FIFTY years ago, a wide-eyed, 14-year-old Dave Hadfield attended his first live music gig at a Bolton folk club — and it changed his life.

Hooked on the mysterious and often misunderstood genre of the music scene, he has since followed his first love around the borough and beyond.

From having a curry with Ewan McColl, father of singer Kirsty, after an intimate gig in Bolton, to that infamous Free Trade Hall concert where Bob Dylan was branded “Judas” for using an electric guitar — Mr Hadfield has seen it all.

A journalist by trade, the 62-year-old — who worked at the Bolton Evening News before moving to the Independent as a sports writer — turned his hand to writing books about his other passion, rugby league.

But it was not until now that the grandfather-of-three has finally had the chance to let loose with an informative and interesting read about “unpopular” music genres.

Personal tales peppered with humour and hardship, such as his Parkinson’s disease diagnosis six years ago, feature in his new book, All the Wrong Notes — Adventures in Unpopular Music.

Mr Hadfield, from Smithills, said: “My first experience of music was in the early 1960s. I went to a club when I was about 14 and from that night I was hooked.”

He went on to watch and meet a number of high profile folk musicians.

His book is a collection of personal stories from his life, including not only the good times, but some of his lowest points too.

He said: “As well as the music, the book touches on personal parts of my life, such as my cancer scare and near breakdown, as well as my Parkinson’s disease.

“I hope it will demonstrate that even with a disease like this, there’s still an awful lot you can do. I have been told it reads well so it proves it doesn’t have to be the beginning of the end.”

All the Wrong Notes — Adventures in Unpopular Music, by Scratching Shed Publishing, is available to buy now on Amazon and in book shops, priced £12.59.