Kidnapped by the Japanese mafia. Shot at in Manila. Mistakenly arrested as a serial killer.
Welcome to the life of a session musician.
 
You won’t have heard of Johnny Thirkell.
You wouldn’t recognise him in a line-up.
He can walk into any pub completely unnoticed — yet he’s probably playing trumpet on half the songs on the jukebox.
You’ve heard him on the radio.
You’ve sung along with him hundreds of times in the car.
He’s featured in the mixtape of our lives.
 
Having played trumpet on 38 No.1 albums and toured or recorded with artists including George Michael, David Bowie, Sir Paul McCartney, Jamiroquai, The Who, Barry White, Rod Stewart, Bon Jovi, Level 42, Rick Astley, Lisa Stansfield and countless more, Johnny’s career shows what can be achieved with hard work, a good attitude — and a sense of humour.
 
From the North East pits to the theatre pits,
from the Colliery Band to the Buddy Rich Band,
from Working Men’s Clubs to Wembley 
this is the unlikely journey of a musician who refused to take the hint.
 
In Blown It!!, you’ll discover:
 
🎺 What life is really like behind the scenes of the music industry
🎺 The chaos, comedy and catastrophes of touring and session work
🎺 How close success and disaster often sit side by side
🎺 Stories that could only happen to someone blowing a trumpet for a living
 
Blown It!! is an unbelievable tale from miner to major — imagine Billy Elliot if he couldn’t dance.
He’s spent his life blowing his own trumpet… and nobody knows him.
 
Yet he’s been there.
Seen it.
Done it.
Blown It!!