Biography
Ian was born in Kensington, London. At an early age he went to live in Santa Barbara with his parents until the age of 7. When Ian returned to the UK, he lived for a short time with his grand parents in London’s East End, getting to know the area where his mother grew up. He found out many years later, they lived not far from where Matt Monro was born in Ironmonger Row, Shoreditch.
Ian knew, even from his early childhood, he wanted to be a singer like his great hero’s Matt Monro and Frank Sinatra. He began singing lessons at the age of 11, with four different teachers. One of Ian’s earliest memories was listening to Matt’s great recordings and trying to emulate his breathing technique, so much so that when Matt appeared in the mid-seventies in Yarmouth, Ian badgered his parents to drive from London to watch his show. Ian sat through the matinee performance, then went back in the evening, to watch him again.
The seeds of Ian’s life long obsession were sown when Ian began singing in London Pub’s even though he was underage, he would sneak in and sing with the bands just as Matt Monro had done. Ian later found out that sang in some of the same venues. His first big break came when his last singing teacher arranged for him to audition for the big band singer in the film ‘Yanks’ featuring Richard Gere.
He was chosen for the part out of 400 others at the age of just 16! The movie was a huge success, taking 4 months to film and he sang with an 18-piece band, which he greatly enjoyed. He then fronted his own Jazz quartet performing at club venues.
At just 20 years of age he started cruising on the original Oriana, performing with a production company, in starring roles such as Tony in West Side Story. While Ian was cruising Matt Monro was on a world tour, Ian tried several times to meet with Matt but always managed to miss him, on one occasion, by only an hour, when Matt was performing in Hong Kong.
When Ian returned home he auditioned for Radio 2 and was picked as a session singer for BBC’s live orchestras. Having a vocal range of nearly 4 octaves, Ian has been able to transform both contemporary standard tunes, making him an individual performer, in high demand.
Ian has performed at the London Palladium, The Talk of the Town, (which was one of Matt’s favourite venues) and The Savoy, to name but a few. He was the only male vocalist invited to perform to the British Troops during the First Gulf War and has had the honour of going to Buckingham Palace to perform in a charity concert.
During Ian’s long career he has always made sure that Matt’s music was featured in his performances and has constantly reminded his audience of Matt’s singing genius. He takes great pride in presenting this special tribute to the one and only Matt Monro.
Softly As I Leave You
Matt’s haunting rendition of Hal Shaper’s classic love song, Softly as I leave you, became an instant world wide hit and a musical standard, many other great artists of the period recorded their own versions, including, Matt’s idol, Frank Sinatra, Shirley Bassey, Andy Williams, in fact it’s one of the most recorded songs in history, but Matt’s version is the original and many would say the best.
Bring a point of view, but be flexible. Be truthful when you sing and when you speak. Mean what you say and always do what you say you will. An audience can sense sincerity, be worthy of your goals, your heroes and mentors. Be courageous in your musical choices, surprise the audience and never settle for less. Never break your word, it is your most precious asset. Find a path you love and the work becomes your passion. I will do everything I can to make your event the best I can, and this is my promise to you.
Quality can always be improved; preparation is quality’s best friend. Always buy the best musical equipment, the best is always the cheapest. There is no shortcut to quality. 
There is something sacred about music, be generous in your musical choices. Every time you walk on stage you have the opportunity to begin again, more intelligently. Be articulate, flexible and expressive. Be passionate, don’t take yourself too seriously, music is the shorthand of emotion. Be truthful when you sing and when you speak. Try to be nice to everyone. Be grateful, be kind, be sincere.
Be brave, be positive, never negative. Represent your values and encapsulate them. Know one becomes a singer because of the money, be dedicated, don’t give up, you have to respect yourself, only then can you learn to respect others. Always pay attention and always find the joy. Your profession is not what brings home your pay cheque, it’s what you were put on earth to do, so do it with such passion and integrity that it becomes spiritual in its calling.
Be 100% present, always. Remember that your profession is not what you do, it is who you are. When you sing, earn the privilege of your audience’s time. You are what you do so do it with enthusiasm. If you don’t take risks, you risk even more. Be early, be ready and say thank you. Remember opportunity is missed by many people because it is often dressed in overalls and looks like hard work. A professional always finds his truth in the work. You already buy yourself energy and creativity if you come prepared and are early