Gosh, this news had passed me by until now. A huge loss to roots music journalism here in the UK. I can remember the Melody Maker columns, and I loved all his subsequent books, whilst his absorbing and erudite articles in the likes of fRoots magazine were always compulsive reading, even about artists you didn’t previously think you were that interested in. Plus, I vaguely recall that he was involved in a weekly radio show with Wally Whyton in the 1980s, that was broadcast here on Friday evenings for about 2-3 hours, which always seriously delayed my trip to the pub, but probably kept me off the slippery slope to drink dependence, although not from becoming a committed vinyl/CD junkie. Top man.