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The initial tune I fell in love with
My first memory is entering a room at preschool where they were blasting Yellow Submarine by the Beatles. I was enthralled by the sound effects, and John Lennon yelling: “Full speed ahead!” When it arrived at the hook, I remember thinking: “This must be music!”

The very first record I bought
When I was eight years old, I was victorious in a competition at school to select a new vinyl to play at the weekly dance party we had on Friday afternoons. My teacher took me to Woolworths, and I chose Come Back My Love by the group Darts. The first record I bought with my own pocket money 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 selected it when my father mentioned that it was by one of the Beatles.

The song I sing at sing-along
I frankly do not enjoy karaoke and dodge it at all costs. But if I had to, I’d select Summer Wind by Frank Sinatra.

The song I inexplicably recite every lyric to
I not long ago became aware that I can recall virtually every word to The Boy in the Bubble, You Can Call Me Al, and every song on Graceland by Paul Simon.

The ideal track to put on at a gathering
It relies on which phase of the party you are at. Early doors it would most likely be I Heard It Through the Grapevine by Marvin Gaye. As the evening progresses, I’d move on to the Artist, the Rolling Stones and Bowie, and when it hits its peak, Phat Planet by Leftfield, Born Slippy .NUXX by the techno pioneers, and Ascension by Gorillaz, which is an undeniable hit.

The song I can not listen to
I strangely loathe Mr Brightside by the Killers.

The ideal piece to get intimate to
Come Together by John, Paul, George, and Ringo.

The LP that altered my perspective
When I was 12 and just learning to study the six-string, I’d only listen to early rock ’n’roll, and was fixated on The King, the rock pioneer, the killer, 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 guitar music, but it was powerful rock music. Instantly after he put the record on the record player, I was captivated.

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

The piece that makes me cry
Most music leaves me touched. The Queen of Soul, The Chairman of the Board, Elvis and the Fab Four all make me cry because of the harmony and pure beauty of the singing. But The Ocean by the Sheffield crooner strikes a chord every time.

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