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The first tune I fell in love with
My most primal memory is stepping into a room at kindergarten where they were spinning Yellow Submarine by the Fab Four. I was enthralled by the audio textures, and Lennon bellowing: “Full speed ahead!” When it got to the chorus, I distinctly thought: “This must be music!”

The inaugural 45 I bought
When I was eight years old, I was victorious in a contest at school to select a brand new record to play at the small dance we had on Fridays. My teacher took me to Woolworths, and I opted for Come Back My Love by Darts. The first record I bought with my own pocket money was Mull of Kintyre by Paul McCartney's Wings from a record shop in Lancashire. It was topping the charts at the time, and I chose it when my dad mentioned that it was by a former member of the Beatles.

The track I sing at karaoke
I frankly actively avoid karaoke and avoid it at all costs. But if forced, I’d go with Summer Wind by Ol' Blue Eyes.

The track I inexplicably remember every lyric to
I just realised that I know almost every word to The Boy in the Bubble, You Can Call Me Al, and each track on Graceland by Paul Simon.

The best tune to put on at a gathering
It relies on the point of the event you are at. For the beginning it would likely be I Heard It Through the Grapevine by Marvin Gaye. As the evening progresses, I’d work through Prince, the Stones and Bowie, and when it hits its peak, Phat Planet by the electronic act, Born Slippy .NUXX by Underworld, and Ascension by Gorillaz, which is an undeniable hit.

The number I can not hear
I for some reason cannot stand Mr Brightside by the Killers.

The ultimate piece to have sex to
Come Together by the Beatles.

The record that changed my life
When I was twelve and beginning to study the six-string, I’d only listen to 1950s rock ’n’roll, and was fixated on Elvis, the rock pioneer, Jerry Lee Lewis, Fats Domino, Buddy Holly and the rockabilly star. Then my childminder played Let There Be Rock by the Australian rockers. It was still guitar music, but it was powerful rock ’n’roll. Instantly after he put the vinyl on the turntable, I was hooked.

The song that wakes me in the AM
What’d I Say parts 1 & 2 by The Genius.

The piece that makes me cry
Virtually any music leaves me touched. Aretha Franklin, Frank Sinatra, Elvis and the Beatles all bring a tear to my eye because of the harmony and sheer perfection of the voices. But The Ocean by Richard Hawley gets me going consistently.

The song I’d like performed at my memorial service
Elvis. If I’m given a cremation, I’ll have Burning Love. If I’m laid to rest in the ground, I’ll have Way Down.