Little did Deric Dyer imagine, as a schoolboy at Mount St. Agnes Academy (MSA), that when Sister Joseph Anthony put a saxophone in his hand, it would lead to a stellar professional career which has taken him all over the world many times, working with such musical legends as Tina Turner, Brian Ferry, Spandau Ballet, Andrea Boccelli, and Joe Cocker.

Nor did he know he would become a recording artist in his own right, appearing on the Tonight Show, first with Johnny Carson and later with Jay Leno, among many career highlights.

With music in his genes - his father, Eric, is a trumpeter who played with Joe Wylie in local hotels, and his mother is a singer - young Deric blossomed into an active member of the MSA band as well as the Bermuda Youth Orchestra.

Later, Mr. Dyer formed his own band, the Alltogether, whose members included Barry Fitzsimmons, David Skinner, Alan Zuill, and Reggie Dill. They did well, performing at Club Nine, the Zodiac, and in the hotels. Life was as sweet as the music, but as any musician will tell you, one thing invariably leads to another, and nobody stands still forever.

Thus it was that, during College Weeks, the American Standard Band from Boston heard Mr. Dyer playing and decided they wanted him in their line-up. It took six weeks to convince him to leave his beloved Bermuda, but when he did he never looked back.

Settling in Boston, things moved pretty quickly professionally. The band landed a recording deal with Island Records, its saxophonist played with famed British singer Joe Cocker for the first time, and when the two groups merged into The Joe Cocker Band, Deric Dyer's future was assured for several years. Cocker's unique style was a fusion of rock ‘n' roll, R&B and soul.

“We made a couple of records, but it just didn't fly so I left Joe and started playing with different artists in Boston until I joined the Fahrenheit Band, which was signed to Warner Records,” Mr. Dyer says. “During a recording session I met Jerry Peterson, a sax player from Los Angeles, whose band had a big hit song, ‘At This Moment', which was on ‘Family Ties' and “Michael J. Fox'. Jerry told me about a Tina Turner gig, so I sent my biography and got an audition.”

Despite the inauspicious start - his plane was late as a result of which Mr. Dyer endured a terrifying ride to make up for lost time; and Ms Turner initially pretended to be mad at him for his tardiness - the 33-year-old saxophonist soon hit it off with the dynamic star.

“I played for her for 90 minutes. She was singing in my ear and asking me what songs to play,” he remembers. “She was really tough, and demands perfection. When you are done she wants to know that she has gotten everything out of you she possibly can.”

Ms Turner might have succeeded at doing just that during the audition, but instinctively she knew the saxophonist had much more to give, and she wanted to hear it - indefinitely. So for the next one and a half years Deric Dyer played in her band to sold-out audiences all over the globe.

“We did 13 nights at London's Wembley Stadium, and towards the end we did a live HBO broadcast from the soccer stadium in Rio de Janeiro in front of 200,000 people, which was also going out on live TV in America. (It became the blockbuster video ‘Live from Rio'.) That was pretty daunting. From South America to Australia to South-East Asia, Tina is a world star. In Japan, where they are a little more reserved, we got them going because Tina won't quit until she's got you,” the saxophonist says.

Although he has since moved on, Mr. Dyer is still friends with her former band members, and to this day has never taken off the Rolex watch Ms Turner gave him at tour's end.

Even now, he is still blown away by the star's dynamicism and toughness.

“She is really tiny but absolutely wonderful,” he remembers. “The first time I saw her on stage I couldn't play. It took me a couple of minutes to pull myself together. She is just unbelievable. But don't get called to her dressing room - she is as tough as nails.”

With the Turner tour over, like an ever-recurring theme, the Joe Cocker Band became part of the world class sax player's life twice more, and he continues to tour the world with them, not only as a performer but also as its musical director - the latter role which he describes as “more diplomacy than anything. You've got to keep everybody's ego intact. Joe doesn't want any trauma, and this is the happiest band he's ever seen. He defers to me and trusts me because he knows I tell him the truth. If he gets the truth he makes good decisions”.

On these tours, Mr. Dyer also plays keyboards and congas, as well as saxophone.

That he admires the legendary Cocker, both as a performer and friend, is obvious.

“Joe is better now than he has ever been. He stopped drinking about two years ago, and at the end of last year he released a ‘Greatest Hits' record, which did better than anybody expected. That was when he decided to put out another record which is due out in September.”

In fact, it was thanks to the postponement of the next Crocker tour until September that made it possible for Mr. Dyer to return “home” with his wife Christine after many years away to celebrate his sister's birthday. Of course, no self-respecting sax player travels without his horn, which is why he couldn't resist sitting in with Howard Rego's Front Line Band as they opened for Latino recording artist Alex Fox's recent concert.

“I've met all my old friends, and it is just great to be back,” he says. “I forgot how much I love and missed Bermuda. I have to say that I have seen the world and there is no place more beautiful than Bermuda and its people. Bermudians should be very happy with what they have.”

Cognisant of the changes that seem to have taken place, Mr. Dyer is also philosophical.

“All countries go through growing pains, but it is the culture that makes a difference. Bermuda still has all the charm, and the people are just as nice and kind, and it has everything I remember. It's like a breath of fresh air.”

The stepfather of three children, the travelling musician is a devoted family man, and says he and his wife “never like to be apart for more than three weeks”, which means she also does quite a bit of travelling.

“I think Joe (Cocker) really likes her more than he likes me,” he laughs.

Among his many successes, Mr. Dyer has recently released ‘First Kiss' on Del Boy Records, one of three new CDs he has produced as a leader, and album in which his playing is described as “direct and sensuous”.

As for the future, he says he will do the upcoming Cocker tour, but adds: “I don't know how many tours I have left in me.”

“Touring can be very gruelling, but I am very lucky to be doing it,” he says.

“I understand what hard work is, and we keep crazy hours on buses and planes, but it isn't that bad. At the end of the day, there are a lot of people in the world who work harder than me.”

As great and exciting as his career has been, however, the gentle, handsome musician remains modest about his accomplishments.

“I have worked with really talented musicians 95 percent of the time, and most of the people I have worked with are still friends,” he says.

“I am a really lucky guy.”