Early Achievements
'Neil Sadler' was given his first acoustic guitar at the age of 8 and later on as he became hooked on the music of Led Zeppelin he was drawn into the world of playing Rock, Blues and R 'n' B. Neil at the age of 14, with an old Grundig, began a life-long interest of recording which inspired some early demos of him with bands such as Hazzard and The Moonwalkers.
In 1981, Neil had recording success as a pop-charting artist with the band ‘Sleeping Lions’. They were signed to CBS - a major record label at the time which later became Sony. it is fair to say that Neil was disillusioned with the industry during this decade and working for himself on his own terms was the obvious career direction for him. In 1987, 'The UK Blues Project' formed out of his musical roots.
Neil set up his own recording studios in 1994 – ‘No Machine Studios‘. One of Neil's first album recordings of himself in his own studios was with 'The UK Blues Project', where he played Lead Guitar on their album 'No Rush'.
Collaborations
Since the early days of owning No Machine Studios, Neil has recorded albums with many bands. The partnership between Neil and Dennis began when Dennis visited No Machine Studios with a bunch of ideas for songs and tunes and a prodigious enthusiasm. From those early days of crafting lyrics and tunes together, which showcased Dennis' vocal individuality and Neil's musicianship and studio dexterity as arranger, engineer and producer, three solo albums of ‘Dennis Siggery' were released.
Their partnership continued when they formed the 'Eric Street Band' in 2007. Neil's contribution to the song-writing, the playing of the percussive instruments, guitars and drums on their next ten albums were credited to Neil under various pseudonyms .
The original band's final album being 'Across The Board', was recorded in 2016. New projects took Neil in a different direction and so Dennis formed a new Eric Street Band and continued to record in Neil's studios with the new line up.
Since coming together for a final time in 2018, Dennis and Neil have recorded three albums under their own names - ‘Dennis Siggery and Neil Sadler’. Same format as before only this time Neil put his name along side Dennis' as co-writer .
‘Dennis Siggery and Neil Sadler’ album titles are:
'Half and Half', 'Higher Ground' and 'Testify'.
These albums are their final recordings together. Dennis continues to pursue his musical ambitions using the Eric Street Band name.
'Dennis Siggery and Neil Sadler'
Testify - their final album
During 2022, 'Dennis Siggery and Neil Sadler' recorded their third album - 'Testify'. The album is instantly recognisable as one of theirs - it is heavily guitar based with ambient atmospherics with a 'roots' vibe. Whilst the collaboration created lyrics written from the heart, Neil's individuality as a multi-skilled musician and producer shaped the soundscape which he attributes to his appreciation of the craftsmanship of early blues' artists. Neil particularly wanted the tracks to sound contemporary and valid as authentic blues / rock songs whilst remaining accessible to their audience. This care and attention to create this album required a considerable amount of time and was therefore a year in the making. Upon hearing the album, Tony Corner, presenter of 'Blues Corner' on Blues Radio UK likened Neil's guitar playing to Gary Moore.
The album 'Testify' released on 10 February 2023 is available on Spotify, Apple Music, iTunes and Amazon as well as other music platforms. Videos for three of the tracks have been created and are available to view on YouTube.
For links to videos of Neil performing with Dennis Siggery / The Eric Street Band and other artists who have recorded at No Machine Studios visit Neil Sadler's YouTube channel.