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The first song I became enamored with
My earliest memory is stepping into a room at preschool where they were playing Yellow Submarine by the Fab Four. I was enthralled by the audio textures, and Lennon shouting: “Full speed ahead!” When it reached the hook, I distinctly thought: “This must be music!”

The first single I purchased
When I was eight years old, I won a competition at school to select a brand new vinyl to play at the weekly dance party we had on Fridays. My teacher took me to Woolworths, and I chose Come Back My Love by the group Darts. The first record I purchased with my own savings was Mull of Kintyre by Wings from a record shop in Colne. It was topping the charts at the time, and I selected it when my father mentioned that it was by one of the Beatles.

The tune I sing at karaoke
I candidly do not enjoy karaoke and avoid it at all costs. But under duress, I’d go with Summer Wind by Frank Sinatra.

The piece I inexplicably recite every lyric to
I just discovered that I have memorized pretty much the entire lyrical content to The Boy in the Bubble, You Can Call Me Al, and the entire album on Graceland by Paul Simon.

The ideal track to put on at a soirée
It hinges on the point of the party you are at. For the beginning it would most likely be I Heard It Through the Grapevine by the soul legend. As the party deepens, I’d work through Prince, the Stones and Bowie, and when it hits its peak, Phat Planet by the electronic act, Born Slippy .NUXX by Underworld, and Ascension by Gorillaz, which is an massive track.

The number I can no longer hear
I for some reason loathe Mr Brightside by the Las Vegas band.

The best track to make love to
Come Together by John, Paul, George, and Ringo.

The LP that altered my perspective
When I was 12 and starting to play the guitar, I’d only listen to classic rock and roll, and was obsessed with The King, Chuck Berry, the killer, the New Orleans legend, the glasses-wearing icon and Eddie Cochran. Then my childminder brought round Let There Be Rock by AC/DC. It was still guitar music, but it was electrifying rock ’n’roll. Instantly after he dropped the record on the turntable, I was a fan for life.

The tune that motivates me in the AM
What’d I Say parts 1 & 2 by The Genius.

The piece that brings me to tears
Virtually any music makes me moved. Aretha Franklin, The Chairman of the Board, Presley and the Beatles all stir my emotions because of the tune and pure perfection of the voices. But The Ocean by the Sheffield crooner gets me going consistently.

The track I’d like performed at my memorial service
Elvis. If I’m given a cremation, I’ll have Burning Love. If I’m laid to rest in the ground, I’ll have Way Down.