The Story Of My Life

As a professional musician, singer-songwriter, and producer, with over fifty years of experience, I have had my share of ups and downs.

Back in 2015, walking through the streets of Jerez de la Frontera, in the south of Spain, I suddenly heard a young lad busking. I stopped and listened and saw that the boy clearly had potential, though he equally clearly needed some guidance from a pro such as myself. So I had a chat with him and Carmelo, as he was called, agreed to let me take him under my wing.

First off the boy needed a microphone, a guitar cover, and an amplifier. I got him sorted out with all that at my own expense. Next, as a Spanish native, he needed some lessons on how to improve his singing of English.

The next thing he needed was some help with how to sing and play the guitar at the same time. So I played the guitar whilst he concentrated on singing.

Then when I was happy with the singing I put him back on the guitar whilst he sang at the same time.

Yes, as you can see at the end of the video, he fluffed the end of the song, but I was delighted with his progress.

Twice a week for months on end Carmelo came to my apartment for practice, and I even encouraged him to write his own songs. In fact, he co-wrote one song off my fourth album.

I also got him up on stage at one or two of my concerts and then got him a solo booking at the same place. I also once paid for the repair he accidentally broke the headstock off, and lent him all of my kit, microphone and stand, amplifier, etc. for a concert he had managed to secure for himself. On top of that, I took him to a professional recording studio for the first time to record some songs I had written.

It was no surprise to me when some time later Carmelo got past the first auditions of La Voz, the Spanish version of America's Got Talent. As far as I was concerned the boy had everything, except more experience, to make it to the top of the music tree.

What I was surprised about was how he and the producers of the TV program completely erased me and all of my hard work in his introduction to the audience.

The producers peddled the story that Carmelo had taken to the streets to support his infirm mother and made all that great progress that I was responsible for on his own.

I tackled Carmelo about that and he blamed the producers saying he did mention me and my help, but they wanted to spin the romantic tale of a young lad doing right by his mother by taking to the streets where he taught himself everything about singing and playing the guitar.

What also irritated me somewhat was his absent father suddenly turned up out of the blue, having not bothered with the boy for quite some time, after he separated from Carmelo's mother. It seemed like everybody who had nothing to do with the lad's progress was there on TV basking in the spotlight. Me? I simply ceased to exist.

Eventually, Carmelo went into battle against another singer who he sang with and really put on a great show. I would have liked to have been there to see it in person.

In the end, Carmelo never made it past the next round. After that, he seemed to disappear from the scene. I don't know where he is or what he is doing. I hope he isn't back on the streets, I invested far too much in him for that to be his fate.

What is not lost on me is the somewhat ironic significance of the lyrics of the final song Carmelo did, Welcome to My Life by Simple Plan. Carmelo could easily have been singing my tale of woe with him and the TV program, La Voz.

At one point my co-producer, American guitar virtuoso and Bon Jovi Producer, Lance Quinn had plans for helping Carmelo to make it in the States. Having been ultra-successful in his own right, Lance could have opened a great many doors leading to international success. Alas, it was not to be.

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As far as I'm concerned, I have very mixed feelings about the whole affair. I am absolutely delighted with how far Carmelo got. And I am also pleased, for his infirm mother at least, getting the joy of seeing her boy do so well for himself, but by no means, not by himself.

Not for the first time in the music business, I felt, and still do, that I had been duped out of receiving the credit I was due for all of my hard work, not to mention the financial expense and investment of my time over a period of almost a year.

By the end of this affair, I had reached a turning point. Carmelo was the fifth unknown talent who had let me down and I decided to concentrate on my own musical progress. I went to the UK to record my fourth album of original songs called Lost and Found.

They say we live and learn, in my case, I'm not so sure. If I saw another kid on the street trying to make it, I would be sorely tempted to repeat the experience. It's how I roll, I simply can't help my generous nature. I guess it's also true that no favor goes unpunished.