By 
MUSIC has been a lifelong passion for Sion Mills singer and guitarist Alastair Spence.
As a child, it was the tunes of Elvis Presley and Buddy Holly that first sparked his interest. By his early teens, Alastair had taken up the guitar and developed a deep appreciation for classic country artists such as Hank Williams, Johnny Cash and Merle Haggard.
It was the early encouragement of his grandfather that ultimately made him realise he wanted not just to play music, but to perform.
“I remember one of the very first songs I learned to play on guitar was ‘Walk the Line’. I played it for my granda and he called everybody in to listen,” Alastair recalled. “From that day on, I’ve played non-stop.”
Today, Alastair performs across the country, bringing his love of classic American country music to venues throughout both the North and South.
In recent years, he has been a finalist in several competitions, including the Cowboys and Heroes competition in Leitrim and the Big Tom Competition in Castleblayney.
Last year, he released a cover of the country classic ‘Ghost Riders in the Sky’, which received airplay on radio stations across Ireland and even claimed the number one spot on Carlow Radio on Christmas Day.
His growing success has also been recognised at award ceremonies. Alastair won ‘Entertainer of the Year’ at the Country NI Awards and received the ‘Gene Stewart Inspirational Award’ at the NI Country Music Awards which took place at the beginning of the month.
Speaking about his love of performing, Alastair said, “I love playing. There’s a lot of travel involved, but it’s an amazing buzz watching people dance along to the music you’re playing.
“I’ve only been performing for three years, but I’ve been singing my entire life — and I love it.
“Music has taken me to a lot of cool places and over the last couple of years I’ve even been to Nashville twice. Ernest Tubb is a massive hero of mine, and I got to sing with his former steel guitar player. I also had the chance to meet Vince Gill.”
Recently, Alastair recorded his debut album, ‘Bad Apple’, which will be released on March 27.
To mark the occasion, he will host a special album launch concert that evening at the Castle Inn in Castlederg.
The event will feature a stellar line-up of musicians including Katelynn Marie, Conor, Orla Furey, Lexi Rose, Kelan Browne, Johnny Moore, Gary Gamble and more.
“I recorded the album at Pinegrove Studio in Ballymena and it was great fun,” said Alastair.
“This is my first album and I really wanted to do something special for its release, so we organised the show on March 27 to celebrate.
“We’ve been planning it since last year and I can’t believe it’s so close – I can’t wait for everyone to hear it.”
Alastair will also be performing at a number of local shows in the coming months, including a concert at Castlederg Methodist Church Hall on Thursday, March 5, featuring a strong line-up of local singers. He is also set to play at The Post Inn in Drumquin in May.
