Earlier this week Frome Nub News caught up with charity busker Paul Kirtley.

Frome Town Council is keen to see more musicians out on the streets, particularly if, like Paul they are raising money for charity.

But we were intrigued, who was this man with the strong Northern accent?

And how did Paul learn to play the guitar ?

Well - Frankie and Johnny have nothing to do with it... read on.

Paul, who is 68 "unfortunately - time goes on " told us: " I have been doing some voluntary stuff for quite a long time. Mostly driving people who needed help to get somewhere and then I have been playing my music. We do the the local pubs, get some local musicians together, form a band.. then raise some money."

Modestly and with a laugh he added: " We are good enough to play without practise (!) I would say - so the pubs ask us back. We get paid a little bit, and everybody else puts something in the bucket, and we raise quite a lot of money."

That is another modest assessment.

Paul and the band, the We Dont Scare Easy Tribe, have raised £6,500 in the last two years for bone cancer research and children with cancer.

Paul first came to Frome in 1979 coming down from Scotland, when he was transferred with his job to Bath.

After that he did bounce back up North for five years but a life in Somerset was too hard to resist, so he was back and he and his wife returned in 1989 and brought up his children in the town and this is where he says they will stay.

So how did Paul begin with his music?

He told Nub News : " I learnt to play the guitar when I was about ten - that ended badly.

"I was trying to learn with a book 'Play in a Day' by Bert Wheedon. It was 1962 and all these kids got this book for about five shillings. But it was hopeless for a kid who wasn't interested in reading.

"I never really started playing in public for a long time after that, because I was too busy working as a civil servant, so I didn't have time for music. But now because I have been retired for eight years I play a lot ... now I am a decent guitarist.

"The only thing that book taught me was to never look at that kind of music book again. The funny thing was that the first thing you were supposed to learn from Bert was an American folk song called Frankie and Johnny. But I was basically getting into Bob Dylan - Frankie and Johnnie didn't do it for me.. it was a three chord trick and it just wasn't what I was in to. That took a long time to get out of my system - it was toxic. "

Paul's band is a floating ensemble between eight and ten musicians who come and go with only two of them who are constant.

Paul tells us : " We play with everybody and anybody. We play for three hours .. I thoroughly recommend you coming to to listen to our music.

Do it for your health. Don't go for any potions and pills.. the stresses and strains of living before, during and after Covid. When it becomes too much come and come and listen to live music - honestly it will help - it takes you to another place."

You can catch Paul and 'his' band in and around Frome, or you can donate to their latest fundraising by clicking HERE: the Local Giving site