I grew up in rural NSW (Australia) on a farm near Grafton. Grafton is renowned the world over for it's famous annual Floral celebration ("Jacaranda Festival"). This was a rustic, and colourful start to things, and back in the 70s and 80s, our local musical influences were limited to what could be heard on 2 radio stations and or bought from 2 record stores. (Or, as we're talking about the 80s - everyone would share music via cassette, usually recorded on a recording on a recording... Quality of those cassettes varied, to say the least)
So.. I made the best of what was available, and took whatever opportunities that came in my direction.
Opportunities included being able to formally study music at the then Sister Cecilia's Music Academy (trumpet and music theory to some reasonably certifiable level with the AMEB), learnt drums (with no formal certification) from Merrick McCallum (North Coast Drum teaching legend). This then rolled into a music scholarship to the Scots college in Sydney to study more trumpet, drums and vibraphone (with Mark Bowden).
My musical influences ranged from Thin Lizzy, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Herb Alpert, Miles Davis, Louis Bellson. (remember what I mentioned about the two radio stations and two record stores. Visiting another bigger town/cities with 'bigger' records stores was a 'thing').
Having got the school out of the way, and after deciding not to go to university (to study how to become a music teacher, although I sometimes regret not going the musicologist route), I decided to become 'serious', so jazz was it for me during the 90s. As you do in your 20s when you're 'serious' and 'aspirational' I went 'jazz' for about 10 years in and around Sydney. Wrote some stuff, which got bootlegged. People dug it. Played a lot. Over time vaguely improved and was seen/recorded with:
1992 - 1996: - Julian Barton Quartet (Jazz) (Jules Link) (2 albums)
1991 - 2000 - Atomic BBQ (Jazz) - no link (1 bootleg, uncountable number of performances)
1991-2000 - Dave Jensen's Good Intentions (uncountable number of performances)
1996 - 2000 - Southern Hemisphere Big Band (1 compilation album, weekly performances)
1996-1999 - Co-existence (Experimental Jazz - lead by Freddie Hill and Steve Pleskun) (Don't remember an actual album, but we recorded a lot. Played in public)
1991-2000 - Assorted other acts (Billy Field, Sue Cruickshank et al), filmed segments on percussion for 2000 Olympics (Channel 7, if you've got any of those videos, let me know.)
At this juncture, I have to give a big thank you to all the musicians both in Sydney and London that I've had the privilege to play for and with. I know I must have a been an opinionated pain on occasion.
Just after the turn of the century, I moved to the UK in 2001. This roughly co-incided with the time I realised I was 'sick' of playing jazz and being 'serious' all the time. Thanks to a chance discovery on a Sunday afternoon in Kingston on Thames in the legendary Grey Horse pub, I was reminded, via blues bands, that music is meant to be fun. Armed with this new discovery, the jazz thing for me stopped (for a while) and I went 'back' to playing rock and roll (and all the associated variants therewith). I then, having bought another drum kit, and car to move them around, was lucky enough to be invited to join:
2005-2007 - Straw Dogs (one version), we played around South West London for a couple of years - strictly Bar Room Rock, and had awesome time.
2005 to Date - Danny Lee Band -still going strong and coming up for their third decade (Countrified Rock) (DANNYLINK)
So that's the history.
2021 - Given the vacuum of live music, writing and record my own music again, and in time, it'll be played live. I can't wait!