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Alan Gruner - What have I been up too ?
Jump in and I will share some old and very recent music.

Although I spend most of my time passing my musical message on to the next generation,
I have been a reborn songwriter in the last few years as you will hear.

I also include my Game Show Theme collection and my Icky and Wicky CD for young 2 to 7 year olds.
Hope to put this online to buy soon.

Still playing with Mercyzone a souljazz instumental outfit and..
Dex and his Soulmates, a fully fledged soul funk band.See Bands Page.

Still playing piano in pubs, and performing in Musichall and 40's events..

Dip in and tickle your eardrums!
Composer

TV Game Show themes and incidental music that have been broadcasted or piloted
A CD of the Game Show music is available for sale on this site - just go to the CD's page for details

Game Show Music Samples

Der Preis ist Heist

Snap Chat Cat

Sax Desire

70's Flash 11

Theme from the Cooking Channel

Who's Bluffing Who

Knock Knock! 1989 BBC children's game show
Headline Hunters 1990 Cymru2 (Wales)
Match Game 1991 Germany/Scottish TV
Der Preis ist Heis (The Price is Right) 1991 Dutch & German TV
Tic Tac Toe 1991 German TV
Let's Make a Deal 1991 Central TV
Family Feuds 1992 Greek TV
Familien Duell 1992 German TV
Newly-Wed Game 1992 German TV
Play Your Cards Right 1992 Portugal and Greece
Wheels of Fortune / Cardsharks 1993 Portugal and Greece
Dating Game 1993 Greece
Blockbuster 1993 Turkey
Who's Bluffing Who 1993 BBC
Supermarket Sweep 1994 ITV (incidental music)
Lyricboard 1994 Pilot
Personals 1995 ITV Pilot
Cooking Channel (incidental music) 1995 US based
Natalie's Holiday Promotion 1996 Independent
Gruner the Tutor
Tutorial Services (just when you thought it was safe to learn something)
I have wide knowledge and experience teaching various instruments including:
Piano / keyboard
I use my own technique and approach mostly, as I am self taught but do utilise Associated Board Grades up to Grade 5 and am keen on Jazz Sylllabus up to Grade 5.
Always remember playing piano is not just about grades!
Bass Guitar
I teach Bass Guitar to all grades
Guitar
My main day job. I teach basic classical technique up to Grade 5 but often find students more interested in picking, blues, chords and folk styles. Some stay on course but most are on a journey to......
Electric Guitar.... kerchhhanggg
Wide knowledge of styles and songs and utilise the Rockschool syllabus in all grades if required.
Rockbands Facilitator - a post I created myself!
Presently doing Rockband workshops in three schools for years 6 - 8. Lessons range from 30 - 60 minutes with regular performances.

Personal tutorial lessons are £25 00 per half hour - use the Contact page for enquiries


Musicals
I have often dabbled in the wonderful world of musicals as a musician, writer, performer and MD.
I spent a year at the Young Vic in the 80's and co-wrote several projects with Peter Gruner including "Sweeny Todd" (before Sondheim).
As I got into teaching I wrote and adapted more musicals for schools.
Tubular Tales A busker and a comedian meet in a subway.
Written and performed with Peter Gruner.
30 mins 1982
The Lorax Dr. Seuss story adapted as a musical. 30 mins 1995
Bash Street Kids Musical based on Beano characters. 70 mins 1996
Animal Farm Composed songs for adaptation. 70 mins 1998
Little Fir Tree Children's story adapted for Christmas. 30 mins 2001
Dick Whittington Musical version for Junior School. 75 mins 2002
The Boy who Forgot Christmas... and other things... Infant school production.
Original story and music.
30 mins 2003
Brats Unpublished scripted musical about a boy making it big in the TV world and sinking as a teenager. 60 mins 2005
The Innkeeper Based on a book by Nicholas Allen about an Innkeeper who can't get to sleep when all the nativity guests arrive... 30 mins 2008
Humph The story of a monosyllabic camel who only says "Humph" and comes to life when a certain baby boy is born in Bethlehem. 30 mins 2009
Songwriter
You Crazy Fool / Out of my Head Anchor Records 1978
You Can Do
Cowritten and recorded with Lee Kosmin
EMI 1979
Stay with me Tonight
Co-written and recorded with Alex Ferguson
Red Records 1980
Favourite Positions / Do Whatever you Do Logo Records 1981
Dearest Charles Embarrassed Records 1981
Getting So Exciting
Recorded by Lee Kosmin
EMI 1981
Getting So Exciting
Recorded by Bonnie Tyler on the album 'Faster than the Speed of Light
CBS 1983
Brother / I Wish I Could Be Different
Two songs that appeared on an ITV sitcom and album 'Roll over Beethoven'
Towerbell Records 1985
RECORDGRAMS
These were personalised songs I sang and composed based on clients' events such as birthdays etc. I produced celebrity Recordgrams for Dave (Kid) Jensen, Ken Livingstone and Terry Wogan that were all broadcast on local radio.
ARV Recording 1985/6
During this period I wrote with many writers but mainly Bob Andrews (Brinsley Schwartz/The Rumour) before he moved to the States.
Then came Game Show music - see the Composer section of this site.
Various 1986/8
Funny Old Game - MC Gruner - song on compilation album. Rainman Records 1995

MercyZone

A Soul,Jazz,Funk band that is available for all functions.

The Band is..

Alan Gruner - Bass
Pat Leacock - Drums
Martin Bush - Keys
Russell A Smithson - Guitar
Paul Clark - Sax

Showreel from a tight spot in a fish and chip restaurant !!!

My Latest Songs

When The Sun Comes Up

Nothing is Easy

Why Is Everybody Pointing At Me

Get Away Today

Here are links to my songs on Spotify Playlists


When The Sun Comes Up


Spirit Of The World

Older Songs

What Can you do

Turning Me Upside Down

Beautiful Dreamer

Icky & Wicky and Other Songs / Game Show Music CD
Below is a video featuring one of the tracks from the Icky and Wicky CD.
Icky and Wicky is a CD of original children's songs for ages 2 to 7
Perfect for Key Stage 1 in schools.
My children won't stop playing it. Sonia - School Teacher.
icky and wicky gameshow tunes Get a compilation of my game show music on CD for ten pounds plus £1.00 p&p
Game Show Music
You can buy Icky and Wicky now for five pounds plus £1.00 p&p via PayPal
You don't need a PayPal account, just click the Buy Now button and you can use a debit/credit card
Icky & Wicky
Mark Unwin - Minstrel of Walthamstow...

I was born on the Sussex Downs, nurtured in the Ashdown forest.
Moved to Salisbury Plain, a mile from Stonehenge.
Used to walk across the fields and scramble over the menhirs, my first whispers of inspiration.
Went to boarding school in England.

Music...Let there be drums...

During break time a coeval and I would mouth percussive salivated versions of the Sandy Nelson hit,
until a monitor strutted in with the cane.

Father refused to sign my grant form for Westminster Tech . Broke, I escaped to Dorset to explore my first love, poetry.
I became a floor singer in all the local pubs.

Returned to London and started to write songs especially through the pervasive influence of Alan Gruner.

Herein lies evidence of that collaboration from early danes to modern strains.
I gabble in the hinterland of rock and roll and fear no parking meters !
Alan has supplied this trading post to broadcast my wares…

Here is a link to my website where you can peruse my recent creations markunwinmelodies.com

You can playback some of my tunes below.

Eurydice

Demography of Walthamstow

Local Shopping

Please contact Alan Gruner using the form below

 
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