Rothman & Jacobs
We started writing songs together in 1981. It was the time of New Romantics and Two-Tone. Disco and punk rock were in decline but their influence was everywhere.
We formed a band. We played some gigs. We decided we weren't very good being a band so we became a writing and recording partnership. We wrote a lot - even an entire musical - and, as the technology evolved, we evolved from paying for time in a professional studio to recording in a more relaxed manner at home.
We never stopped, but it's fair to say that life got in the way. It wasn't so easy to meet every Tuesday when we now lived in different countries.
Call me crazy but there's a debut album that will come out one day, possibly even this year. And when it does, it'll be worth it...
I know what you're thinking. There are 3 people in this pic... Yes. Left to right: Howard (Wiz), Jonny (Rothman), me.
Goldhawk Foxes
It was 2020 and we were mid-pandemic when Goldhawk Foxes got started. It meant that we had to negotiate lockdowns and periods when we couldn't meet.
We started tentatively. We recorded a song by CJ's brother ('Bad At Love') and then - because that had gone quite well - we played around with a few cover versions, like 'Pure Shores' by All Saints and 'Still The One' by Shania Twain.
Eventually we were brave enough to see if we could write together. The results can be heard on 'We Are Goldhawk Foxes', released in 2023, containing 11 CJ & Simon original songs.
And later in 2025, we hope to bring you the difficult second album...
Jojo Blythe
My collaboration with Jojo is quite different to the others. As a young singer-songwriter, based in Oxford, Jojo brings her completed songs (and her guitar, saxophone and even her harp on one occasion) to my home studio. My job - with Jojo's guidance - is to record, arrange and produce her songs. You can find Jojo on Spotify - (see the button on the left...) or gigging in the Oxford area or performing at some of this summer's festivals...