fell in love with the saxophone at the age of 15. His passion was sparked after seeing The Alan Bown Set perform at Manor Court Youth Club, followed by hearing Stan Getz’s rendition of There’s a Small Hotel—a sound that completely captivated him. He spent the 1970s honing his craft playing the Top Ten Club on Reeperbahn in Hamburg, playing eight sets a night. His band, Smiling Hard, featured a multi-instrumentalist front line, which allowed them to adapt to any genre they wished to play. The band toured Australia, much of Europe, and had a fantastic time on the road. They were frequently hired by visiting American soul artists, including Edwin Starr and Ben E. King. In 1979, Andy toured the U.S. with Edwin Starr and played on the Happy Radio album, marking his first major recording session.  Returning to London, Andy became involved with the people at Tony Visconti's Good Earth Studios. Through engineer and producer Colin Thurston, he met Duran Duran and contributed horns to the "night version" of Planet Earth. He also toured with the band during the early '80s and played a saxophone solo on "Rio," the title track of their second album. In 1982, Andy joined Dexy’s Midnight Runners and toured the U.S. during the height of Come On Eileen’s success. The experience was bizarre, as American audiences had never seen anything quite like them. When it was good, it was unforgettable, but when it wasn’t... it was memorable for all the wrong reasons. One infamous moment occurred when they opened for David Bowie in Paris, playing to 60,000 people. Kevin Rowland shocked the crowd by insulting Bowie in front of them and having bassist Rhino Edwards translate his insults into French, though Andy was never quite sure why he did that. Later, Andy found himself standing alongside David Bowie for his Wild is the Wind video, along with Tony Visconti and Mel Gaynor. He recorded an album with the Boomtown Rats, worked with Tony Visconti again, and even performed at Live Aid at Wembley Stadium. In 1983 and 1984, he joined Duran Duran for their Sing Blue Silver tour, which proved to be an exhilarating experience! Through engineer Chris Porter, Andy connected with George Michael and played on many of the Wham! hits, including "I’m Your Man" and "The Edge of Heaven," appearing in the music videos as well. He toured with George in 1987, supporting his Faith album, and played sax on "Cowboys and Angels," a performance he’s particularly proud of. He joined George again in 1991 for the Listen Without Prejudice tour. Andy had the opportunity to perform with Elton John on a live version of "Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me," recorded in Chicago. The moment when Elton jumped out from behind a speaker to surprise the crowd gave him an unforgettable thrill. He also recorded with Tina Turner on Nutbush City Limits, worked with the Pet Shop Boys on the beautiful "It Always Comes as a Surprise," and did sessions for artists such as Kim Wilde, Bon Jovi, and Brian May. He toured with Marc Almond, a true gentleman, and even featured in a film with Paul McCartney, where during breaks in filming, they would play Beatles songs with Paul singing, Steve Lukather on guitar, and Jeff Porcaro on drums. Other collaborations include albums with Judie Tzuke and a European tour with Italian singer Eros Ramazzotti. He also served as musical director for ABC for a few years. When the original Duran Duran lineup reunited in 2003, Andy joined them again on their world tour, finding that it was just as much fun as it had been 20 years earlier. He believes that the band’s collective vision and commitment are unmatched in the industry. He later toured with George Michael on his 25 Live tour, and without a doubt, George was one of the greatest vocalists of his generation, a brilliant songwriter as well. Performing sophisticated music for an audience so engaged, even when there were 145,000 people in the crowd, was a humbling experience. Andy also had the opportunity to record with Radiohead on their Kid A album and performed with them in Paris and New York—an experience completely different, yet equally unforgettable. Throughout his career, Andy has always maintained a recording studio, as music composition has always been just as important to him as performance. When not on tour, he has spent much of his professional life writing and producing hundreds of pieces of music for various media, from Oprah to Sexcetera. Both aspects of his career bring him equal satisfaction! He also has a songwriting partnership with percussionist Lily Gonzalez, and in 2015, Andy won the UK Songwriting Contest, though he jokes that it didn’t do much for his ego. Proud of his well-equipped studio, Andy is always open to collaborating on new writing projects. His musical tastes include artists such as Joni Mitchell, Stan Getz, Ornette Coleman, Chopin, Frank Bridge, Bela Bartok, Wayne Shorter, and Steely Dan. He also enjoys the writing of Tom Wolfe and Lionel Shriver, as well as the work of Marc Chagall, Franz Marc, and George Grosz. And of course, Andy would love to own an Austin Healey 3000!