Promoting blues radio across the UK and worldwide

Encouraging promoters and record labels to use the IBBA as a point of contact

Ensuring all member presenters are represented as a unified group

Sharing of information and ideas

After a lifetime listening to and performing blues, Ian drifted into presenting blues radio shows through participating in three experimental broadcasts with a radio station in Exeter, Devon then seeking a licence. When the licence for the station was approved by Ofcom, the regulatory body, Ian took the reins of one half of a live, weekly show; one week hosted by local bluesman Julian Piper and the second week by Ian. That shared responsibility worked well and the station was granted a five year extension to its licence. Ian’s show is called ‘Wednesday’s Even Worse’ taking its title from a line in T-Bone Walker’s “Stormy Monday Blues” and now goes out on Blues & Roots Radio.

Always looking for new challenges Ian volunteered his service to American, online blues radio station KCOR, Kansas City Online Radio for whom he now does two weekly-shows. The Acoustic Blues Club (Mondays 10pm UK- 4pm US Central Standard Time) and Blues Before Midnight (Fridays at 6pm UK time, 12 noon US Central Time).

In addition Ian is the editor of Blues In The South (www.bluesinthesouth.com) a monthly blues magazine and gig-guide which concentrates on blues music and its offspring in the area bounded on the north by the M4 and to the south by the English Channel.  Blues In The South, known as BiTS, is the regular sponsor of the Male Vocalist award in the British Blues Awards. Ian is the webmaster for the BiTS website and for a tribute site to his blues fave Big Bill Broonzy (www.broonzy.com).

After a lifetime working in the public sector, Ian is retired and lives with his wife in Devon. He has three children and four grandchildren.