I once referred to Kate Rusby in the Telegraph as the best thing to come out of Barnsley, and immediately received a postcard from someone in Birmingham telling me that only Dave Burland could ever qualify for the description.........but as many people will know, Kate wouldn't quarrel with that anyway since he's been a hero of hers from childhood. I interviewed her recently for Salut! Live and she regarded Dave's thumbs-up for her new album as the ultimate seal of approval.
Dave did the first guest spot at my first folk club, in my home town, Shildon, Co Durham, in or around 1967. It was a fairly grim club, and Dave's performance, and friendliness, are among my few happy memories of the place before we moved the club to the big city (Bishop Auckland).