A CHANCE meeting with Paul and Linda McCartney in a London recording studio in 1979 confirmed in Tom Tyson’s mind what he wanted to do with the rest of his life. 

“That was the day it happened – everything just clicked into place,” recalls Tom. 

An 18-year-old bass guitarist, he had recently joined the backing band of Freddie Starr, who later became a household name as a madcap comedian. They were recording in the same studio as the former Beatle and his wife. 

“Paul and Linda were in recording a Wings album and they just popped in to see us. “There I was; I lad from Woodhouse mixing with these legends. I had never imagined this life. I was hooked, and I knew from that point on that a life in the recording studio was for me.” 

Fast-forward to today and Tom is celebrating the 25th anniversary of his Music Farm – a successful barn-turned-recording studio at his home at Wilton, near Egremont. 

It’s been quite a journey for Tom, 55, whose big break came while playing in the Rendezvous Club, Workington in the late seventies. “I was backing Peter Gaudino, whose musical director hooked me up with Freddie Starr. 

“I successfully auditioned for him in Leeds and was with him for 12 months. He’s as nuts as his reputation – but I will always owe him for giving me a chance.” 

Tom moved on to join the legendary American singer/songwriter Gene Pitney’s band. World tours followed, rubbing shoulders with the likes of Mick Jagger and Roy Orbison along the way. 

“Gene was an absolute gentleman. Working with him was a great experience – I only wish I’d asked more questions.” 

But Tom had caught the recording bug, and he headed behind the scenes when his 18-month run with Pitney came to an end. 

“I moved back home permanently – I didn’t want to be away from my wife, Pam, any longer – and I set up an eight-track studio in my garage at Hillcrest. I wanted to test the water, and it proved very popular. 

“We bought the farm in December 1989 and we knew the outbuildings had great potential as a studio, although they needed a lot of work.” 

Tom’s uncle Laurie Clark and close friend Alan Flynn built the studio free of charge, allowing it to open in April 1990. “It was a huge gamble – people told me I was crazy – but this only made me more determined. Without my wife Pam [a nurse at the West Cumberland Hospital] it would never have happened.” 

It was initially a huge struggle, admits Tom, and he had to spend the first five years making ends meet by performing live in local pubs and clubs with “dear friend” Alan Parry as the duo Late in the Evening. 

But the hard work has paid off, with thousands of tracks being laid down over quarter-of-a-century at Tom Tyson’s Music Farm. 

“As a sound engineer, you can fix everything. It’s much more creative than playing live, where when it’s gone, it’s gone. You can hone and make the sound the best it can be – it’s transformational. 

“And if it makes a noise, we’ll record it. Not just music, but hypnosis tapes, safety-at-work DVDs; anything at all.” 

Musically, Tom has worked with the great and the good in his studio. “In the early days, we had Brian Higgins [now a major record producer working with the likes of Girls Aloud, The Saturdays and Kylie], Frankie Dunnery [of It Bites fame], Mik Kaminski [of ELO], Anne Nolan and Jackie Rawe [Shakatak].” 

He has also worked with, or mixed socially, with greats such as Rolling Stone Bill Wyman, Cliff Richard, Don and Phil Everly, and Wizzard and ELO producer Dick Plant, whom Tom describes a “mentor” and “the best engineer in Britain”. 

More recently, he’s enjoyed working with local stars including former Emmerdale star Roxanne Pallett, and Tom’s 11-year-old daughter Anna-Louise’s favourite performer, Brad Kavanagh. 

Tom also has stint working with a pre-fame Simon Cowell on his CV; although not too prominently, he admits. “Simon is absolutely fantastic but the two songs I co-wrote for him with Phil Middleton – for the Emmerdale spin-off Woolpackers line-dancing album – were perhaps the worst I’ve ever written! It went gold though – selling over 100,000 copies – so that’s the way it goes.” 

To mark his 25th anniversary, Tom has called his “A-team” together to record a charity single, Lies , for the Great North Air Ambulance. 

In the team are double Grammy Award winner Albert Lee, John and Cath Marcangelo, Mandy Leonard, Lee Shackley (Tom’s “fantastic” engineer), Zoe Warren, Jennifer Molineaux- Alexander, Rod Alexander and Guy Lancaster. 

“These are the people who have been there for me over the years, to come at the drop of a hat to sing a bit on one track, and play a bit of guitar or piano on another. 

“It’s strange to think that they’ve played on hundreds of tracks with me individually, but many of them have never met. It was a special day.” 

So what does the future hold for Tom? Another 25 years perhaps? “Why not? We have a fantastic talent pool locally and love my work. It keeps you alive and I’ll be rocking until I drop.” 

The single, Lies , is available now. Full details at www.themusicfarm.co.uk