My name is Stewart Dugdale and I am known as TheShirleySongwriter.

Background

I have been writing music for around 10 years. I began by learning the guitar in college, just playing at break times with friends, Ian and Carl and Kieran and the others. I started to write music, mostly instrumentals using my tape recorder and would then play the stuff I have recorded into another tape recorder in order to double track stuff.

Around 1998 I met up with Peter and Juliet. We were all interested in music and had different styles but shared a common love of music. We recorded some songs which I still listen to in order to hear where my music has been and where it is today. Peter ended up moving into London for work and Juliet also had work commitments so the trio was disbanded, although I still speak to both of them at regular intervals.

I decided to go along and purchased a 3rd hand Fostex 4 track and recorded some songs. Having the 4 track taught me about the engineering side of recording such as Eq-ing, Mixing, Panning, Metering and the necessities for recording a good quality sound. I also started my bar final exams around 1999-2000.

Around 2001 I had completed my legal training and was working for a Law firm, Coffin Mew & Clover as a Paralegal. I was still recording and had upgraded to a DAW, Pc based recording studio. Although I only had the basic of basic equipment I managed to get some very rough songs done, although they were very dodgy on the programming sides, such as percussion. After talking to a trainee solicitor about my music, she suggested sending it away and that if I wanted to be a musician then I should go for it. Up until that point it had only been a hobby and I had never thought about sending it away to anyone. So I chose what I thought was the best song and sent it to Steve Power and Wave 105fm. After a week and an email he replied to me saying that he had listened to it and thought it was “quite catchy”. So from that moment I thought to my self that maybe I could be a musician. I then made the choice to save up my money and take time off work, put my legal career on hold and have a go at writing and recording an album.

In August 2002 I gave up working for Coffin Mew and set about writing a Demo EP. By October I had finished the album and was sending it away to radio stations and local TV stations. I got some very positive comment from Wave 105 Head Controller, John Dash and got a radio interview and airplay on Southcity FM and a spot of Southampton TV. However it was obvious that the quality was not that great and my voice was not strong enough.

By March 2003 I had made up my mind where to go. I had decided to just be a songwriter and not to sing and instead to use proper singers. I had also decided to build a studio in my back garden. I was working at the Southampton City Council, under a temporary contract and basically saved all I could while at the same time buying the equipment I need in order to record a proper album. While working for the council I set about finding some singers. I advertised on the Council’s Intranet and other places and got quite a few responses and out of them I got my singers. On the 8th August I finished working for the Council and had saved up enough to live for around 6 months. I then set about building the studio, see the story of the build. Once I had finished the studio I started to record the album and now some 8 months later I have finished the album!!!

The Future

My immediate future involves phoning hundreds of publishing companies and artist management companies, sending out copies of my work and basically getting exposure. I also contacting the radio stations, Wave 105, Southcity, Power FM, and Radio Solent Radio 1, Radio 2 as well as others. I also have another videonation diary which has been filmed and which I am keen to see, which should be up with the other very soon. Ultimately my aim is to get published and be a proper paid songwriter and until I have achieved that I shall keep trying.