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The first tune I became enamored with
My most primal memory is walking into a space at preschool where they were blasting Yellow Submarine by the Fab Four. I was captivated by the sound effects, and John Lennon bellowing: “Full speed ahead!” When it got to the refrain, I remember thinking: “This must be music!”

The very first 45 I purchased
When I was eight, I was victorious in a contest at school to pick a brand new vinyl to play at the weekly dance party we had on Friday afternoons. My instructor took me to a local store, and I picked out Come Back My Love by Darts. The first record I purchased 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 selected it when my dad noted that it was by one of the Beatles.

The song I sing at karaoke
I candidly cannot stand public singing and steer clear at all costs. But under duress, I’d select Summer Wind by Ol' Blue Eyes.

The track I inexplicably remember each line to
I just became aware that I can recall almost every word to The Boy in the Bubble, You Can Call Me Al, and each track on Graceland by Paul Simon.

The ideal song to blast at a gathering
It depends on what stage of the evening you are at. Early doors it would probably be I Heard It Through the Grapevine by Marvin Gaye. As the night wears on, I’d move on to Prince, the Stones and David 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 massive track.

The number I can never listen to
I strangely loathe Mr Brightside by the Killers.

The ultimate piece to make love to
Come Together by John, Paul, George, and Ringo.

The record that transformed me
When I was 12 and just learning to play the six-string, I’d only listen to classic rock and roll, and was obsessed with Elvis, the rock pioneer, Jerry Lee Lewis, Fats Domino, Buddy Holly and Eddie Cochran. Then my childminder introduced me to Let There Be Rock by AC/DC. It was still guitar music, but it was electrifying rock music. The moment he placed the vinyl on the turntable, I was hooked.

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

The piece that gets me emotional
Most music makes me emotional. Aretha Franklin, Frank Sinatra, Elvis and the Beatles all make me cry because of the harmony and utter beauty of the singing. But The Ocean by the Sheffield crooner hits me hard every time.

The track I’d like to be played at my funeral
The King. If I’m given a cremation, I’ll have Burning Love. If I’m laid to rest in the ground, I’ll have Way Down.