Ruth says she had the best apprenticeship a singer could ask for by joining a club band on the cabaret circuit when she was just 21 years old.

"There was nothing like being thrown in at the deep end," she laughs recalling the mad few years, which saw her perform high energy sets at clubs across the UK and Europe. "You certainly learn to sink or swim in front of cabaret audiences – they can be very unforgiving. Luckily I managed to tread water most of the time – but without a doubt it was the best training a singer could hope to experience."

But the real test of her talent came, she says, when she teamed up with musician and songwriter Arty Thompson to form gladstone.

"Arty’s songs for gladstone have been written specifically for me and have been deliberately constructed to test my vocal range," explained Ruth. "The melodies encourage me to strive for excellence and constantly push the boundaries of my technique – it’s a challenging way of working and certainly leaves no room for complacency! But I wouldn’t have it any other way."

Ruth is a woman with strong opinions, with a particular pet hatred of manufactured bands. She has a clear vision of the direction gladstone should take.

"When image comes before music there is something wrong," she says. "High production techniques have left music with a lack of rawness – with no real depth or ingenuity. It’s my view that image isn’t everything- ultimately it is the music that counts. My joy in performing and the pleasure people get from listening to it."

"Every gig is a challenge when you are trying to get your own original music out to a new audience - we are constantly having to prove ourselves. It’s all worth while because when you do win the audience that’s when the real excitement takes place. The buzz from knowing that people have enjoyed and appreciated the music and songs we have performed."

Ruth says that performing good music is undoubtedly more fulfilling. "gladstone’s songs are of substance, the audience love them. It’s just a joy to be there at the front singing new songs."

Song writer, Cello, Double Bass and Guitar.

Songwriter Arty Thompson lists Tom Waits, Bert Bacharach, Paul McCartney and Nick Harper as his song writing influences and which have helped create the distinctive gladstone sound.

"Like Waits and McCartney I prefer to write music using both piano and guitar which doubles my capacity for creative composition," explained Arty, who admits that he'd never written a musical composition until he started teaching composition himself.

"I had never composed anything in my life when I first started teaching despite the fact I was by modern standards an accomplished musician," explained Arty. "So I thought I'd better practice what I preach."

Something of a musical child prodigy songwriter Arty took up his first instrument the cello when he was just nine years old. He later went on to win a place at a well known Northern music school where he studied with the yet to be famous Omar, Max Beesley and Level 42's Mike Lindup.

Disillusioned with the way music was taught at the school and uncomfortable with the highly competitive ethos promoted, Arty's classical training came to a halt when he left music school at 16 disenchanted to such an extent he didn't touch a musical instrument during the next four years.

"The music school had a lot to answer for the time I spent out of music," said Arty who returned to music at 20 when he secured a place on an accelerated HND in Music at Newcastle College. "I went from a purely classical background to mixing with rock and jazz musicians -a culture shock but which had a very beneficial effect on me. The time I spent at Newcastle College and the people I met during that time restored my faith in my music."

Arty says meeting Ruth Barker, who subsequently became Gladstone's Melodic Messenger and lead singer, was the most influential moment of his song writing career to date. "I met Ruth through another band where she had been recruited as singer. The principal writer rejected my compositions but Ruth thought the songs showed real promise. Because of the personalities involved Ruth and I were forced to keep our sessions a secret and we ended up recording a demo of songs that were originally rejected as being too commercially orientated. From there Gladstone was formed."

Arty is very laid back about the success Gladstone may have in the future. "Like any band we would welcome success but fame and fortune are not at the top of the priority list - although I'm sure no one would object to the fortune aspect.

"I would much prefer to leave a lasting legacy and credible impression on the musical landscape - rather than being a 'one hit wonder' success and forgotten about a year later." 

Drums

John started taking Saxophone lessons at the age of 11 from his father, who was a dance band leader. To his father’s dismay John gravitated towards the drum kit at the age of 14, through a school friend, Bruce Arthur. They shared a drum kit purchased for a mere £5. John secured his first residency through his father’s contacts at Bedlington’s Ex-Serviceman’s Club at the age of 15.
 

John moved to London in 1971 at the age of 17. After struggling for a year he began to get gigs on the pub, club and rock scene working with the likes of Jim Diamond and Curtis Knight, who had come to Britain to promote his association with Jimi Hendrix. He also worked a full-time job at Chalk Farm Studios as a roadie for a PA hire company.

