I’m saddened by the news that Ran Fenwick has died. Although we’d lost touch years ago, Ray was a large part of my life in the 70’s. I was lucky enough to discover the band Fancy when planning the The Butterfly Ball in ’73. The three members of Fancy, Ray on guitar, Mo Foster on bass and drummer Les Binks, were master session musicians and became the reliable back-bone of the album.
It’s been a strange year. A year of life and death, despair and hope, all together and poles apart. Joy and sorrow. I never worried about the future, but that resolve has been tested a few times this year – and last. But human instincts take over and we learn to take strength from what we’ve got and ignore those yearnings for what we lack.
I am sorry to hear of the passing of John Lawton. I met him in 1975 when he sang on The Butterfly Ball concert at the Albert Hall. Ronnie Dio was unavailable for the live show and John bravely stepped to save the day. As one can imagine, replacing Ronnie was a huge challenge, but John was more than capable. As an adjunct to the album, he recorded Little Chalk Blue before the concert.
The Christmas season is perpetually tied to the turning of the year, and have little to do with each other other than proximity. But the greetings of the season will always instruct us to have both a “Merry Christmas” (or holiday) and a “Happy New Year”. My desire is that all the love, joy, and warmth of the former carries over into the latter.
In memory of Toots Hibbert R.I.P
In the 60’s, Toots and The Maytels were a ska and rocksteady band that were instrumental in bringing reggae to the world. I was captivated by Reggae Got Soul in the 70’s. Pressure Drop was another great song, covered by many, including Robert Palmer. The third song that lives with me is Never Get Weary.