Northern Irish, Singer-Songwriter & multi-instrumentalist Chris Heron was born into the classical world of music with both parents as professional musicians. Having studied at Hull University, it’s almost a second home and close to his heart. Now working all over the UK he works as a freelance musician within many genres and settings. This involves collaborating with music organisations such as ‘Urban Soul Orchestra’, ‘Six15’, ‘Viral UK’, & ‘Creation’; touring with an Ibiza-style orchestra, performing with well-established artists on the BBC live lounge, and performing at prestigious events in the UK and abroad. More locally Chris writes and performs with his alternative folk band from Hull ‘Pavey Ark’, who’ve recently achieved a headline spot at Glastonbury where he was able to highlight his string arrangements with an 8-piece strings section.

Born and raised in Hull, Maggi moved to London at the age of 16 to live with her brother Michael Ronson. She sings Backing Vocals on Micks three Solo albums - Slaughter on 10th Ave, Play Don’t Worry and Heaven and Hull. They also performed together in various London gigs with Philip Rambow. Maggi organised The Mick Ronson Memorial Concert at The Hammersmith Odeon in 1994 where former musicians affiliated to Michael and his music played. Maggi followed it with 2 concerts in Hull, The Ice Arena and Queens Gardens with many of the same musicians in 1997. Maggi also unveiled the Statue in East Park in 2017, chosen by their Mother Minnie Ronson. Maggi produced her album Sweet Dreamer in 2013 on the 20th Anniversary of her brother’s death with family and friends including Mike Garson, Woody Woodmansey, Richard Barbieri & Nathan Connelly. Maggi’s devotion to her brother’s memory has been a great addition to the show Turn and Face the Strange, where she recounts many experiences of their time together along with advising on the show’s content.

Jim Fletcher has spent most of his professional career in the performing arts, notably promoting leading dance organisations, including Scottish Ballet, English National Ballet, The Royal Ballet School and Birmingham Royal Ballet, and the dance sector advocacy organisation One Dance UK. He is currently Executive Projects Producer at Birmingham Royal Ballet, leading the company’s community outreach activity, and supporting the upcoming world première of Black Sabbath - the Ballet. Jim has curated and produced numerous dance events and galas over the years, including Together for Dance at the Novello Theatre in London’s West End in 2016, the Future Dreams Gala at the London Palladium in 2018 and last year at Birmingham REP, he produced the 30th anniversary gala for BRB’s community project, Dance Track. In 2006, Jim project managed the highly successful Birmingham Royal Ballet community action project Ballet Changed My Life - Ballet Hoo!, broadcast on Channel 4. In 2014 for The Change Foundation, he set up the community dance charity Dance4Change, aimed at changing the lives of young people at risk in East London, and in 2021, he set up Step for Change Jamaica, an ambitious project aimed at reaching young people at risk in Jamaican correctional facilities and children’s homes.

Jim first met Mick Ronson in 1973 with his best friend Edward Keenan, and the connection to Mick’s memory and brilliant legacy remains undiminished to this day. His role in Turn and Face the Strange is offered in memory of Edward and of Mick’s late mother, Minnie Ronson.

For the past 40 years I’ve lived and worked in Hull. As a writer and theatre director most of my work has centred around gathering Hull people’s stories and developing ways of presenting them. In the 80s with Remould Theatre it took the form of documentary plays such as ‘The Northern Trawl’, then moved on to large cast community plays like ‘Vital Spark’ and ‘No Surrender’. By the early 2000s I was working with the BBC in Hull on the innovative digital storytelling project ‘Telling Lives’ and more recently with Freedom Festival on the Freedom to Tell Tales project. ‘Every Time it Rains’ for Hull Truck told the story of the city’s devastating 2007 floods, and recent work with Hull Truck’s Act 111 company developed ways of devising theatre with a group of creative local people. ‘Turning the Tide’ told the story of Hull’s 1968 Triple Trawler Tragedy using a multi-media platform of audio stories, archive photographs, music and live storytelling.

As the writer of Made in Hull, the opening event for Hull City of Culture of 2017, I was lucky to work with a highly talented team of artists under the direction of Sean McAllister and tell the city’s story on the epic canvas of its buildings and public spaces. In 2022, Garry Burnett and I co-authored ‘The Mick Ronson Story- Turn and Face the Strange’ a new biography of Mick Ronson published by McNidder & Grace.

Garry Burnett is from Hull and has been an English teacher and established author for over 35 years. His publications include a wide range of teaching and learning books; articles and features for newspapers and magazines and a wide range of short fiction.. His most recent publications include ‘Mrs Ockleton’s Rainbow Kite and Other Tales’ (Crownhouse 2008), ‘The Positive Parrot meets The Negative Newt’ series ( 8 publications, by Inspire Ignite, October 2018) and, of course, ‘Turn and Face the Strange’ (with Rupert Creed 2017/18). He is currently working on projects associated with ‘Turn and Face the Strange’ and, with the actor Martin Barrass is researching and writing ‘Dodger’, a play about rugby league hero Roger Millward. He enjoys acting and performing and in 2017 appeared (briefly) in ITVs ‘Doc Martin’. He is currently Arts Correspondent for the magazine ‘Just Beverley’ and he is also a keen guitarist and enjoys running (slowly).

