I was born in Edinburgh into a large Christian family and was privileged to grow up under the evangelical ministry of James Philip, who significantly influenced my lyric writing. I played the piano from an early age and have been writing songs ever since I wrote my first worship lyric at a Crusader camp in 1972. I've also played in worship bands at various churches, while pursuing my career in the Civil Service. I finished work at the end of 2016, but my retirement turned out very different from anything I might have expected. My wife, Carol, was diagnosed with diabetes in 2017 and the underlying pancreatic cancer was confirmed in 2018. After bearing the illness with astonishing bravery, patience and grace, she went home to Jesus in February 2019. Now I spend a lot of time writing and arranging songs at my home in East Lothian. I also enjoy prose writing, hillwalking and spending time with my six grandchildren and three sons and their wives.
