Johnny made me feel most welcome when I went to Herga on my 3rd attempt after meeting George Papavgeris at a singaround.

His warm smile and words of praise and encouragement and 'who wrote that' and 'can I get the words' to a song by Sav

I had a gig in Bedford 2000 ish and took along George and Johnny accepted an invitation to be a backing vocalist! he sat with us in the Blue Anchor in St Albans on a St Michael's folk evening.

He always accepted the invitation to sing with me and I so enjoyed the opportunity to accompany him, maybe bathing in reflected glory, and on a recent gig in Watford to have George, Moses and Johnny Collins join me for the last song was for me a golden moment.

If you had to follow him as a performer, you had to be on your toes, but his 'end of evening after gig words' that I took away with me will be cherished for always.

'Do you give guitar lessons?'

he didnt need them , he was an true artiste, of the old kind

I'll recount the time I booked Ben Campbell to appear in St Albans, Johnny said 'I'll come', Ihey hadnt since they were in Singapore together where Johnny was running the folk club, and Ben got somewhat pissed and got thrown in jail !!

maybe someone can get Ben on here, maybe I will

t b c