John was a magician with a guitar and as soulful a singer as you could ever wish to hear. I was fortunate enough to meet him (in the early 80s) quite by chance in hotel bar and spend a few hours with him and his (second) wife. He was then, and remains forever, my musical hero. As a man who had little time for the concept of celebrity the press would often get the sharp end of his view of the world - for the few hours (and many, many beers and 'sundries') I shared with him I found him to be a very warm and generous man in spirit and demeanour.
The poetry of his lyrics and the richness of his sound will never be forgotten.
