Ian worked with me for some years until Spring 1986. We toured clubs and festivals and recorded Hooks and Nets in Brian Horsfall's studio in Macclesfield where EVERYBODY recorded in those days and many of us also provided harmonies and instrumentals on each others albums. Incestuous but great times.

Sadly we went separate ways and I've only seen or spoken to him once in the intervening years.

What Alan Rawlinson says above is accurate. But both of us used to encourage fledgling singers as we travelled - many became established names.

Ian had a big personality and a voice to go with it. He never made his voice the USP, he always used it to tell the story, not to show off. He was always more lyrics centred than I was. Boy could he tell a story. And write one too.

Off stage as well. He had the gift of the Irish. We would walk into an awkward off-piste booking and he would have the establishment eating out of his hand in no time.

He talked us into many tricky bookings TBH, but he made them work.

I have so many stories of our time together, and we complimented each other well. We were both baritones, but it was easy for me to harmonise above and below. Generally he would take the main line.

Ian was a part of the Folk scene fabric. A part of its backbone, its core, from which much sprang. One of the encouragers and enablers, who stood firm by his principles about sources and the origins of the songs he sang.

I loved my years of association with my old estranged friend Ian. I pay him honest tribute and I wish him Rest and Peace.

Charley