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Tony, Claire and Gary

Gary's early musical influences were a far cry from the work of the crooners he's come to emulate in recent years. He grew up in the era of glam rock in the 1970's. It was only when he began
singing around the Hull clubs, ten years ago he realised there was a high demand for an 'older' type of music. He quickly learned to sing the songs made famous by Sinatra, Martin and Monro
and to his surprise found he enjoyed performing them. His audiences appreciate his treatment and style which isn't intended to be a carbon copy of their work.

His singing has taken him on extended tours of the Balearic islands. Sometimes spending months away, his travels inspired him to write a book, 'Summer, Sangria and Sinatra' telling of his work and experiences abroad and says his book is well received by its readers.

Gary has released a number of cds and dvds some which include the song 'Joanna', a chart hit for Scott Walker. The song was written by Tony Hatch whom Gary has worked with on a number of occasions and continues to do so. As a consequence of their working relationship they've become firm friends. They met whilst Gary was in Menorca, where Hatch lives. He has many celebrity contacts and often asks them to perform with him in various shows. The main picture, features Hatch, Gary and Claire Sweeney at one such event.

Spending a lot of time out of the country means he doesn't get to see much UK tv, but nonetheless is invited to appear at various events and rubs shoulders with some of the country's best known actors, although he admits sometimes he's not sure who they are. He was recently in Manchester where stars of Coronation Street, Hollyoaks and Shameless were at a red carpet with him but recalls he didn't know any of their names.

Gary is constantly working and travelling and appears at venues both big and small. He remembers Hull with fondness having lived in the city for sometime and still has friends who live in the area. He's also worked with Paula Baldwin's Big Swing Band based in Lincolnshire and is due to appear in Skegness with the band shortly. Working with a live band poses its own challenges but he says live performances are so much more rewarding than recording as he finds he gives a much better performance when an audience is present.

Embracing new technology has been extremely beneficial for Gary. He says almost all his work comes through the internet. Sites like YouTube (he has his own channel) means people can see his work before engaging him and he says it's been extremely beneficial in supporting him doing a job he loves to do and gets paid for doing.