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The first tune I became enamored with
My first memory is entering a room at preschool where they were spinning Yellow Submarine by the Fab Four. I was enthralled by the audio textures, and John Lennon shouting: “Full speed ahead!” When it got to the refrain, I remember thinking: “This must be music!”

The inaugural record I purchased
When I was eight, I was victorious in a competition at school to choose a new record to play at the small dance we had on Friday afternoons. My teacher took me to Woolworths, and I chose Come Back My Love by Darts. The first record I bought with my own savings 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 father mentioned that it was by a former member of the Beatles.

The track I do at sing-along
I candidly cannot stand public singing and avoid it at all costs. But under duress, I’d select Summer Wind by Ol' Blue Eyes.

The song I strangely know each line to
I not long ago discovered that I can recall virtually all the lyrics to The Boy in the Bubble, You Can Call Me Al, and the entire album on Graceland by Paul Simon.

The best tune to put on at a party
It depends on what stage of the evening you are at. At the start it would likely be I Heard It Through the Grapevine by Marvin Gaye. As the evening progresses, I’d work through the Artist, the Stones and Bowie, and when it hits its peak, Phat Planet by the electronic act, Born Slippy .NUXX by the techno pioneers, and Ascension by Gorillaz, which is an absolute banger.

The track I can no longer bear
I strangely cannot stand Mr Brightside by the Las Vegas band.

The ultimate track to get intimate to
Come Together by the Beatles.

The LP that altered my perspective
When I was 12 and starting to learn the guitar, I’d only listen to 1950s rock and roll, and was obsessed with The King, the rock pioneer, Jerry Lee Lewis, Fats Domino, the glasses-wearing icon and Eddie Cochran. Then my childminder introduced me to Let There Be Rock by the Australian rockers. It was still rock’n’roll, but it was powerful rock music. The moment he placed the record on the record player, I was captivated.

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

The song that makes me cry
Most music makes me touched. Aretha Franklin, Frank Sinatra, Elvis and the Fab Four all bring a tear to my eye because of the tune and utter brilliance of the voices. But The Ocean by Richard Hawley gets me going without fail.

The music I’d like to be played at my funeral
Elvis. If I’m cremated, I’ll have Burning Love. If I’m laid to rest in the ground, I’ll have Way Down.