Inspiring People

At 56 years old, corporate photographer Fran May has started something new.

Eight months after the death of her husband through cancer, Fran found herself looking at his guitar, and realising she had never done anything musical in her life, decided to learn to play it. She found a guitar teacher in the form of Richard Newman, who happened to be looking for a handful of guinea pig students on whom he could test a guitar teaching method.

Listening to her spoken voice, Richard decided Fran should sing. In a panic, she replied, ‘No no, I have never sung, and anyway at school at the age of twelve, my music teacher asked me to mime. I have never inflicted my voice on any one.”

First impressions

Richard took one look at her, picked up the phone and booked Fran into a recording studio to have a try, impressing on Fran, his forty-year track record in the music industry, recording and producing those that were at the very beginning of the London Rock music scene.

In the studio, Fran sang a track by Steve Nicks titled Sara. When she heard it played back, she cried tears of regret. True to spirit, never to be deterred with a better late than sorry, attitude, Fran asked Richard Newman to help her create a Music CD. He agreed, and for just over two years, Richard taught Fran everything.

Fran created a storyboard for the project. It was to be based on Fran’s life, a cathartic release about what she had gone though in her own life, which she felt, many women of her own age might also relate to.

"When it came to finding any music which related to me as a post child bearing, creative, healthy, energetic, professional who had balanced child rearing with a career, been married and divorced and known bereavement - I could not find any, so I decided to make some for my self".

There was nothing new, written for this demographic, by a person of her age in the music genre of her choice – Rock music.

The project grew exponentially. The music was absolutely amazing. As Richard said, the band was playing some of the best rock music to come out of this country. Twenty-five recorded tracks later, dizzy with the euphoria of the experience, Richard and Fran decided to take stock of their achievements. They plan to play live in the near future, with their band, now named Indigo.

Meantime, a collection of the early tracks can be found on iTunes under the name of Pink Blues by Fran May and Richard Newman and on a dedicated website, www.pinkblues.net

The remaining tracks are currently being ordered into two CDs and will be available soon. Progress of the latest music is available on Fran’s website www.franmay.com