æt ðɪ ˈeɪdʒ ʌv nˈaɪntiːn hiː ɪmˈɜːdʒd æz ɐ mjuːzˈɪʃən ɪnðə sˈɔːlsbɹibˈeɪst kəntˈɛmpɚɹˌɛɹi kwɔːɹtˈɛt sfˈɪɹ ɪnðə lˈeɪt nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd sˈɛvənti z, ɡˈɪɡɪŋ ˈoʊnli θɹˈiː wˈiːks ˈæftɚ pˈɪkɪŋ ˌʌp ðə sˈæksəfˌoʊn.
At the age of 19 he emerged as a musician in the Salisbury-based contemporary quartet Sphere in the late 1970s, gigging only three weeks after picking up the saxophone.