BRETTWALES.COM

Brett - The Early Years

Brett, born in Nottingham on the 23rd of August 1978, still resides and works in the same house in which his doting maternal grandparents, Marianne and Alwyn, raised him. Brett was exposed to music at a very young age as Alwyn built and played an Elka 707 Organ. Upon finding a three year-old Brett tinkering at the keyboard, Alwyn decided to encourage him to take his play further, whereupon an uncanny ability materialised to play melody lines from memory. Marianne and Alwyn soon recognised a valuable talent and so continued to encourage him to play as a hobby. The ability to hear and reproduce melodies accurately is a hallmark of Brett’s music today; The Blue Danube, The Marriage of Figaro and Bohemian Rhapsody played in his current repertoire being testament to the fact. Brett’s search for new sounds was hampered because the Elka 707 couldn’t accurately reproduce the big instrumental sounds he so desperately wanted to achieve. Realising Brett’s creativity had outgrown the Elka 707, Alwyn purchased a Wersi Kit orchestral organ and once the Wersi Helios was finally completed, Brett’s love affair with Wersi commenced.

The Inspiration

His grandparents felt this natural talent should not be wasted so Brett started music lessons. Brett’s enthusiasm and dedication to music, so much a hallmark of the man today, found him being described as a ‘Boy Genius’ when later, at the age of seven, he was to meet with Wersi Stars. The meeting happened In April 1986 when the then president of the Wersi Enthusiast Society, Ron Franklin, organised a five day trip to Wersi headquarters in Halsenbach Germany. Brett’s grandparents decided to take Brett as a reward for his dedication to musical studies. The group had the pleasure of being in the company of the great musical talents Klaus Wunderlich, Franz Lambert, Curt Prina and Hady Wolf. A highlight of the visit for Brett was the Saturday evening spent at the legendary Franz Lamberts Felsenkeller. Brett stood transfixed at the side of Franz Lambert’s organ watching, listening and learning. Was it then that Brett’s future was decided? One can imagine his thoughts to have been , “Just like Franz, one day I’ll be a famous organist”. Today the dream is realised and Brett Wales can stand tall along with other Wersi stars such as Mark Whale and Claudia Hirschfield. The late, great Klaus Wunderlich and Franz Lambert remain Brett’s idols and role models.

Back home, there was a noticeable change in Brett's music. He began to implement little things picked up at the Felsenkeller. Encouraged by the obvious effect the visit had imparted on Brett, Marianne and Alwyn took him again on the same trip the following year. Unfortunately, Franz Lambert was unable to play for them so an alternative venue in Koblenz allowed him to hear Udo Kemp perform. Having heard Brett play previously, Udo asked if Brett would like to play for the audience. Amazingly, without a trace of nerves, he proceeded to play music from his examinations. He also cheekily played a Franz Lambert Felsenkeller medley just as if he was at home playing to himself. Was this the first sign of the humorist we have on stage today? A star was born – proud Grandparents, and Udo, had a major problem getting Brett to leave the organ! The reaction from the audience - a standing ovation - was to be the first of many in Brett's career to date.

