General News

Well, what a month August was!

Cropredy

Sue and I attended three nights at Fairport Convention's annual festival and what an eventful time it was!

On the Thursday on the way to our car in a field at the back of the stage I tripped and bashed my head on the metal driveway they put down for cars. I was holding a foldaway chair in each hand so when I fell, they sort of broke my fall. There was a bit of blood but thankfully nothing serious and it could have been far worse. The staff and paramedics were brilliant. I was shaken but recovered well!

I posted a small Facebook message of thanks to those above folks, and the response was overwhelming, and I must admit that I did enjoy the attention for a while. SO many people kept asking me how I was, and I received a lovely email of concern from my old mate Albert Lee.

Whilst at the festival it was great to meet up with old friends Albert Lee, Joe Brown, Paul Smith, Clive Bunker (below left), Ralph McTell, and of course dear friends Ric Sanders (thanks for organizing the tickets) Tom Leary and Vikki Clayton (below right).

It was a joy to finally meet Georgia Rose Lucas the daughter of the late great Sandy Denny and Trevor Lucas. Georgia has magnificently been keeping alive the memory of her remarkable mother culminating in a wonderful exhibition at the Brasenose pub in Cropredy. The exhibition features clothing, letters and lyrics along with her first guitars and a beautiful Martin 12 string. I bought two catalogues superbly presented. There are plans ahead for the exhibition to be mounted elsewhere in the UK hopefully at the V and A.

I met Sandy fleetingly a few times over the years. The first time was at my very first recording session with Bill Leader at Livingston studios where her and Dave Swarbrick were searching for a lost tape. And I remember a delightful chat with her on the phone. At one time we shared the same agent!

Her husband Trevor was in a band called Eclection. I had supported them at a university somewhere and the late Dorris Henderson was on vocals. One of its members was leaving and I wondered if I could join them. I attended a rehearsal at some pub in Ealing. I turned up with my guitar and little Gibson amp and joined in only to be told by their keyboard player Poli Palmer to stop playing because they were trying to rehearse! I was crestfallen and left. Trev was so embarrassed and apologetic. He was a lovely man.

Sandy died tragically young but left a lasting legacy of great songs and recordings. She even appeared on a Led Zeppelin track.

Back to the festival stage. The Trevor Horn band were amazing and having Lol Creme in the band was a real treat especially when he performed his old band's hit ‘I'm not in love’.

Several highlights apart from the mighty Fairport were The Debbie Bonham band with the surprise appearance of Robert Plant, Joe Broughton with students from The Birmingham Conservatoire who guested with Fairport on their opening set and their own stand-alone set.

Cropredy for me is one of the best festivals ever and gives me the chance to reconnect with old friends and fans alike. I have fond memories of attending with Hilary, and now with Sue I'm creating new memories to take forward.

Cobham concert

My concert at the Yehudi Menuhin Hall at the end of July was lovely. More than that I can't say really except that about 250 folks turned up and a lot of funds raised for a chosen children's charity. The main organizer Clive gave me a guided tour around Pains Hill Park close to the venue that was a delightful experience. See the pic. Worth a visit.

David Holmes

It's such a wonderful feeling when one hears one’s composition played by another player. In this instance it's my dear friend the great guitarist David Holmes who tells of how I influenced him as a 14-year-old when he heard the Visionary album and particularly trying to learn my 12-string piece ‘From the Four Winds’. David has recreated perfectly that old chestnut of mine almost note for note but has put his own spin on the piece.

The icing on the cake was the fact that he bid and won in the Gardiner Houlgate guitar auction the very instrument that I used all those years ago. I’m thrilled!

All is touchingly reviewed in his text which makes me feel quite humbled.

Here is David’s email:

10th June 2025: I spent most of the afternoon checking my emails for news. A few weeks earlier Gordon Giltrap had announced that he would be auctioning off some guitars. I checked the auction website for details and was amazed to see the 1973 Roger Bucknall “Prospero” 12 string up for grabs; the guitar that Gordon had used to record one of my favourite tunes, “From The Four Winds”. I wouldn’t be able to attend the auction, so I put in a remote bid and hoped for the best!

I’ve been a fan of Gordon’s since I was 13, ever since I saw him on Top of the Pops playing 'Heartsong' in the late 70’s. I rushed out and bought 'Perilous Journey' with my pocket money. Of course, this was long before the arrival of the internet, so information was difficult to obtain. It wasn’t until a few months later, when I saw the Gordon Giltrap band in concert at the Brighton Dome and bought a programme that I found out about the 12 string “specially made for him by Roger Bucknall” and Gordon’s previous album, 'Visionary'.

