Tim Cheatle

He describes his relationship with music as "long and complicated" and is currently working in the guise of a classical guitar soloist and composer.

To illustrate his diversity across the years, back in the seventies he was compared to Bob Dylan by some, including none other than Davy Jones of The Monkees. In earlier days, however, Tim says he was more interested in the pen than the plectrum.

"I used to write poetry, and then I met a guy from the London school of music and my poems turned to lyrics. He didn't work as hard as I would have liked, so I got a guitar and decided I would do it by myself. I went to lessons and then started to play in my own bands. We had major record companies interested, including someone from Island Records, but other members weren't as serious about it as me. I wanted to learn to play guitar properly and go solo."

Having taken further instruction under Robert Fripp from the band King Crimson, amongst other well known names, Tim moved to London to "make it as a pop star", where his life took a dramatic and unexpected twist.

"I had only been in London a couple of days when I got this job as a porter and was told to get on the back of the tail piece of a lorry. I was holding two metal cages together. The tail went up, I fell backwards, and the cages, which weighed 400 pounds each, fell on top of me. One hit my body and one took my ear off. I wouldn't recommend it to people. And I'm not a stunt man!"

Tim had acquired a serious brain injury, and was off the scene for a long time.

"It was ten years before the fog lifted.
Tim Cheatle on stage with his guitar

"I had to relearn the guitar, and went from playing every time I wasn't eating, sleeping or working, to managing 10 minutes to an hour a day. When I started, I found simple things impossible, but I picked up more difficult aspects of the guitar easily. But as anyone who's ever had a brain injury will know, all I wanted to be was what I was before."

"By the time I got back to it, my relationship with music had changed, and I no longer wanted to be a pop star. Most of the musicians I admired played solo guitar music and that is how my CD called Grace came about. This is music I've always dreamed of making."

In an ideal world, Tim would like a record contract but tells us he no longer has the stamina to rush around and make it happen.

"You can compose until you fall down dead and you can play the guitar until you fall down dead. So this works for me right now."