Find out about the people behind the business!
How did Alan Yates Music come about?
We are passionate about music and I love to entertain and work on instruments but we wanted to offer more services and products surrounding music.
When the pandemic of Covid hit it was time to think outside the box and pull together mine and my wife Alyson’s ideas and turn our vision into reality.
Combining our skill sets, experience, knowledge and our strengths we created and launched ‘Alan Yates Music’ on the 14th August 2020.
We still have a long way to go with the shop side of things, we want to offer far more than we do but these things take time to build and it is not always easy to get hold of stock, even now two years on from when the pandemic started but hopefully with time, passion and patience and our fantastic customers, we will get there!
- Alan Yates.
Interview with Alan Yates
Hank Marvin Gig!
Me about 8 years old!
ABOUT ALAN YATES MUSIC:
What do you love and hate about the shop side? “I love been able to help customers and share my knowledge with them when they want help. I hate stock take”!
What do you love and hate about your instrument care service? “I love seeing an instrument back to it’s full potential but I get so much satisfaction out of renovation work to see the transformation especially when some of the instruments I work on are 100 years old but I hate having to part with them giving them back to the customer lol”.
What do you love and hate about tuition? “I love seeing people get better and enjoying learning but I hate it when they feel like they can’t do it, it just takes time and practice”.
What do you love and hate about doing blogs/vlogs? “I hate doing vlogs, as I don’t particular like doing the review talking but I like the fact that me and Alyson always end up laughing on it. The first time we did one we tried to be very professional about it but it felt false and unnatural for us, so now we just record and it will be whatever comes out which is why we usually end up laughing at each other”!
Who’s the boss? “Me lol, no seriously it’s equal partnership”.
ABOUT YOUR ENTERTAINMENT SIDE:
How long have you been playing music? "Since I was about 8 years old. I use to come home from school and lock myself away in my bedroom. Thinking back now, I must of drove the neighbours mad, lol".
Who was your favourite artist growing up? "I didn't particularly have a favourite as I loved so many but I suppose my inspiration for music came from a few such as The Beatles, Hank Marvin, George Formby, a strange mix or what".
What is music to you? "I love it, it really is a case of it's not just what I do, but who I am". Music has brought me many a good time and many a good memory and has also got me through the bad and tough times of life!
Have you always entertained? Pretty much, I was a bit on/off in my late teens, girls tended to turned my head more than music lol and I took time out for a while after my dad died, I was very close to him, he was my best mate. Right from being a kid my dad took me all over the place to play gigs, he was always there and always supported me. I wish he could see me now and the things we have been blessed to do!"
What's your favourite toy? "Mmm has to be the guitar I think"!
Do you suffer with stage fright or ever get nervous? "I'd be lying if I said no".
So how do you manage to perform? "It all disappears once I/we start singing and playing".
What has been your favourite gig? "Sounds corny but I enjoy them all".
What has been your worst gig? "Ha, there has been a few, once a Compare kicked my ukulele from one side of the stage to the other, another time I was playing outside for Fleetwood's Tram Sunday and the shop owner who was trying to help decided to open the shop blind to give me some shade only when they opened it, it was full of rain water from the day before and it went all over my sound system, equipment and instruments, nightmare"!
Do you have a stage nickname for Alyson? "Yes, Sandy Shaw lol cos she is always kicking her shoes off when she gets on stage. The 1st time I ever called it her, she said, who! I shook my head and laughed, the best thing about it was she had just finished singing Puppet on a String!"
Interview with Alyson Yates
ABOUT ALAN YATES MUSIC:
What do you love and hate about the shop side? “I love getting to know our customers and forming a bond with them, getting in stock for our licensed merchandise and having a nosey through to see if there is anything I want haha. I hate stock takes”!
What do you love and hate about your instrument care service? “I love seeing and hearing the difference in the instruments from when they come in to when they go out but I hate having to put on names / logos on headstocks, Alan is always over my shoulder saying make sure it’s exactly in the right place”!
What do you love and hate about tuition? “I love hearing the excitement in people’s voices when it starts coming together for them but I hate hearing them say I will never do this, it makes me sad and I wish I could give them the experience that it just takes time”!
What do you love and hate about doing blogs/vlogs? “Mmm Vlogs not our strongest points but always a laugh. Don’t get me wrong we are knowledgeable in what we are talking about we are just probably not the best people to put that across to the public when it comes to vlog reviews, I love the fact that we do it from the point we are who we are. If we was to share some of our outtakes it would definitely provide laughter even if not sales but I do hate it from the point of hitting that record button on”!
Who’s the boss? “Me, I just let Alan think he is lol. In all honesty, it is joint and we do work very well together”.
ABOUT YOUR ENTERTAINMENT SIDE:
How long have you been playing music? "Since I was a kid but I never really stuck at anything particular as I got easily bored".
Who was your favourite artist growing up? "That's easy, The King of Pop - Michael Jackson, brilliant".
What is music to you? Enjoyment, a release, an emotional connection, the one language that speaks to all. I remember us doing a gig when Alan started singing Billy Fury's song 'Half Way to Paradise' when this lady in the front row burst in to tears. At half-time we went and spoke with her, Alan apologised if his song had upset her and she said 'don't be I loved it, it just brought back so many memories".
Have you always entertained? No it has been an on/off career. Apparently I was quite the entertainer when I was a kid. I started again in my early 20's for a number of years including singing with Alan but then I decided I wanted something different and concentrated on a different career path. Alan had been trying to talk me to come back for donkeys years, I did the odd gig which led to more and more until in the end we are back as a duo. Conned lol!
What's your favourite toy? Besides the drinks holder on my microphone stand for my cup of tea (can't do a gig without a brew) lol it will be my saxophone"!
Do you suffer with stage fright or ever get nervous? "Yes and always lol".
So how do you manage to perform? I think for me it is a sign that I care, it's important to me, that people enjoy what we do and I think when the nerves and the fear is no longer there, is probably the day that I should give up"!
What has been your favourite gig? "I don't have a particular one but I do like the private ones where it has real meaning, when you are a part of someone's special day".
What has been your worst gig? "Oh dear, my worst is probably the most blessed gig I've ever had the honour of doing - playing for the Queens 92nd Birthday at the Royal Albert Hall. I'd got myself so worked up that I had visions of forgetting how to play or my words or falling up the steps coming on stage, or puking on stage through stage fright lol, my legs were like lead one minute and jelly the next but it all went swimmingly.
Do you have a stage nickname for Alan? "No but a lot of people call him George because of his George Formby tribute act".
Alan & I backstage at the Royal Albert Hall with Shaggy!
How did you two meet & become a duo?
"We have known each other since toddlers! Our families knew one and other so we grew up together.
We sang quite a bit together in our 20's and talked about forming a proper duo but Alyson was a bit of a wild cat in them days.
We got together as a couple in 2004 and married in 2009. We jammed at home for many a year and I never gave up nagging her about coming back on to the entertainment circuit. Alyson started doing the odd gig here and there which got more and more. I think she probably agreed in the end just to shut me up! lol. But jokes a side we do work really well together, we both have our different strengths and each bring our own thing to our entertainment spots as well as all the other areas of Alan Yates Music. We have been so blessed with such lovely comments from people on how well we gel". - Alan