PHIL PEACOCK At the age of 16 years Phil bought his first instrument, a 12 string EKO Guitar for the princely sum of £34 and 10 Shillings in 1969, and taught himself to play, thus following in the footsteps of his large musical family. Very quickly he demonstrated a rare gift for playing by ear and a talent for singing and writing songs, and has continued to do so for 36 years now. After taking a lengthy break from live performance, Phil got back into the music scene in 1996 and has since written 8 albums worth of material, of which only 6 albums have been recorded so far. His early influences (too many to mention though all legends) can still be heard in some of his songs today, although Phil has always strived to remain truly original in his writing and playing style. His band "Virtual Biscuit" has consisted of 6 different line-ups since forming in 1998, encompassing many different styles of music. Through this time he has always been accompanied by Steve Harries on bass guitar and in recent years band members have included his daughter Emma Peacock on vocals, Tracey Simmons on electric and acoustic violins, Madge Conacher on keyboards, flute, whistles, vocals and bodhran, Steve Ball (Jazz percussionist extraordinaire) and Amy Barnes on flutes, saxophones and harmony vocals, and many others besides. Phil's songs are sung from the heart and inspired by Love, Life, Dreams, Legends, Social and Environmental Issues. He always tries to tailor his vocals to suit the song. Always looking to push back the boundaries of music, he has experimented with many different genres and tuning styles and currently writes using six types of tunings on both six and twelve string guitars. In addition, he even plays a bit of keyboards, though only for orchestration these days. His latest Concept CD album "Welcome To My World" is a solo album recorded digitally by Phil, using 3 different tuning styles, performed on just one Washburn 6 string electro/acoustic guitar, both plugged and unplugged. All the guitar parts have been played twice to create a duelling effect and a fuller overall sound in Phil's own unique fingerstyle of playing. The theme of the new CD is LOVE, not just his love of music and live performance, but the way in which love flows in and out our lives, be it joyful, or sometimes painful. As you will see from the track listings, all songs are dedicated to Jean Cox, who has inspired many new songs and brought the sunshine back into Phil's life. Phil says..."I feel privileged to have worked with so many talented musicians over the years, and to have shared the stage with many world class Artiste's and Master Guitarists, including the legendary Arthur Brown, whilst running my own acoustic club in North London... Music is my life and my expression of it. I was lucky to be born with this wonderful gift for making music and so long as people want to listen I will continue to write and play. I do hope you not only enjoy the new album, but that it also inspires you, touches your heart, and finds a cherished place in your music collection".