As far as I am concerned Derek was one of the greats on the British folk scene, he was so much more than a great entertainer. He was a guitar and banjo player par excellence and a singer with an eclectic repertoire. Along with Alex Atterson, Colin Scot, Noel Murphy, Alex Campbell, Redd Sullivan and Martin Windsor and the others, Derek was a regular guest at the clubs I helped to run in the late 60s and early 70s of the last century. He was an inspiration, a willing teacher and, I am proud to say, a friend. In recent years we only exchanged Christmas cards and the occasional phone call but I play his records frequently. Wearing my computer nerd hat, I was able to rescue a large portion of his autobiography from an obsolete Amstrad word processor. If you haven't read his two books, you have missed a treat!

I've been dreading this news for some time-there aren't many of the old crowd left now.

Farewell, Derek, you will be missed. My thoughts are with Jeannie and all the generations of the Brimsons who will ensure your immortality along with the music we can still hear and our memories.

Alan