He was part of a road crew for people such as The Average White Band and McGuiness Flint, which was great fun and gave him an insight into how the bigger acts worked and lived. After an unsuccessful audition with Sparks and the theft of his drum kit John returned home to his native North East in 1976.
Auditioning successfully for a residency at Tiffany’s in Newcastle, John stayed with the Mecca organisation for 2 years, doing residencies in Middlesbrough, Dundee and Glasgow. John got married in 1980, but with tax problems and a daughter to support he took a full-time job with the Highways Department of the local council whilst doing a residency in the evenings at Lynmouth Club. From 1981 – 1986 John concentrated on family life and put drumming on hold for that time.
In 1986 John secured a residency at Bubbles with a local trio and played there for 18 months. After standing in with numerous bands in the area he went back on the club scene for a year with Claire Marshall but became disillusioned with the use of sequencers and click tracks. Wow! What a purist! He threw his lot in with hard rock band, The Croutons until their demise in 2002. Since then John has freelanced with such bands as, The Blues Burglars, John Whitehill, The Kingsnakes and The Poor Boys until joining Gladstone in September 2005.

I was musically influenced at a very young age, growing up listening to my dad’s collection of vinyl’s’; Slade, Queen, The Beatles, Rolling Stones, Wings, the list goes on,
So I think it is pretty understandable that I have tendencies to listen to good old solid rock ‘n’ roll music. I eventually began listening to bands like Guns n Roses, AC DC and Metallica during my early teens, often jumping up and down on my bed pretending I was whipping off a Slash guitar solo.

When I went to 6th form at Heaton Manor School, a few lads were trying to put a little band together and needed a bass player. I’d always wanted to play guitar but never really pushed myself to learn, but this was my chance so I began to teach myself how to play. My bass playing improved due to the amount of lessons I began to skive off, I spent most of those days hiding away in the music room having a bit of a jam. Out came bands like Oasis and Blur, with music like that around I was hooked. Once the music bug bit me good and proper, I broadened my musical horizons, I began listing to allsorts of artists, the legendry Stevie Wonder, the great Nat King Cole, R.E.M, yes, and I had my Rap thing as well, “Big Up the NWA!” It was during this time that I began dabbling in writing songs, I admit though, that all the songs I wrote back then were ridiculous and completely rubbish and were promptly binned, who wants to hear the tale of David Saul walking about Jesmond Dene?

After 6th form everyone went their own separate ways, especially after our little school band went nowhere. With no band to practice with, I spent countless hours on my own playing my bass, but eventually growing a bit more bolder, so I went out and bought an acoustic guitar and proceeded to teach my self basic chords. This then grew into learning some more rocky riffs on the electric guitar. My song writing grew and became a regular thing.

I then began hosting and playing a buskers night down at the Spread Eagle in Tynemouth playing some rhythm guitar. From there I went to the Blue Bell in Sandyford and rooted the buskers night quite firmly as my own. After the house bass player left, I dropped back onto the instrument in my heart, my lovely bass. I then left busking behind to focus on other things that were going on in my life.

My song writing became a way of unleashing how I was feeling at the time, coping with the bad times, and capturing forever the good times. The ability to capture a mood or the essence of meaning is something I strive to do to this day, often emerging with original and inspirational lyrics aswell as lyrics that should be band from song writing ether.

After a rather big relationship split with a girl I was head over heels for, I was feeling extremely lost. Then one day at work a few months later, a phone call out of the blue brought me to where I am now, a very proud and happy member of this extremely lovely and talented band. My life seems to have turned full circle. I look forward to see where this takes me as a person and us as a band, my fingers are crossed that life is good from now on.

Don’t forget people that life may have it’s downs but eventually something happens that changes your world for the better, like meeting someone really special who makes your heart skip a beat, or simply someone who will let you call them names and not really mind too much. Always remember to believe in the four Snap Jackson rules for a happy life: Peace, Love, Hope and Destiny. All the best people keep Rockin’ ‘n’ Rollin’! Big up the Heaton Posse! Whoop! Keep smiling ; )

PERSONAL PROFILE

Name: Simon Edward Smith
Born: 19th of September 1978
Aliases: Siant Haystacks, Psycho, Si, Snap Jackson, Butter, Si Gon Jinn The Knife, Sai Stinger, All Balls, The Yak, The Sarge, One of the Heaton Hardmen…the list goes on
Favourite Song: Jealous Guy, John Lennon (best song ever written)
Favourite Artist/Group: The Beatles (just can’t be beat)
Favourite Album: Revolver, The Beatles
Favourite Film: Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (Big Up Howard Keel!!!)
Favourite Colour: Green (no idea why, it just is)
Favourite TV Programme: Monty Python’s Flying Circus and Scrubs
Favourite Food: Bloody Hell! I’m a fussy eater!
Favourite Drink: Any real ale. Mmm!
Likes: The Beatles; having a laugh; taking the piss out of others; a good tune; nights on the drink; looking after people I really care about; making my friends happy, that makes me happy.
Dislikes: Boring people who never smile, manufactured bands, scorpions (evil little buggers they are, I’m not afraid of them, I just believe they’re untrustworthy); alcohol-free lager (what’s the point?); two-timers; and girlie films.
Fears: Losing my family
Ambitions: To either become a rich musician, a primary school teacher, or an animal photographer. To properly fall in love, hopefully with someone nice.
Meaning of Life: People aren’t wearing enough hats!