Walsall musician hits the right note at 38

Prior to lockdown I had everything I wanted. A perfectly mundane lifestyle that consisted of dropping the kids off at school, going to work and then collecting them again.

I was working as a guitar teacher at various schools and everyone was happy. It was nice being able to say I had a job in music and I was happy occasionally performing at open mic nights.

When Covid hit it nearly ruined me. All of a sudden the schools I was working at decided not to renew contracts in the new school year. It was looking as if I was going to have to start writing CVs and looking for another job. It was extremely stressful and took a massive toll on my mental health.

Luckily I managed to find some schools that needed a guitar teacher but for a few months it was very worrying not knowing where the next pay cheque would come from.

When schools allowed face to face teaching again I was eager to get back to it and also give young learners the best experience possible. There were people I taught who I knew had the ability to do something special and I remembered that when I was in my teens I had always wanted to join a club where I could play music with like minded people. Sadly nothing like that was ever available but I thought that I could create my own club. I have a rehearsal room with plenty of space and I know plenty of talented people! Walsall JAM club was born!

For nearly 18 months me and a group of students would get together every Monday and play a bunch of songs, then those who were confident enough would come with me to open mic nights to perform. It was amazing. The open mic nights were getting filled up with people who were part of the club and they were making friends and starting their own projects with each other too.

I remember one night we had just finished performing and the pub owner asked if we could do a proper gig. It was one of the most surreal moments of my life and I jumped at the chance.

The club had become so popular that it was featured in the newspaper and had started to attract singers as well as guitarists.

I began to get a few gigs booked and I wanted to involve the students from the club. One girl could play guitar and had a lovely voice so I asked her if she fancied her first full gig. That one gig turned into a diary full of bookings!

The young ladies name was Evie Ranford and we had first met in a guitar lesson. I didn't know she sang but when her dad shared a video then I knew people would love to hear her at an open mic night.

Her first few performances were great and her confidence increased with each one.

Since March of 2024 we've done at least one gig a week and are booked up until the end of 2025.

Evie has become a favourite amongst folks in Lichfield and Burntwood and people often make the journey when they know she's performing.

Another young artist who turned everybody's head was a lad called Cori Bowen. He's from Darlaston and would often make the trip to play at open mics around Walsall. He was and still is in a band with one of my guitar students Jack Newell.

Cori is so talented that I offered him a few interval performances when me and Evie did our gigs. He went down so well that people started asking me if they could book him too!

I'd gone from not knowing if I still had a job to having more lessons than ever and also a weekend j performing gigs which I never thought would ever be possible.

I felt so good about everything that it made me aware of how much impact stress can have on your life. Before doing all this I would often become snappy and impatient but it became a thing of the past and as a result I was a lit happier teaching and students were getting the best version of me.

In 2024 I also met a young lady called Lilly-Mae who really wanted to learn the bass guitar. I'd never taught bass but gave it a go. She was a sponge and took in everything I taught her. It wasn't long before she started accompanying me to gigs and doing some interval slots. A few months later I began another duo with her called Urban Valley and we started getting our own bookings

Other people I was teaching took note of some of the success we'd all been having and started their own projects. Two of my learners began contacting venues and performing under the name AF Acoustics and they also have a full calendar.

It's possible to get what you desire from life as long as you're not afraid to get yourself out there. At 38 years old I'm doing something I never thought I was good enough to do and I've also helped a lit of people start their journeys too.

You can find us all on Facebook

Evie Ranford Duo

Urban Valley

Walsall JAM club

AF Acoustics