GARY PLUMLEY BIOGRAPHY
Gary talks about his life in music
"I started
playing guitar aged 13. At 15 I was playing over the Kings Head, Rochford with
the Jazz Group. The saxophone players in the band inspired me to take up saxophone
aged 16. I was self-taught at first, I gained a lot of valuable experience playing
over the Zero 6 in Southend, which held a musicians' workshop rehearsing and
playing with local bands.
"At 22 I played my first pro gig with The Rocky Horror Show touring England,
Ireland and Germany. More work with local bands followed. After answering an
advert in Melody Maker I joined the Royal Caribbean Cruise Liner for a six-month
cruise round the islands, gaining much needed experience".
"I also worked in Denmark with a pop band but soon realised that, as a
self-taught musician, I had a few gaps in my knowledge of music. I applied to,
and was accepted at, the Guildhall School Of Music at 28 years old. After that
I moved to London, started with Sax Appeal and met most of the musicians I still
work with today".
"After 30 years I am continuously learning and find that daily practice
is very beneficial to my playing. My interests are now expanding into composition
and arranging, which I studied at the Guildhall."
Gary Plumley has played and recorded worldwide with George Michael, The Stereophonics, The Four Tops, The Temptations, Gary Barlow, Martha Reeves and The Vandellas, Ronnie Scott, Shakatak, Swing Out Sister, George McCrea, Chesney Hawkes, Nik Kershaw, The Gypsy Kings, Lisa Stansfield, The Cure, Sheila Ferguson, The James Taylor Quartet, Sax Appeal, Terry Callier and Snowboy And The Latin Section.
Gary has two groups of his own: HEART AND SOUL, a Soul-Jazz-Funk outfit, with vocalist Ian Harrison, and QUOVADIS, a duo with flute and classical guitar, with guitarist Richard Philips.