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The first track I was captivated by
My earliest recollection is entering a room at nursery school where they were spinning Yellow Submarine by the Fab Four. I was captivated by the sonic landscape, and Lennon bellowing: “Full speed ahead!” When it arrived at the refrain, I remember thinking: “This must be music!”

The inaugural record I purchased
When I was eight years old, I won a contest at school to select a brand new record to play at the small dance we had on Fridays. My instructor took me to Woolworths, and I opted for Come Back My Love by Darts. The first record I purchased with my own savings was Mull of Kintyre by Paul McCartney's Wings from a record shop in Lancashire. It was No 1 at the time, and I selected it when my father noted that it was by one of the Beatles.

The track I do at karaoke
I candidly actively avoid public singing and avoid it at all costs. But under duress, I’d select Summer Wind by Ol' Blue Eyes.

The piece I oddly remember each line to
I just discovered that I know pretty much the entire lyrical content to The Boy in the Bubble, You Can Call Me Al, and every song on Graceland by Paul Simon.

The ideal tune to blast at a party
It depends on what stage of the evening you are at. For the beginning it would probably be I Heard It Through the Grapevine by Marvin Gaye. As the party deepens, I’d work through Prince, the Stones and Bowie, and when it really kicks off, Phat Planet by the electronic act, Born Slippy .NUXX by the techno pioneers, and Ascension by Gorillaz, which is an absolute banger.

The track I can no longer hear
I for some reason detest Mr Brightside by the Killers.

The ultimate piece to make love to
Come Together by the Beatles.

The album that changed my life
When I was 12 and just learning to play the guitar, I’d only listen to 1950s rock ’n’roll, and was fixated on Elvis, the rock pioneer, Jerry Lee Lewis, Fats Domino, Buddy Holly and the rockabilly star. Then my childminder played Let There Be Rock by AC/DC. It was still guitar music, but it was high voltage rock music. Instantly after he dropped the vinyl on the record player, I was captivated.

The track that wakes me in the morning
What’d I Say parts 1 & 2 by Ray Charles.

The track that makes me cry
Most music makes me moved. Aretha Franklin, Frank Sinatra, Presley and the Fab Four all stir my emotions because of the melody and pure beauty of the vocals. But The Ocean by Richard Hawley gets me going consistently.

The music I’d like performed at my memorial service
Elvis. If I’m given a cremation, I’ll have Burning Love. If I’m buried, I’ll have Way Down.