This week, music and festival organiser Hugh Phillimore speaks about his love of all things musical.

*WHAT I’M CALLED? Hugh Richard Phillimore

*MY AGE IN YEARS? 51

*WHAT I DO? I’ve been in the music business for about 32 years running an events business called Sound Advice which books live music into all sorts of parties & events, I’ve been the creative director of The Cornbury Festival since it started in 2004, and I have an artist management company called Little Rose that manages Imelda May and The Straits. I’ve been lucky enough to spend my working life in a business that I enjoy, but running your own enterprise is a mixed blessing. I feel honoured to have worked with some of the greats including Frank Sinatra, Van Morrison, Curtis Mayfield, Humphrey Lyttelton, and Stevie Wonder to name but a few! I’m very pleased to have helped Imelda gain success – her albums are now 10 times platinum in her native Ireland and she’s beginning to break worldwide

*WHERE I LIVE? Chiswick, West London

*WHO I LOVE? My wife Nick and my lovely daughter Rose

*HAPPIEST YEAR? 2007 – got married – finally found the right girl – did take me until the age of 46

*DARKEST MOMENT? 1989 – my life fell apart – love lost, business crashed etc etc

*PROUDEST BOAST(s)? Working on shows with Frank Sinatra including The Greatest Show on Earth with Lisa Minelli and Sammy Davis Jnr – promoting the final UK shows with Eartha Kitt before she died in 2008. I organised the music at Prince William’s 21st, the DJ at his wedding, and provided music at the weddings of Elton John, Paul McCartney and Elvis Costello

*BIGGEST REGRET? Not being able to offer my mother the opportunity to live with my new family in her old age. Had obviously planned to have a larger house with a granny flat by now!

*WORST WEAKNESS? Haribo sweeties

*CHRISTMAS GRINCH? Yup – inherited my bah humbug tendencies from my Victorian father. When asked what he wanted for Christmas he would always reply ‘a lead pencil or a piece of Indian rubber’

*LESSON LEARNED? All the pain you give out gets returned

*DULLEST JOB? Corporate hospitality salesman – exhausted by running my own business after 10 years I managed to get the position as one of the sales directors in hospitality selling packages. When I arrived on the first day I realised that I’d made a hideous mistake – my boss rang to welcome me and I gave in my notice

*GREATEST SHAME? I borrowed $20 off someone when I was stranded at Miami airport in the spring of 1979 – I took their address but forgot to send them a cheque – it’s always played on my mind

*LIFE-LONG HERO? My father. I always remember him telling great stories of his time in South America. He was the chief representative of The Bank of England in Latin America during the Second World War – based in Argentina he knew Peron and Evita. He died 10 years ago

*OLDEST FRIEND? My best man David – we met on the first day of boarding school when I was 13 – he was the coolest boy I’d ever met. He’s been incredibly supportive, loyal and kind to me for all these years.

*WIDEST SMILE? My daughter Rose

*FAVOURITE DREAM? The endless beaches of the north Norfolk coast – sunny summer holidays of my lost youth and romantic walks from more recent visits