BBC Introducing

Musician Andy Grant mixed his desire to see the world with an ambition to play music by busking all over the planet, literally.

He says he enjoys busking because you can play what you like: "If people don't like it they can move on, and if they do they can leave some money."

Andy has also spent far too much time underground - during a period in South Africa he took a job working in a gold mine, three miles deep into the Earth's surface.

He tells presenter Phil Jackson on BBC South:Live: "It was one of life's little mistakes. I took an interview for a job I never thought I would get but I got it and got stuck in the ground."

Steam room

Andy would be underground for six to seven hours at a time:"It was like working in a steam room," he says.

It soon became clear that his passion for playing music, and preference for above-the-ground work, ensured he wasn't about to embark on a life long career as a miner.

He says: "I only did it for three or four months. I probably set a record for the number of days off I had. I was inventing all sorts of reasons to not go to work."

With international travels over for now, Andy, whose rootsy musical style has been compared to Ray Lamontagne and Gomez, is finding his adventures on the road continue closer to home, and is enjoying playing more and more gigs to growing audience numbers.

Listen to Andy perform the tracks Bessie, Miss Particular, Hole in the Sky and Prioritise, plus an interview with Phil Jackson.

More information on Andy, his music and live dates can be found on his Myspace website.

BBC South:Live, Sundays 7-9pm, BBC Radio Solent 96.1FM/103.8FM