Stephen|Owen|Musician|Piano|Keyboards|Pipe Organ|Oldham

I started playing in public when I was about 13 years old playing Hammond organ in local pubs and clubs. I was really nervous at the time and my foot used to shake which might have been okay if I hadn't needed it to control the volume pedal.

My first band Dark Saloon was a typical 70s schoolboy band, named after a solo album by John 'Rabbit' Bundrick who occasionally played keyboards with Free. It was a 5 piece and while it never gigged it did keep my neighbours awake on Saturday afternoons

After that came Cassiopeia a jazz rock outfit in which I played bass guitar and flute. We entered the Melody Maker competition in Leeds. The judges said we would have gone through had it not been the year that punk arrived. I never suited safety pins!

Next was Windenwires. We played contemporary music. Some was self-penned and some covers. We did quite a bit of vocal harmonies and could do a mean version of Steeleye Span's 'Gaudete' at Christmas. I just can't remember who sang Maddy Prior's bit. Strange - we were all blokes but somebody did.

Then the move to the Manchester club scene which I worked for about 25 years. Live performances have included work with Karl 'Wimoweh' Denver, Jeff Layton (of 'Les Miserables' fame), Jane McDonald, and Ruby Murray (who still holds the record for the greatest number of singles in the British Top 20 at the same time) plus literally hundreds of others.

I have no idea how many of Manchester's clubs I have played but it is probably most of them. As well as the 'bread and butter' jobs I have also played at the Tameside Hippodrome to a full house and a few enormous bingo halls - seating between 1500 and 2000 people. My recording credits include work for Keith Harris & Orville, Little & Large, Jaqui Scott and the Blackpool Pleasure Beach.

Nowadays I devote more of my time to playing church organs, something I love. I play regularly at St. Patrick's in Oldham. In 2000 I was asked to play for the Mayor of Oldham's Inaugural Mass which was scary. I didn't know that that much pomp and ceremony existed in Oldham
In September 2007 the BBC recorded their Sunday Worship programme at St Patricks' so I got to play on the radio.

As for the future? While most of my time is spent teaching I've been doing some solo piano gigs. Latest ones include playing at the new Deansgate Hilton Hotel, Manchester and Quarry Bank Mill in Cheshire. Very nice too.

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