Happy New Year to all you folks out there! I hope 2006 is a good one for everybody.

2005 was certainly a year of surprises and 'ups and downs'. It started off well. I received a 'Lifetime Achievement Award' in music, presented to me by 'GO Magazine'. Anyone who knows me will tell you, I am not ususally stuck for words - but I was totally surprised and gobsmacked. Especially when the screen rolled back and Steve Harris from Iron Maiden was there and paid me a marvellous tribute.

Speaking of Maiden, we were invited to play at the 'Clive Aid' gig in London in March, in aid of their former drummer Clive Burr and the Multiple Sclerosis fund which Maiden do so much for. Good on 'em I say. This was the new line up of STRAY which I must tell you about. In 2004 I was asked to join up with some of the then members of Greg Ridley's Humble Pie for a tribute concert to celebrate the life of the late Greg Ridley. I had known Dean Rees (Hammond Organ/Piano) for some time, but we'd never got around to playing together. He had also introduced me to Karl Randall on drums. Together with another old friend of mine, Stu Uren who incidentally, I had not seen for some years. We played the concert. It was quite clear to everyone involved that this was too good to let go. I had been asked to play some blues based shows with a band (which I did not have) and here it was, all ready and waiting. We also tried some Stray songs and they sounded so alive especially with the extra magic that Dean's keyboards added. In fact I had always played keyboards on the albums but never reproduced the sounds on stage in this way. Stu had played on my solo single entitled 'Who Do You Love', back in 1979 and we went on to play together on various sessions and formed a band called Javelin in the early 80s. With Stu on bass and Karl on drums, I must say, you will have to go a long long way to find a better rhythm section. So here is the worst kept secret - Del Bromham and The Devils and STRAY are the same. We can just play any type of music you want to hear. THAT, my friends, is a songwiter and a musician's dream come true.

I had a major setback later in the year. My good friend and business partner Paul Newcomb of Trigger Happy Music decided for personal reasons to call it a day. We had been together for a long time, he was my right arm and his contribution had been immeasurable. I would like to take this opportunity to thank him for all his work and I miss him now he is not around.

I did not know that 2005 would be the start of a rollercoaster of events. To list them all would take too long and some are almost unbelievable! Personal tragedies, flooded houses, certain band members catching fire.... you name it we've seen it this year. It seemed like with every week a new problem arrived. But despite adversity we have all come out smiling and you will see that the next time you see us play!

The music business is fickle. However, we plan to do more recording and continue to play more shows, because that is what STRAY has always been about. Although to be honest, at this moment I cannot put a time frame on anything specific. It's the nature of the business and we are trying to sort out the 'nitty gritty' right now !

Finally I want to say a big 'THANK YOU' to all you people who have stuck by STRAY over the years. A couple of fellas once wrote "It's All In Your Mind" but it has now become very real ... if ya know what I mean ?

Luv ya lots
Del Bromham
xxxxxx