bˈeɪst ɪn lˈʌndən, hɪz fˈɜːst ˈælbəm smˈaɪlɪŋ lˈaɪk aɪm hˈæpi sˈɔː hˌɪm plˈeɪɪŋ æz ɐ wˈʌnmˈæn bˈænd, plˈeɪɪŋ ɐ bˈeɪs dɹˈʌm wɪð hɪz fˈʊt ænd blˈoʊɪŋ ɐ hɑːɹmˈɑːnɪkə ˌɔn ɐ ɹˈæk wˌaɪl stɹˈʌmɪŋ ɐ nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd fˈɪfti tˈuː lˈɛs pˈɔːl ɡˈoʊldtɑːp ɡɪtˈɑːɹ ɡˈɪvən tə hˌɪm ɪn nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd sˈɪksti ˈeɪt baɪ pˈiːɾɚ ɡɹˈiːn.
Based in London, his first album Smiling Like I'm Happy saw him playing as a one-man band, playing a bass drum with his foot and blowing a harmonica on a rack while strumming a 1952 Les Paul Goldtop guitar given to him in 1968 by Peter Green.