited Lourdes in France for the first time. Between then and his last visit in 1994, he had played both the grand organ of the Underground Bascilica - a massive concrete structure seating 20,000 people and with space to place a further 5,000 wheelchairs - and the great organ of the Rosary Bascilica - used for the daily torchlight procession. With one exception, he accompanied one or other of the daily processions on most days of each of 9 visits as personal guest of both Abbe Paul Decha (Fr Pussycat to those familiar with the daily ritual of Lourdes) and of Bro. Gregory Casey, the English Chaplain of Lourdes for many years.

Since then, Phil has helped many denominations by providing his services as a church organist - then accepting concert bookings where he was able to demonstrate his ability to arrange light classical or "middle of the road" popular music into a grand piece for classic organ. Two good examples - one just as unlikely as the other, are the theme from Thunderbirds and MacArthur's Park!

He often includes classical pieces in concert whether playing single or multi-keyboard (read the "Concerts" page for more info) producing a 32'/64' reed bass even on the Tyros2!