Just a brief post as other places & sites have written on it far more eloquently than I ever could, but I just wanted to recognise the passing of two musicians who both died this week, way too early in their lives, and whose music has given me a huge amount of enjoyment over the years...
First John Martyn, who wrote some stunning music and played some beautiful guitar... despite his "life issues" (what a hideous phrase) he was a real talent and as I say, died far too young ... check this out and you'll see what I mean..
The second was a musician whose name most people probably wouldn't recognise, Billy Powell.
Way back in the day, as a spotty nerdy teenager, wearing an RAF greatcoat with a handful of LP's under my arm, this man played keyboards for the first 'proper' rock band I ever went to see... Imagine the scene if you will - it was 1976 at the Portsmouth Guildhall, and I think it was "The One More for the Road Tour". My mates from school and I were there.... open eyed at the sight of the Hells Angels and their ladies sat on the floor in the Guildhall bar chugging bottles of Jack Daniels they'd bought with them rather than have to pay bar prices, while the little old ladies who worked there showing people to their chairs etc looked on in horror ...my mum would have had kittens if she'd seen it!
I can remember it to this day and I count myself very lucky that I got to see Lynyrd Skynyrd (for it was they...) in their prime, and before the dreadful plane accident killed so many of them the next year....
Here they are in all their glory - this was from the same year I saw them, so I guess I got to see them a few months before this was taken. The video is from their appearance at the Knebworth festival where they were on the same bill as the Rolling Stones - wouldn't have liked to have been in the Stones tour bus when they heard how these guys were going down with the crowd!
,
John Martyn: http://tinyurl.com/afoaho
Billy Powell: http://tinyurl.com/b7njtb
First John Martyn, who wrote some stunning music and played some beautiful guitar... despite his "life issues" (what a hideous phrase) he was a real talent and as I say, died far too young ... check this out and you'll see what I mean..
The second was a musician whose name most people probably wouldn't recognise, Billy Powell.
Way back in the day, as a spotty nerdy teenager, wearing an RAF greatcoat with a handful of LP's under my arm, this man played keyboards for the first 'proper' rock band I ever went to see... Imagine the scene if you will - it was 1976 at the Portsmouth Guildhall, and I think it was "The One More for the Road Tour". My mates from school and I were there.... open eyed at the sight of the Hells Angels and their ladies sat on the floor in the Guildhall bar chugging bottles of Jack Daniels they'd bought with them rather than have to pay bar prices, while the little old ladies who worked there showing people to their chairs etc looked on in horror ...my mum would have had kittens if she'd seen it!
I can remember it to this day and I count myself very lucky that I got to see Lynyrd Skynyrd (for it was they...) in their prime, and before the dreadful plane accident killed so many of them the next year....
Here they are in all their glory - this was from the same year I saw them, so I guess I got to see them a few months before this was taken. The video is from their appearance at the Knebworth festival where they were on the same bill as the Rolling Stones - wouldn't have liked to have been in the Stones tour bus when they heard how these guys were going down with the crowd!John Martyn: http://tinyurl.com/afoaho
Billy Powell: http://tinyurl.com/b7njtb
I'll miss John Martyn, he performed at the first concert I ever went to at Lancaster University back in 73/74
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