Good work there, Tony. I ran across Diz several times in London and in Sussex in the late '60s through to the mid-'80s and played with him on a number of occasions. Around 1970, the jug/jazz band I played in - the Egbert Sousé All Stars - had a residency at a Bayswater pub called The Redan on the corner of Westbourne Grove and Queensway. The band was a kind of moveable feast of personnel - sometimes there'd be about 8 of us playing, sometimes just 2 or 3 - and it was on one of the latter occasions that the occupant of the pub's upstairs flat came downstairs to listen. That occupant being Diz (the pub landlord, Johnny Watkins, was an old friend of Diz and had been himself a singer and guitarist on the Tito Burns circuit).

Diz ordered himself a pint, turned to us and said, "Bit thin on the ground tonight, lads - hang on", went upstairs and came down with guitar in hand. He played with us all evening - and a great evening it was. At close of play, we offered him a cut of our (meagre) gig money. "No, no lads, I've got a great gig tomorrow evening coming up." Where was that, we asked. "Carnegie Hall, with Steff."

Typical of the man.