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The first song I became enamored with
My earliest memory is walking into a space at preschool where they were blasting Yellow Submarine by the Beatles. I was mesmerized by the sound effects, and Lennon yelling: “Full speed ahead!” When it arrived at the refrain, I remember thinking: “This must be music!”

The very first record I purchased
When I was eight years old, I was victorious in a competition at school to select a brand new record to play at the small dance we had on Fridays. My teacher took me to Woolworths, and I picked out Come Back My Love by Darts. The first single I bought with my own allowance was Mull of Kintyre by Paul McCartney's Wings from a music store in Lancashire. It was topping the charts at the time, and I chose it when my father mentioned that it was by a former member of the Beatles.

The track I sing at sing-along
I frankly cannot stand karaoke and dodge it at all costs. But under duress, I’d choose Summer Wind by Frank Sinatra.

The song I inexplicably remember all the words to
I just realised that I have memorized almost the entire lyrical content to The Boy in the Bubble, You Can Call Me Al, and each track on Graceland by Paul Simon.

The best track to blast at a gathering
It relies on the point of the evening you are at. Early doors it would most likely be I Heard It Through the Grapevine by Marvin Gaye. As the party deepens, I’d work through Prince, the Stones and Bowie, and when it hits its peak, Phat Planet by Leftfield, Born Slippy .NUXX by the techno pioneers, and Ascension by the virtual band, which is an massive track.

The song I can never bear
I strangely detest 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 transformed me
When I was twelve and beginning to study the guitar, I’d only listen to early rock and roll, and was obsessed with The King, the rock pioneer, Jerry Lee Lewis, the New Orleans legend, the glasses-wearing icon and the rockabilly star. Then my childminder brought round Let There Be Rock by AC/DC. It was still rock’n’roll, but it was electrifying rock ’n’roll. As soon as he put the record on the turntable, I was a fan for life.

The song that motivates me in the AM
What’d I Say parts 1 & 2 by Ray Charles.

The piece that gets me emotional
Most music leaves me moved. The Queen of Soul, The Chairman of the Board, Elvis and the Fab Four all stir my emotions because of the tune and utter perfection of the voices. But The Ocean by Richard Hawley hits me hard every time.

The track I’d like played at my final send-off
The King. If I’m given a cremation, I’ll have Burning Love. If I’m buried, I’ll have Way Down.