Sadly, I've never met him but he was most understanding when I had to apologise to him back in the 60s after three of us got together to sing in Brighton and called ourselves The Taverners, shamefully unaware of the existence of his hugely popular band of the same name in Blackpool.

He was most amicable and wished us fledgling upstarts all the best. Thereafter we appended our home town to our name.

Hats off to this excellent songwriter and stalwart of music in the north west and beyond.