Musical Influence

As a man in his 50’s reared in North America, Lafayette was of course tremendously influenced by the whallop of change in popular music during the vinyl era in which he grew up. He was first smitten as a six year old by The Monkees — spoon fed to him on a black and white TV with rabbit ears. This quickly led him to more quality fare of the Brit pop of the day, to psychedelia, and blues rock that was de riguer for a youth with shoulder length hair. Lafayette learned piano at his mother’s knee, and quickly picked up guitar, and then bass too. As a teen he played in many a rock band.

His epiphany came in his 20’s when he happened apon a retro-chanteuse torch singer bringing it home with nothing more than a tuxedo-clad pianist, a slinky evening dress, and songs from Porter, Gershwin and all the rest. The Great American Songbook called, and Lafayette followed.