There is an ex-bomber-pilot who sings in folk sessions around Edinburgh and Midlothian, called Chris Egan. I only knew about that part of his life when a German visitor came along to the same session and he said "I've been to Germany but I only saw it from 10,000 feet behind a bombsight".

Chris does slow soft country ballads, mostly Willie Nelson numbers, singing very softly, with an utterly minimal guitar technique that just uses his thumb, and with a radiant sincerity that carries every word and note across. He can reduce the noisiest bar to absolute rapt attention in a few bars, even when the audience never ordinarily listens to that kind of music (as I don't). He hadn't been to Sandy Bell's for years when I invited him along to the Sunday Scottish trad session I'm a regular at. It's a hell of a noisy place, but he did the same there.

He used to gig regularly in the local area, but he's never really tried for much of a career in music - he's made a CD but you have to ask repeatedly to get one out of him. I feel honoured that he let me have one.

And I've never heard him slag another musician off.