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The initial tune I was captivated by
My earliest memory is entering a room at nursery school where they were blasting Yellow Submarine by the Beatles. I was enthralled by the sound effects, and Lennon bellowing: “Full speed ahead!” When it arrived at the chorus, I recall believing: “This must be music!”

The inaugural single I bought
When I was eight years old, I won a contest at school to pick a brand new record to play at the weekly dance party we had on Friday afternoons. My teacher took me to Woolworths, and I picked out Come Back My Love by the group Darts. The first record I purchased with my own allowance was Mull of Kintyre by Paul McCartney's Wings from a record shop in Colne. It was No 1 at the time, and I selected it when my dad mentioned that it was by a former member of the Beatles.

The track I do at sing-along
I honestly do not enjoy karaoke and steer clear at all costs. But under duress, I’d select Summer Wind by Ol' Blue Eyes.

The track I strangely know every lyric to
I just realised that I know virtually all the lyrics to The Boy in the Bubble, You Can Call Me Al, and each track on Graceland by Paul Simon.

The perfect tune to blast at a gathering
It hinges on the point of the event you are at. At the start it would likely be I Heard It Through the Grapevine by the soul legend. As the party deepens, I’d transition into Prince, the Stones and David Bowie, and when it gets lively, Phat Planet by the electronic act, Born Slippy .NUXX by the techno pioneers, and Ascension by Gorillaz, which is an massive track.

The song I can not listen to
I for some reason detest Mr Brightside by the Las Vegas band.

The best piece to make love to
Come Together by John, Paul, George, and Ringo.

The album that changed my life
When I was 12 and just learning to learn the six-string, I’d only listen to 1950s rock and roll, and was fixated on The King, the rock pioneer, the killer, Fats Domino, the glasses-wearing icon and Eddie Cochran. Then my babysitter introduced me to Let There Be Rock by AC/DC. It was still rock’n’roll, but it was electrifying rock ’n’roll. As soon as he placed the vinyl on the turntable, I was captivated.

The track that gets me up in the AM
What’d I Say parts 1 & 2 by Ray Charles.

The piece that brings me to tears
Virtually any music makes me touched. The Queen of Soul, Frank Sinatra, Presley and the Fab Four all make me cry because of the harmony and pure beauty of the voices. But The Ocean by the Sheffield crooner hits me hard without fail.

The track I’d like played at my final send-off
Elvis. If I’m cremated, I’ll have Burning Love. If I’m buried, I’ll have Way Down.