No doubt about it - he was a great songwriter and his songs have helped me earn a living.

But what drew me to him was the 1970's. Everybody in England was going Celtic. The DADGAD guitars , the jigs and reel, the agonised quavering vocals with Walter Gabriel accents and we were told this was our lot as English folk singers and this is what we had to sing if we wanted to be welcome in English folk clubs.

And the songs......they were all about being a victim. The cruel landlord, the cruel redcoat soldier - they came round and give us a good hiding, then they transported us for doing sod all, and tomorrow we were all going to be hanged......and so it went on.

I was living in Birmingham at the time and one night I went to an Irish club - prepared for the worst, if you got asked out for dinner the inevitable background music was The Chieftains playing a 25 minute lament.

And there in this club was country music. The Showband scene had fallen apart in Ireland and there loads of brilliant Irish musicians who could play as well as any Nashville cats, playing their hearts out in the country music clubs. they all had fantastic instruments -fender tellys and fender twins. They were so good.

Inevitably they told you about their heroes who seemed to be Willie, Waylon, Moe Bandy, Johnny Paycheck - but they all loved Johnny Cash.

And you could see why. here was this voice that conveyed that epic sense of self. I am the Captain of my soul, master of my fate, hello I'm Johnny Cash. I've been knocked down by life, but I have dignity. I'm a victim but I'll bust your lip if you try to make feel like one.....thank god for Johnny Cash.