He may only be in Fermanagh six months but already Allan Baldwin is making an impression.
With a life-long career in the music industry behind him, both as a player and a guitar technician, the London man has just completed an album of instrumental impressions that his first montnd is looking forward to writing and recording new material in the year ahead.
Allan has played and performed with various bands since the 1960s, among which, is one of his earliest groups, the Intruders, featuring the future vocalist/organist with the Spencer Davis Group, Eddie Hardin.
A keen interest in audio electronics Allan was first employed as a test engineer with the Selmer amplifier company, working on the valve guitar, bass and PA amplifiers of the day.
The factory was next to Theobalds Road library, whose music section provided a rich source of influences and albums available for loan.
Most lunchtimes were spent playing and improvising with his bass playing manager, John Crocker, who provided a strong jazz influence.
While playing in a wide variety of rock, blues and folk combos in the late sixties, Allan joined Dallas Arbiter as a guitar and amp tech when Selmer moved to Braintree. Working on Fender, Framus and Gretsch products he met a young vocalist/drummer George Burr, and after a period playing in Hard Road, they formed the Rock duo Deuce. They played equipment demos for Dallas Arbiter, promoting Hayman guitars and drums together with Sound City amplification, until eventually turning professional managed by Gerry Evans, hub of the rock and jazz drum scene.
Deuce was later signed to Rocket records, a company formed for Elton John, and the band spent two years playing in universities and rock venues, song writing and recording.
By 1977, music was changing and Allan left Deuce to join a punk-influenced new South London band, the Models.
An increasing interest in recording, arranging and production techniques enabled Allan to work with a number of singer/songwriters in the early eighties. African, Indian, Turkish and British artists provided Allan with invaluable studio experience.
For the rest of the decade Allan teamed up again with George to reform Deuce, this time playing the lucrative cabaret and club circuit whilst working during the day as guitar tech for Brandoni Music; assembling instruments for the Cure, Brian May, Brian Adams band, Chris Difford of Squeeze, and Coldplay.
Having invested in equipment for his own small project studio he recorded some solo New Age instrumental albums for North Star music including Cascade, chosen for release world-wide by the Born Free society. A succession of solo instrumental albums were composed and produced.
