When college finished I was offered two jobs - those were the days! Guitar teacher (Knowsley Education Services) or sound engineer at BBC Pebble Mill. I went to Pebble Mill and enjoyed 17 glorious years working with everyone from Cliff Richard to Sarah Vaughan, Vladimir Askenazy, U2, the Eurythmics and in 1978, Stephane Grappelli.

I became a friend of Stephane and in 2003 had the good fortune to write his 150,000 word biography, a radio profile for BBC Radio 2 and a BAFTA nominated DVD 'A Life in the Jazz Century.'

Whilst at the BBC I wrote the music for three music documentaries, produced for Radio 1, 2, 3 and 4 and directed and produced by BBC 1 and 2.

Last year at BAFTA, Julian Bream asked me to write and direct his biography on DVD - which was, of course, a wonderful honour. Graham Wade, the guitar writer, has since called it "the greatest film contribution ever, to the history of the classical guitar" (Thanks Graham, the cheques bouncing around the post).

I still play drums and guitar every day - my neighbour Ivy is 85 and stone deaf. She was OK when I moved in.

I'm now a member of the Council of Management at BAFTA, an amateur runner and father to Carrie 24, Jon 24, and Karl, two and a half weeks (written in September 2004.)

I want to carry on profiling famous musicians on DVD, until I get it right.

My eldest son John Paul is a D.J. and stays up all night playing loud music, drinking and having relations with young women. I'm appalled (wouldn't happen in my day). He left.
Copyright Paul Balmer.

Editor's Note: Paul is currently writing his autobiography 'Paul Balmer, My Life On Asprins And Coke).

Sadly, Alby Power, former bass guitarist with the Tuxedos, the Panthers, the Kirkbys and 23rd Turnoff died suddenly ay his home of a heart attack on September 23 2004.

The photo of the 11 year old Paul was taken at 9 Wingate Road, Kirkby in 1962. He is pictured with his drum kit which had formerly belonged to the Deans. His Mum never let him set the drums up in her sitting room again. The Futurama guitar belonged to Paul Seddon of the Neons.

The sectarian divide was quite apparent in Liverpool those days in the hostility between Catholic and Protestant, which flared with the annual Orange Lodge marches.

The 'sticky out frocks and stockings' of the girls was due to the starched petticoats they wore under their dresses and in the days before tights appeared, they wore stockings and suspenders.

The Folk Music scene, like the Country Music scene was quite strong in Liverpool in those days, although it has tended to be overshadowed by the success of the Mersey Sound.

Brendan McCormack was a former member of Ricki & the Redstreaks, the MemphisThree and the Harlems.

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