by Ben Turner
LATE-BLOOMING singer-songwriter Peter Blackthorn Jones believes divine inspiration is helping him make a musical mark in Macclesfield despite being registered deaf and blind.
Peter, 59, from Tytherington, has just recorded a CD of Christian songs and poems in aid of a charity close to his heart, Macclesfield Talking Newspaper for the Blind.
And he says that all but two of the 26 compositions on his album ‘Energise!!’ have come from God speaking to him in his dreams.
"I would say I have written two or three myself without any help at all," said the grandfather-of-two, who has been registered blind and deaf since 1995.
"I cannot read music as such. I put guitar chords together to make a tune.
"A lot of those songs and poems have been given to me by God and he tends to wake me up in the middle of the night and I often don’t have any idea what is going to happen and scribble furiously, and finish up with these things."
He is able to hear with the use of two hearing aids and to help visually impaired listeners who could not easily read sleeve notes, introduce every track verbally.
Some of the songs have a specific story attached to them.
They include ‘Meditation Two’ which came about after Peter awoke with the words ‘if Christ was a criminal’ ringing in his head.
"I just woke with this booming voice over and over. Those words were scrolling down like giant letters in a Star Wars movie and I was terrified. In the morning I still had these words in my head and it wasn’t until the following evening that I finally composed myself and wrote the poem. It is an affirmation of my faith."
Peter says that he considered himself a Christian with a small ‘c’ until the death of his wife Sue five years ago.
He recalls praying for her recovery, then for help to care for her, and finally praying for the strength to cope alone. When Sue passed away he realised that the help he had prayed for had been given, which made his faith even stronger. He became a committed Christian ‘with a capital C’ and has since been dedicated to helping others and spreading the Christian message.
"Writing and recording the CD has taken years and included nine recording sessions at the Talking Newspaper studio across several months, with his friend and producer Steve Twigg.
"It took three years altogether to write this stuff and Steve said why don’t I record it for my own record. When we realised how much there was he suggested we put it out to make some money for the Talking Newspaper.
"Because it has been given to me I don’t feel I can profit from it. I believe I have been given it to give to other people and I have had a lot of help from other people, said Peter, a member of Team Parish based at St Michael’s and All Angels Church, and regular worshipper at St Peter’s on Windmill Street. The Talking Newspaper is very dear to my heart and a charity much unsung.
"Whatever I am doing (on the CD) I had to do really in one take. The studio is really set up for the spoken word. I was very nervous recording it and we did have a lot of goes at some of the tracks.
"I have sung all my life round and about. Never having wonderful eyesight I never got into sport and have never driven so music has always been part of my life.
"It (the album) is as good as it is going to get. It isn’t like buying a Robbie Williams CD that’s for sure!"
The CD, which Peter describes as a personal journey of faith runs for one hour and comprises 16 poems and ten songs, each with a strong Christian message.
Anyone interested in buying a copy of Energised!! in exchange for a minimum donation of £5, should phone the Macclesfield Talking Newspaper for the Blind on 01625 435283 or visit their office above The Eye Society shop and resource centre on Queen Victoria Street (opposite Aldi) on Thursday mornings only.
