STUART REED R.I.P.
It was with great sadness that I heard that Stuart had died this morning in the Martlets Hospice in Hove.
Stuart had been one of the central pillars of the folk scene in Sussex since he was at College of Education in Brighton in the mid-1960s. He was one of the organisers of the college folk club and it was there with two fellow students, Andy Tunmer and Pete Cartlidge that he formed the hugely popular trio, The Brighton Taverners. Stuart’s death now means that all three of them have been taken from us before their time. The group had an eclectic taste in folk song but always performed with heart and soul; their real strength was their three excellent voices, especially noticeable when they were singing in harmony. As well as being guest performers at a wide range of venues both in and outside the folk scene, they run their own weekly events in various pubs with large rooms on Brighton sea front. In the days when Brighton was inundated each summer with foreign students and English language schools, these evenings always attracted capacity audiences. The Taverners recorded four excellent albums.
Stuart also performed in pubs and clubs as a solo singer and in the last 20 years or so this was the usual way he was heard; he was widely regarded as one of the best and most communicative performers on the local scene. As well as being a performer in his own right, Stuart was always a keen supporter of other concerts, clubs and sessions in the area. He was a keen listener and gave great encouragement to other performers, particularly new and younger ones. His delight when his singing and guitar playing was accompanied by his daughter, Amy’s fiddle was palpable.
He also became a folk club organiser later in life and developed the monthly Brighton Acoustic Sessions at the Nelson in Trafalgar Street from being a small singaround to being a guest booking venue where a high standard from all performers became the norm.
On a personal level, I have lost a close and supportive friend. Paticularly, I remember Stuart singing at the very last night of the folk club that Tina and I ran at the Royal Oak in Lewes. The kind words of thanks for us before he sang on that occasion have come back to me today.
My sympathy goes out to his wife and two daughters.

Click here to see a photo of him