Tony was one of my favourite folksingers. Very versatile - although I never really liked his shot at Americana - Kristoferson's Casey's Last Ride and dr Hook's Freaking at the Freakers ball were two that spring to mind that i didn't care much for - but which he obviously liked and I saw him do quite often.

He was best to my mind doing English trad material. His version of the Bonny Bunch of Roses was to die for; Maccaffery, The Pelican (was it....?) . And of course English stuff written 'in the tradition'. I don't know what MacColl made of him, but John Connolly rates Capstick's version of the Punch and Judy man as the best ever recorded.

As Dave Burland pointed out his first idols were the Irish singers and he learned from them the ability to use his voice almost like a piece of percussion - a meticulous rhythm pattern - but without skipping an ounce of the expression of the words - be they tragic or comic.

He did an album that he shared with derek brimstone, Bill barclay and Mike harding for Rubber records called - 'there was this bloke'.
Tony wasn't pleased with his contribution - he thought Brimstone outshone everyone else on the record - but it contains a great live version of tony singing John Blunt which is half spoken/half sung and illustrates that last point.

By the time I saw him - he was a national figure. he did a great folk radio programme out of Manchester. But you could also book him for a folk club for thirty five quid a night - which may sound cheap - but it was twice what I earned a week as a teacher.I seem to remember he didn't drive. he needed people to run him to gigs, pick him up from railway sstations, and put him up - even if it was really only an hour away from where he lived.

Brimstone said Tony was the readiest wit that he ever saw - comparable with only Diz Disley. he was certainly very funny and took absolutely no prisoners, woe betide anyone stupid to enough to heckle - his put downs were devastating and hilarious.

However I can remember paul Downes telling me though he loved Tony's work - he thought southern audiences sometimes found the Northern accent sort of brutal sounding, and he remembered seeing an audience recoil at the use of the eff word when someone like Derek brimstone's gentle cockney accent ('fackin' hell mate!') would have merely amused them.

Tony was in reality an alternative comedian who suffered the misfortune of emerging five or six years before comdey was the new rock an roll, and every member of footlights was getting a break.

Certainly after you'd sat through a red in claw evening with Tony in great form - nothing on the TV looked even half talented. Even when he'd punched a hole in the national consciousness with his 'hit' - this great wit was handed the job of introducing and commenting on a tv series about marching bands - you know majorettes and baton twirling. I watched about two minutes, cos Tony was introducing it and just thought 'poor sod!'

So in short - a victim of the times in which he lived. A time when the media's idea of a Northern wit was Bernard Manning.