MARK NELSON

Having been born with one arm I perversely chose the guitar as my weapon in life. First, however came the songs. From an early age I listened to, and absorbed, music so much so that I began hearing my own songs in my head way before I could play an instrument.

It wasn’t until my teens that I found a way of playing the guitar with one arm using my thumb to strum and fretting with any other willing digit. I formed a rock band in my early 20s, and over a period of 20 years with different line ups I write and played heavy rock and pop songs almost getting signed several times

Eventually, I decided to jump off the band wagon (so to speak) and went solo and acoustic - playing ballads and blues songs locally. I’ve been doing this ever since both solo and with my own acoustic blues band. It’s always been about the songs and writing them then performing and realising them.

‘Lost love in a Day’ is a soulful pop ballad about regret, love and life. It’s a brand-new single which I made along with Animal Farm Music out now on Spotify.

The single first came about through a riff I played on the guitar - it had a slightly contemporary R&B edge to it along with a soulful, bluesy feel. The lyrics came about through the tone of the melody and it follows a cry of regret following arrogance and stupidity over love.

I tend to get ideas noodling on the guitar or when I’m out walking or making a cup of tea. Often, I get the complete song at once musically, with a selection of  lyrics. Once I think an idea is good enough I’ll sit down and concentrate on getting the lyrics right to match the mood of the song. I write songs both for my acoustic blues band and pop ballads for myself. Being principally a songwriter, I’ve been writing songs since I was seven.