Rod Stewart and I were both born a few miles apart in post war North London. Through the early to mid 1960's in the UK there had been lots of young people driving motor scooters (Mods). A lot of of them dressed sharply and embraced the new music trends that included blues artists from the USA, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and many other new groups.

During this transitionary time a lot of the emerging artists and groups played in church or pub halls and other small venues. My friends and I frequently went to gigs around London where these new artists, some of whom would become famous male singers or pop groups, were performing. At the time these mostly unheard of but ground breaking artists included: John Lee Hooker, Howlin' Wolf, Georgie Fame, The Rolling Stones, The Pretty Things, John Mayall, The Who, The Animals and Long John Baldry.

John Baldry was an English and Canadian blues singer who had a large and steady following - and I was one of those people. His nickname was well deserved because John was 6ft 7in or 2.01 metres tall. He had a style and design of his own and if he was appearing locally, he was a hot ticket.

John Baldry perhaps never had the wider recognition he deserved but his talent was acknowledged by emerging superstars at the time including Elton John, Mick Jagger, Charlie Watts and Rod (The Mod) Stewart who all supported him from time to time. Rod was alleged to have been discovered after John Baldry heard him busking at an underground (metro) station.

My early memories of Rod Stewart came from the time he performed at the John Baldry gigs where Rod was very much a supporting artist.

This tall (assisted by platform shoes) thin, long blonde-haired husky voiced male singer who often wore a trademark long scarf often performed before John Baldry who was the main act but Rod later joined him for duets. During the 1960s the UK music scene was a hotbed for development. It seemed that a new talented group with a different offering was hitting the headlines every week - if not every day.

In 1967 The Jeff Beck Group hit the scene with talented artists including Jeff Beck on lead guitar and Ronnie Wood on rhythm guitar. Jet Harris (ex Shadows) also played bass guitar for a while. The vocalist was Rod Stewart who was attracting increasing interest. The format of the group was dynamic and at one time Keith Moon, John Paul Jones and Jimmy Page also joined the line up. During 1967 the band released 3 UK and 2 US singles and perhaps the best and greatest success was Hi Ho Silver Lining.

From these early beginnings Rod Stewart has continued to broaden his career and is now one of the most famous male singers and artists in the world. Rod started his two year residency in Caesars Palace in 2011 and you may not be able to travel and see his show but it you want the best prices for concert tickets, or any other form of music event anywhere in the world visit the Gig Ticket Shop at http://www.gigticketshop.com.

There'll be more information on Rod and other major artists who had their roots in the 1960s or 1970s so look out for future articles.