I probably started singing quite late in life compared to some.  I heard the likes of Bonnie Raitt, Jo Dee Messina, and Trisha Yearwood and this inspired me to join a local country rock band. Although this only lasted for a about a year, I had the bug .. So I joined a friend of mine in a covers band called 'Black Velvet'. Which turned out to be mostly rehearsals and drink ups, with a few gigs thrown in for good measure,  absolutely great fun ! When good things come to an end as they have a tendency of doing ..  I joined  'Bit on the slide' which was re-named 'Cryin'out Loud'. We did a mixture of Southern Rock and Blues, and it was with this band at the Riga Bar Blues Jam, that I met Ray. He was putting together the Essex Delta Blues CD at the time, and asked us if we would like to be on it. 'Cryin'out Loud disbanded in mid 2004 but lucky for me Ray asked if I'd join them in Back2Blues, and things were good from 2005 to 2007 (although I'm still waiting for the band booze ups)! By the end of 2007, Ray & I had decided that the country songs we did in Back2Blues sounded so good that we wanted to do more - so Bootlegs was born.
	I began playing the piano in 1958, having classical lessons. In 1964 I started my first blues band, it wasn't very good but what we lacked in ability we made up for in enthusiasm. Most of the kids in our audiences liked it too. We started our own blues club in the backroom of a pub and charged half-a-crown to come in. In 1965 I teamed up with a couple of blokes, with whom I'm still good friends, and we formed "The Worrying Kynde", a blues, R'n'B and, eventually, soul band, typical of the 60's. We played most of the trendy London clubs (the Beatles came in, one night!) and toured France, Germany and Poland. We supported quite a few big names like Alan Price, The Searchers, Cliff Bennet, The Kinks and The Scaffold and often did double header gigs with other bands on our agency, like The Artwoods (Jon Lord on organ) and Dave Anthony's Moods (Reg Dwight on organ), I had a lot of competition!. We made a couple of records but only one was released which, strangely enough, has turned up on a recent compilation CD of obscure stuff from the 60's. The 70's saw my gradual transition from soul and R'n'B to progressive rock and heavy metal, screaming Hammonds and such, largely inspired by Jon Lord who I had got to know in the 60's, but by the end of the 70's the punk era was well and truly under way and, anyway, I was too fat for the spandex trousers so I stopped playing. I lived in the USA for a while in the 80's and I played piano in a bar in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Back in the UK, I had a couple of blues bands and I joined the house band at the weekly blues jam at "The Heathcote" in London's East End. Through the Jam I met many blues players and jammed, played, rehearsed and recorded with several of them. I met the phenomenal slide guitar player Martin Fieber and joined "The Customtones", we recorded a CD in 1998 called "Brassfinger" and another "Hip Gripper" in 2007 and we still do gigs together. I played with Lynn in "Back2Blues" in 2005 to 2007, also with "Bad Town Blues" with whom I've been for about 10 years (and made three albums) and with "Rolling Thunder", a Bob Dylan and The Band tribute act since 2007. When Lynn suggested a country band I agreed immediately as I have always enjoyed playing country piano, etc. and with all the experience and talent of all the players I think we now have a top class band.
	Born in good ol' 'Ackney 1950 ! Began playing in early seventies with various Country bands until 1974 when the demands of a young family and some health problems forced me to abandon my search for fame and fortune and get a proper job. At the time, I always thought that I'd be back playing once I had manage to stabilise the domestic scene, but alas, that never happened mainly due to a progressively worsening health situation which took some years to resolve. Never really picked up a Bass guitar until the 1990s when I felt the urge to get out and play, by then our children had "grown up" - I say that with reservations ! Also, I was at last rid of health problms once and for all ! So basically, I started all over again and after a short while I met a fellow Eagles fan, we decided to put a covers band together built around The Eagles material - and proved to be fairly successful too. Also about this time I decided to venture out more by visiting various Blues Jams around East London. It was around this time that I first met Ray Bartrip and many other wonderfully talented musicians. I steadily began to get into the groove of things and it wasn't very long before I began running Blues Jams - with the inclusion of Ray Bartrip. Gaining ever-more confidence, I quickly put together numerous bands to cover the amount of gigs that I was now managing to seek out, most of the band members were drawn from Blues Jams that I was either running or visiting. In May 2003, Ray Bartrip was head-hunted to run a Blues Jam at The Heathcote Arms in Leytonstone, it is with gratitude that Ray approached me to help with the organising and to be a member of The Heathcote's Houseband. Our respective partners also helped with the setting up and running of this new and very successful venture. Owing to Ray's ever-increasing schedule on the Blues circuit, Ray reluctantly decided to put aside The Heathcote Jam and handed me and my wife Vera the reins in 2005, of which still continues as one of the most successful Blues Jams in London. The only major change I have made to The Heathcote Blues Jams is to add Steve King (Guitar/Vocalist), who takes much of the work load off me by dealing with the sound and recording, and also comperes throughout the evening and manages The Heathcote's myspace website while I manage the main website and general organising along with my wife Vera. Again it was with enormous gratitude that Ray called on me to take part in another venture - playing Bass for Bootlegs - an offer that I just couldn't refuse. This enabled me to revert back to playing Country music after a 34 year gap !! My thanks and gratitude to Ray Bartrip once again !
	Clive Nash   19/08/1950 I began to learn drums at the age of eleven as my Dad played in a dance band at Leyton town hall. My grandparents bought my first kit “ a Gigster” in marine pearl no less! At fifteen I graduated to an Ajax kit, wish I still had the kit today. My first jam was at twelve years old at the Avenue Pub Newbury Park one Sunday Lunchtime sitting in with some jazz musicians. Having the good fortune to meet and play in various house bands with Ray, Terry and Martin. Not forgetting to mention our beautiful singer Lyn. Having been introduced to the country music circuit by my good friend and World class player Wol Webster: Lighthouse Family, Ruby Turner, Eddie Floyd, Original Blues Brothers Band, Soul factory, to name but a few. This gave me the opportunity to play and dep for over twenty years on the country music circuit. Having travelled up and down the country like many others to play shows at Butlins, Pontins, Warner’s, glad to say I have now given up motorway pasties and really bad coffee, Love every minute though. Having had the pleasure Backing Michel Ken/David Statzer on one of their gigs on a tour from Nashville, what a blast. Current project/”Training Them Live” Rock school at Green acre school Kent. Influences/ Brian Bennett,  Teachers/Bob Armstrong/Wol Webster/Mike Griggs