Playing Bass in a Band
Thomas meets one of his rock heroes, Billy Sheehan, back stage.
"Cornucopia, The Zume, Radiate, Chimera - these are some of the bands I've played in. I was 10 when I first heard Queen and was immediately hooked to rock music.
After many years of nagging my parents and saving my pocket money I was ready to buy my first guitar. At the age of 16, I was asked to join Cornucopia, the problem was they needed a bassist not a guitarist.
I decided it had to be easier playing bass after all there's two less strings! Little did I know there was so much you could do with just four!
My best friend then and now is Lynden Edwards. We played together in Cornucopia and Chimera and toured around south Wales playing covers and having lots of fun. I really loved playing on stage - the buzz you get from the crowd who are just loving what you're doing.
It was Lynden who introduced me to the music of my favourite bass player, Billy Sheehan. One of my greatest moments was when I met my hero after writing a web site about his band.
I got the chance to fly out to New York and watch him play... and amazingly I got to go back stage and meet him and his family. I have met up with Billy many times since, which has given me the opportunity to meet other heroes of mine.
I still wish I was playing in a big band on a world tour... but it's only dreams now. In fact I'm a youth worker which I love. I don't feel I have wasted my years with rock and roll because now I have the amazing privilege of sharing some of my experiences with the next generation of budding rock stars. It's great to see how they have the same heroes as me... and they frequently ask me to recall my days rubbing shoulders with the stars.
I'm loving what I am doing now - sending these young people off on their quest for stardom."
Thomas Webb
