Rachel

I'm sure that Mudcat members have more to reveal about Nic Jones. If you were to join Mudcat and post here again, then other members would be able to contact you direct through Personal Messages - PMs.

Penguin Eggs was an exceptional album of great songs - contemporary and traditional - sung to Nic's strongly individual style of guitar. But his stage act continued to develop, introducing new songs including compositions of his own.

He never formally recorded the later songs, and after his accident in 1982, it seemed that we would never hear them again. In fact, we had to wait until 1998 for the release of In Search of Nic Jones (with Ruins by the Shore) and 2001 for Unearthed (including The Juke Box as She Turned).

It was extraordinary to hear these songs again - while younger people had the chance to hear them for the first time. And then in 2010 Nic made a return to the stage. These have been emotional events, but still with artistic merit.

Nic seems happy performing in the company of Joe and Belinda - and his audience is delighted to have the unexpected privilege of seeing him again.

I'd like to add one memory of his sense of humour that I've posted here before. Nic was a great friend of the singer Peter Bellamy, and had the part of The Father is his folk-opera The Transports. Peter's eccentric style divided folk audiences sharply.

Nic was coming to the end of his performance at the Coronation Folk Club in Southport. As was his custom, he asked; Who's on next week? Usually, he would encourage the audience to come the following week. But on this occasion the reply came; Peter Bellamy. Oh, said Nic, wickedly adding; Who's on the week after?