I’d just begun to attempt to learn some of the 'Perilous Journey' tracks and here was another treasure trove of stunning compositions and guitar work. 'Lucifer’s Cage', 'The Tyger', 'The Ecchoing Green', 'London' and 'From the Four Winds', one by one, were recorded from vinyl to cassette, and my Mum’s little cassette player, hammered to within an inch of its life with my relentless play, listen, rewind. I’m sure that the hours, days, weeks and months that I spent listening intently, trying to figure out Gordon’s playing, contributed to my musical abilities, even if my youthful versions were not always perfect! I played' Lucifer’s Cage' at a school assembly once and afterwards the deputy head announced to the school, “well, I’ve never heard the guitar played like THAT before!” I took it as a compliment!

Late afternoon, I still hadn’t heard anything and began to assume that someone had outbid me. But at exactly 5.30pm the email arrived to say that I’d won Prospero!

Those of us who dedicate our lives to music do so because the emotional effect that music has on us is so profound, we have no choice but to surrender to it. For me it started with hearing 'The Planets Suite' when I was 9 and having an exalted experience; being taken to my first concert by Mum and Dad to see Ralph McTell when I was 12 and Mum leaning over and whispering, “It’s really him!”; seeing Gordon on TOTP and thinking “What is this?! It’s so exciting!” New doors opening. Each of these experiences is like a beacon, showing the way, as if the universe is saying, “This is your path”. Learning 'From The Four Winds' was similarly profound. The fact that it was played on 12 string made it harder for me to decipher, taking much more time and ultimately bringing a greater sense of satisfaction. By the time I’d completed and memorised my version, it was so ingrained, that it helped form my style and my musical preferences, leading me to the lute music of John Dowland and others. It became a party piece that I would play at school assemblies, family gatherings and local folk clubs once I was old enough.

Once I’d received the guitar I re-learned 'From the Four Winds', this time from an accurate transcription, ironing out the imperfections from my teenage version!

I decided to record a YouTube video as a tribute to Gordon and Roger.

https://youtu.be/knjMceHxKZA?si=QQsGYSBdzK2knY1Z

To now own the guitar that was used to record a piece that played such a major part in my development as a musician is mind-blowing.

Half Man Half Biscuit

It was recently brought to my attention by our beloved Webmaster Sue, that the band Half Man Half Biscuit released a song 'Floreat Inertia' which contained a chorus mentioning my name. I was of course quite touched by this. All will be revealed by following this link HERE

Zoom Lessons

I have started to resume my Zoom Lessons which for obvious reasons stopped when Hilary became poorly. So if you are interested all the details are still on the site homepage and Paul Roberts is there to receive any inquiries.

Instruments for sale

I still have some fine instruments that need to find new homes and hopefully details will be ready by the end of this month and on the website. Watch this space.

Pete Townshend

I had lunch with the great man at his local pub last month. Pete has just embarked on the final farewell tour of the Who and is looking to collaborate with various folks in the new year. One of them might be GG!!

It has been documented many times over the years that the one person I would have loved to work with was the great man. Dreams coming true is the only way to describe the whole thing. If it's meant to happen then it will, but no matter if it doesn't because my friendship with this towering genius is very precious to me.

Old friends

So there we were Sue and I, going for an evening walk from my new abode and whilst walking past our local pub I saw in the distance two figures sitting at a bench eating dinner. One had turned to call my name. Sue said to me "do you know those people?" and I said, "no but let's walk up and say hello". As I drew nearer, I saw that it was two dear friends of mine who I hadn't seen in years Frances McGillivray and Mick Burke.

These two people are eminent blues musicians who's names you will no doubt be familiar with from their radio broadcasts on Cerys Mathhews blues show on Radio 6 and many live shows. I have known Frances since I was 17 and Mick almost as long.

They were playing a local festival the following day and had booked into an Air B and B literally yards from our home. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw them and so many teenage memories came flooding back. They came back for a cup of tea and kindly sang a song for us. It was a wonderful encounter.

Old tunes

I'm currently revisiting old tunes to see if I can still do them justice, one of them being 'From the Four Winds' triggered by David Holmes stunning and faithful version of the original. It’s interesting revisiting old material and to try and remember my mindset when first I created these pieces. I truly felt I was somehow channelling William Blake whilst working on the Visionary album!

New guitar

I recently purchased another Travel Air guitar from eBay. The price was good, and I couldn't resist it. Even though its main purpose is to have a neck that folds into the body thus allowing it to be carried on planes and put into an overhead locker it has an astonishingly good sound and is a joy to play. I plan to fit a pickup and take it on the road sometime.

My first one was used for the very first concert I did after Hilary passed. It was in Ireland in a little village called Athy at the invitation of my Irish cousin Will Giltrap.

Here is a photo of me with my cousin Will Giltrap and his father William whilst visiting Athy in 2023 and the memorable concert using just my one Travel Air guitars. This photo was taken at their local venue where many great legends had played in the past including Rory Gallagher and I believe Johnny Cash but don't quote me! I played in a local church arts Centre.

I used that guitar for the entire concert and it did the job superbly well and quite surprised me.

Fond memories indeed.