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Matthew Steve Warman, B.Ed Music, RSA certificate TEFL
I was born in Chicago. The one big event that changed my life as I entered my teens was watching The Beatle's historic USA TV debut on The Ed Sullivan Show. I was at home watching the program with my family as we usually did on Sunday eves. and when
they came on and started playing it was quite like nothing I had seen before. The music was simply electrifying, they looked so cool and seemed to be having such a great time, all the girls in the audience were screaming their heads off. It was like the proverbial
light came on in my head and I said to myself that's just what I want to do with my life, play guitar and be in a band just like The Beatles!
From that day on I started saving up for my first guitar, and soon my two younger brothers and a neighborhood friend had formed our first band, but it didn't last too long. We broke up but were destined to
reform a few years later down the road. My next group was called The Outcasts, and we played covers of all the popular songs of the day. We played at high school dances and local dance halls. This band eventually
split up. However the bass player and I soon became friends with other musicians who hung out in the trendy Old Town neighborhood, and we soon started up a new group called The Griffith-Harter Union.
We played at local clubs, and at the first Be-In held in Chicago in Lincoln Park in
1967. This was the year referred to as 'The Summer Of Love'..there had been 'Be-Ins' in California and this was going to be Chicago's contribution to the new alternative movement of peace, love and rock and
roll. There is more information and photos on The Griffith-Harter Union and also the 1967 Chicago Be-In on this great 60's bands website:www.60sgaragebands.com
This band eventually parted ways, and soon afterwards my two brothers and our old friend got back together again and formed Pelican. We played local north side Chicago clubs for a couple of years doing covers and original material and
thought we were the best thing since sliced bread. So we decided to take our music to Hollywood, California in search of a record contract, fame and that Big Break.
It was at about this time that my daughter Dawn Symphony Johnson was born. We have lost contact with eachother due to our various moves and other circumstances. I would really love to get back in touch with her again. If any mutual friends of
ours can help put us back in contact again this would be fantastic, and if you are reading this Dawn then please send me an email.
Well to make a long story short, that big break never came, but we sure had a lot of fun living in Los Angeles! The band members eventually parted ways, and after a few more years living on in L.A. the gypsy in me decided to do some travelling.
I arrived in London, spent two years there and then relocated to Cambridge. I've been living in England for over 20 years now. I have played guitar in various bands, including a 60s/70s covers duo 'Uncle Jack', a local bluegrass band The Devotees (now defunct) and most recently an African music influenced band called Matoke. Besides being involved with music I also have the RSA certificate in teaching English and have been working as a picture
framer for over 10 years. I also play the oud and am very interested in world musics, and working with other like- minded musicians.
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