Emily has led the East Riding Youth Orchestra and played in many concerts throughout Europe with them in Belgium, Holland, Austria, and Italy. Alongside this she is a member of the Hull Philharmonic Orchestra and was part of the sell out premier performance for Karl Jenkins’ ‘6000 Pipes’ at Hull City Hall.

An artist and musician with more than two decades of experience, Rebecca was born and has lived in Hull all her life. She plays viola in the Hull Philharmonic Orchestra; is principal violist in Culture:Orchestra; and has performed with multiple string quartets in places as varied as Ferens Art Gallery and the military bunker at Spurn Point. She also plays fiddle with local Border Morris team Rackaback Morris; creates improvised soundscapes for spoken word artists alongside MyOneManBand and The Dyr Sister at “The Confessional” at The New Adelphi Club; and has written music for Michelle Dee’s acclaimed one woman show “Surrealist Bedsit” as well as her own material with her husband for their electronic folk-jazz band Whelming Flood.

Catherine has been involved in Hull’s music scene since the 1980s and is a long-term member of the Hull Philharmonic Orchestra playing in the second violin section as well as sitting on its executive committee. She also lived in Brighton for a few years after studying 20th Century Music at the University of Sussex. She has an eclectic taste in music and has been a fan of David Bowie since her teenage years. She has two children and runs a PR and marketing business from Hull’s Old Town.

Phil was born and raised in Hull and has been performing on and off since his mid-teens. Initially he played with duos, trio and bands such as the ‘City of Hull Youth Jazz Orchestra’. During his BA in Music Performance he played with Hull legends ‘Kingmaker’ for their 2010 reunion recording and show. In recent years, however, Phil has seen his attention turn to musical preparation, arranging and production as part of a team for ‘One Night of Tina’ touring Germany, singer Omar Kamal’s London and Dubai concerts and producer Giorgio Moroder’s first ever live tour.

Annabel Etheridge - vocals. Annabel’s love of music started at an early age and was hugely influenced by her parents. She began singing in Hull’s youth choir, representing the city at musical festivals across the country and then went on to singing in bands around Hull whilst still in secondary school and in university until she became a full time teacher. Her passion for music still remains and she sings locally whenever she gets the chance. Being asked to be part of Turn and Face the Strange is a huge honour and she is delighted to join the team.

Bobby Joyce - guitar and vocals. Bobby has been on the hull music scene for around 20 years, singing and playing in various bands as well as doing solo acoustic sets. Bobby’s songs combine well-crafted melodies and thoughtful lyrics with a powerful, soul influenced vocal.

Kristian Eastwood - lead singer. Son of David Eastwood who was a drummer back in the day with Hull bands such as The Roustabouts and Nothineverappens, Kristian also performed on demos alongside Trevor Bolder, performed in the band Mr Mojo, playing festivals such as Glastonbury, Leeds and Reading, before forming the band JoKeRz. Kristian is a singer-songwriter and sings regularly with the band The Tsars.

John grew up in Hull in the ‘60s and as a teenager took on the Hire Purchase payments acquiring Mick Ronson’s Telecaster. John formed the local band ‘Nothineverappens’, played in bands such as Quintessence, then in 1979 became the bass guitarist in Squeeze playing alongside Jools Holland and later touring Japan. John has played all over the globe at Festivals and Venues including: Glastonbury, Coachella, Madison Square Garden, Radio City Music Hall, the Royal Albert Hall. During a long and dangerous career John has worked alongside many amazing musicians including: Elvis Costello, Sting, Paul Carrack, and Keith Emerson.

Beverley resident & drummer John Cambridge played in Bowie’s bands Junior Eyes and The Hype which pre-dated The Spiders from Mars. John lived in the early 70’s at David Bowie’s house Haddon Hall in Beckenham, London, and was instrumental in persuading Bowie to recruit Mick Ronson as his lead guitarist firstly in The Hype and then The Spiders from Mars. John played with Bowie & Mick Ronson at the Roundhouse London in March 1970 in what has been dubbed ‘the first ever glam-rock gig’.

Hull born Ched Cheesman played with Mick Ronson in the 60’s band ‘The Rats’, with the band’s line-up including at various times John Cambridge & Woody Woodmansey on drums. Ched also played alongside the bassist Trevor Bolder in The Jelly Roll Blues Band. Mick, Trevor & Woody then went on to become Bowie’s famous backing band The Spiders from Mars. Ched played at the Mick Ronson memorial concert at Hammersmith Odeon in London in 1994. Having shared guitar licks with Mick Ronson during their time in The Rats, Ched is tasked with recreating the guitar virtuosity of ‘Ronno’ live onstage in the show.