Alan was a member of Emile Ford’s Checkmates in the early sixties but his main work was that of a session musician. When Bruce quit the band to retire in 1968, Alan was asked to step in for their UK and Far East tours.

This led to a considerable change in the ‘Shadows sound’, as Alan’s piano and keyboard backing took over from Bruce’s rhythm guitar. This can be clearly heard on the two LPs that the Shadows recorded with Alan, "Shades of Rock" and "Live at Sankei Hall". Alan’s keyboard is also much in evidence on the classic single "Slaughter on Tenth Avenue".