1988 was to be a memorable year for Brett and the family. Making the same trip as in previous years, they were able to see Franz Lambert live at the Felsenkeller again. After hearing of Brett’s achievements in Koblenz from Udo Kemp, Franz Lambert requested Brett to play for him and his audience. Brett announced that he would play something that Franz himself plays, “Everybody Loves Somebody Sometimes”. With that, Franz took the microphone and said, “Brett, we must play together”. Nine year-old Brett played seemingly without a care in the world. It brought the house down and later, Franz was to remark on Brett’s composure. The fact that a professional musician with the stature of Franz Lambert took time out to encourage a young boy speaks volumes not just of Franz Lamberts generosity, but his recognition of an artistic and musical talent. Franz Lambert’s music is still a big influence on Brett’s style, particularly his late-night spots that possess a definite Franz Lambert Felsenkeller ring to them!
The annual trip to Germany in 1989 brought another duet for Brett and Franz, this time playing “Strangers in the Night”. On the Sunday evening, they attended another fantastic concert, by the ever-impressive Mark Whale, who is often mistaken for Brett’s older brother! Reinhardt Franz, then one of the co-owners of Wersi GmbH, asked Brett if he would like to play during Mark Whale’s concert in the auditorium at the Wersi headquarters. As ever, Brett didn’t need to be asked twice and went on to give a composed and professional performance. Subsequently, after the concert, Brett was promised by Reinhardt and his brother W. E. Franz, that in the following year he could have his own concert, which inspired Brett, then 11 years old, to prepare for 1990.
Brett has of course, more recently had the pleasure of playing in concert with Mark Whale, in Dussen in the Netherlands. At twelve years old, Brett started doing demonstrations for Wersi in the U.K. It was difficult for Brett to work on new material for demonstrating new organs when he could only practice on his grandfather's Helios. Practicing and preparing for demonstrations on one type of organ, and playing in public on another style, was not an ideal situation. Unfortunately, the closest available Spectra to play was at the then northern Wersi dealership in Barnsley. As travelling that distance would have affected his schooling, Marianne and Alwyn decided to sell the Helios and get Brett his very own Spectra for his twelfth birthday. A special gift from two very special people who felt he more than deserved it.
The many demonstrations around this time hold memories of good times for Brett. During the Stapley Water Gardens demonstration, he made two very good friends, organist Volkre Kucche and ten-times world accordion champion, Guy Dennis. Both displayed such kindness and willingness to help that it was both a privilege and a pleasure for Brett to play with them as a trio. Due to the pressures of school work and musical examinations, Brett had to limit his amount of traveling. Time was dedicated to his grades. When he turned fifteen Brett was accepted for Clarendon College in Nottingham to study music, although he had already learn’t most of the course in his previous years with private tutors. It was the ‘Academy of Life’, the experience gained by playing with other musicians and bands around Nottingham, that was to become so very valuable later on in Brett’s career. Orchestrations, arrangements, stage presence and professionalism were to turn the musician into the performer, then into the star.
Thank You for the Music
Brett’s charisma stems from his ability to feel and display emotion through his music. It affects many in the audience, bonding them with the artist. Others are simply charmed by his pleasant, open, gentle nature that has turned many people into friends over the years. Brett has gained many true friends in and around the music business. Far too many to mention in totality, but two very special friends, Richard and Shirley Collis, stand out and deserve a special mention. Their generosity has given Brett the opportunity to carry on with his dreams as they presented him with his very own white Wersi Scala with matching speakers. It was the queen of the ‘Open Art System’ range of organs and keyboards newly released by Wersi. This big-hearted gesture was made to Brett purely to say "Thank you for the music". Even Brett (not usually caught short for words) was reported by King Kenny to have been shaking with excitement for days after the offer was made. A gesture from two very special people who say they have already seen and, indeed, heard the results of their involvement in Brett's career.
Death of two great mentors
Brett will admit to being a naturally lucky person, as was proven when he met up again with an old friend from his German sojourns, the one and only Ken Davies. Ken was, as luck would have it, then involved in running Wersi England and invited Brett to appear at the long-running Barton Hall Festival. Ken witnessed Brett using the Spectra to its full potential and subsequently decided to use Brett as his main demonstrator and concert artist. This was a step in Brett’s career that gave him the opportunity to appear at all of the major organ festivals in England. Brett and Ken’s friendship grew into a special bond. Brett referred to him as “King Kenny” and even though the ‘King’ eventually stopped running Wersi in England, his role as Brett’s sound engineer and musical adviser continued until the Spring of 2003 when, sadly, he lost his short battle against cancer. King Kenny was a solid foundation that helped drive, develop and nurture Brett’s talent, above all he was a mentor who is sorely missed.
Sadly, Brett’s Grandfather, Alwyn, passed away on the 14th March 2001 after a long battle with Alzheimer's Disease. He never got to hear his Grandson playing the new instrument that led to a standing ovation at the Ludlow Concert that very evening. The audience did not know that the Blue Danube, played that night in public for the first time, was in fact dedicated to his Grandfather's memory. Brett had been advised on his way to the concert, via mobile phone, that Alwyn had slipped away. Truly the professional, and a man his Grandfather would have been proud of that night, the performance was what we have come to expect from Brett; polished to perfection and showing no signs of the turmoil that must have raged within. Brett likes to think that whilst Alwyn didn’t live to witness his grandson's impact on the organ scene, he is now looking down on him and realising that what he saw in his young grandson when he came home from work that day in 1981 is now being recognised twenty years later by audiences everywhere. Today, Brett lives with his lovely wife Katrina and two beautiful daughters, Bethany Atlantis (born in 1999) and Sophie Anastasia (born in 2004). Brett is a very dedicated father who loves to spend time with his family and regrets that Alwyn didn’t get the chance to see his two lovely great granddaughters growing up.

Brett Wales Today
Since the recent changes and restructuring of Wersi, both in Germany and the UK, Brett has continued to support them by performing with his ‘Scala’, becoming something of an unofficial representative in the UK. He is still freelance but since 2005, he has had the pleasure of being a key demonstrator for Korg, performing shows for them on their PA2X keyboard. Korg are internationally renowned for producing fantastic keyboards, many of which have revolutionised the world of music over the years. It is a very big honour for Brett to represent them. Brett has played concerts in Germany, the Netherlands and all over the UK, delighting audiences wherever he performs with his own unique style and sound.
Brett also has, like one of his idols Klaus Wunderlich, his very own recording studio attached to his home in Nottingham, England, where he is always continuing to work on new recordings and striving to produce a fantastic sound that’s consistently appreciated by many of his fans. Never one for standing still, Brett is developing his career in music with the production of his own CD’s, and helping other artists with the use of his studio and skills.
Today, Brett is constantly in demand and plays to packed-out venues all over the country. With bookings well into 2009, we are happily assured of good music for many years to come.