Earl TuTu

Earl started playing guitar at his father’s Baptist Church in West Yorkshire at the the age of 15 in 1976. Within 2 years, during the summer of 1978 some young members of the church formed a band called “Freedom”. During this time EMI reps from London came to the church to hear the band as they had been made aware of the band via Gospel Concerts they had performed at. Pastor Dawkins and Brother King an elder at the church turned the reps from EMI away saying the children would not be playing the devils music! As you can guess Earl hid his passion for playing guitar from his father, sneaking out of the house to play gigs and record. Coming home from a gig one night he was welcomed by the sight of his belongings in black bin bags – He had been found out! Hisfirst experience of studio environment came about from a friendship with a truly gifted musician by the name of Richard Dover who as a young man took Earl under his wing and taught him that music did not have to be put in specific boxes, that you can be inspired by all genres and to express the feelings from your heart. Music then had to take a back seat as Earl became a dad at the age of 19 and worked within the social care arena. The untimely passing of his beautiful daughter Natasha at the age of 5 months brought Earl back to his guitar, a welcome release from the heartbreak and pain he was experiencing. Earl commuted to London on a regular basis and built contacts which opened up avenues for him in the music industry. Earl toured in Europe with Lonnie Liston-Smith who was a former keyboard player with Miles Davis – and his passion for playing was well and truly ignited. He joined the group “Detrimental” in 1994 and played festivals, toured and had the opportunity to experience playing live on TV and being interviewed on Radio 1 by the legendary John Peel! Earl says he has had amazing opportunities throughout his career and been part of the groups “Nightmares on Wax”, “Bedlam Agogo” and “LSK” – as well as having the unforgettable experiences of working with talented artists such as Jack Johnson, Finley Quaye, Jimi Tenor and Juliette Roberts. In 2001, he spent time in LA working alongside the respected music producer David Holmes on the soundtrack for the huge hit movie “Oceans 11″ and also had the opportunity to work with David again on the soundtrack to the movie “Buffalo Soldiers” starring Joaquin Phoenix. In 2010 Earl signed with Leopard Music Publishing as a writer, producer and artist – they are a team of people who continue to have belief in him and encourage him to never give up. The death ofEarls father in October 2011 at the age of 87 inspired him to complete his debut album. The support from his beautiful wife Caroline, amazing daughters Shaneen, Cheryl, Alisha and Marliyah, loyal brother and sister Jeff and Sylvia – and the friendship and guidance from a good friend Leigh Kenny have made his debut album come to life and become reality, allowing Earl to fulfil a life long ambition. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.