contest in 1974, and was named top rock-folk soloist. Later, at the peak of his musical career during the 1980s, he performed his composition Caballeta Suite for Spanish guitar in concert with the National Symphony Orchestra at the Royal Festival Hall in London. He is currently a member of the Cornish semi-acoustic jazz band, Gwelhellin Goth, and the Russian folk music duo, Muzika Muzikantov. Writing Coudrille took up the writing and illustration of children's books as a form of occupational therapy, while recovering from spinal damage. This unexpected turn of events led to him becoming an award-winning author and illustrator. The illustrated alphabet A Beastly Collection was published in 1974 by Frederick Warne & Co, the publishers of Beatrix Potter. The book received critical acclaim, and was compared to the work of John Tenniel. His second book Farmer Fisher (1975) was a best seller, winning the UK Children's Book of The Year award in 1976. Farmer Fisher is thought to have been the first picture book on the UK market to include a record (7-inch vinyl disc). It was republished in 1978 by Puffin Books, and in 2010 by Footsteps Press. References External links Footsteps Press Living people 1945 births 20th-century English painters English male painters 21st-century English painters 21st-century English male artists Modern painters English folk musicians English jazz musicians English multi-instrumentalists English illustrators English children's writers People from Birmingham, West Midlands People from Cornwall People educated at the Royal Grammar School, High Wycombe English male writers English contemporary artists 20th-century English male artists