I knew Pete Bellamy at Norwich Art School when he was about 18 and we were close friends, sharing a common interest in all kinds of folk-music and blues. We remained friends all his life, even though we were rarely in contact. He was even kind enough to sing at my wedding, stunning the guests with his songs (as well as his charm and his unconventional appearance!)

I thought Colin Irwin's article was really beautiful. It was touching, informative and a fitting tribute.

Bellamy was, I think, probably the most brilliant and innovative artist on the British folk-scene, and pitifully underrated. How the BBC (supposed guardian of culture) could have failed to put on 'The Transports' for the Australian Bi-Centenary, I shall never know. There should be some kind of massive award, statue or something, to mark the memory of this remarkable purveyor of (mostly) English folk-song, and Irwin's article is certainly a step in the right direction. Why can't BBC4 do something now?!

Bellamy put songs together with such consummate skill, the like of which I've never seen. Some of his own compositions were so good, with such a feeling for the genre, that they appear absolutely authentic. (The only give-away is the is the poetic skill with which they have been crafted -a level of perfection which few, if any, composers in the past could have matched.)

I shall miss Peter Bellamy for ever, as must anyone with an appreciation for the very best in English folk-song. Colin Irwin, who can write infinitely better than I can, has provided a memorial in words for which we should all be grateful.