General News

A sad one this month... ALAN HALL 1951-1925.

My dear old friend and fine bass player Alan Hall passed away. I placed a rather out of focus photo on Facebook of he and I on stage when we supported Bowie at Avery Hill College in about I guess 1972. For some reason it has disappeared not only from my photo gallery but also on Facebook....Very strange!

He and I played a few gigs, and I remember buying a London Taxi to travel around in, but it sadly got written off. I didn't drive at the time so driving duties were left to Alan. I remember we did a radio show called ‘Country Meets Folk’ where we performed a guitar and bass duet called 'Dream Topping'.

He played on some of the sessions for my 73 Giltrap album for Phonogram. In later years whenever I played close to his home in Kent he would turn up and it was always a joy to see his smiling face.

He revealed to me in confidence at the last gig he attended that he stopped working with me for personal reasons that must be kept in confidence. He said it wasn't anything to do with me or our friendship. I don't remember any issues at the time why we drifted apart I just assumed it was to do with family commitments and his own personal musical journey.

He was an incredibly handsome dude and he and his pretty wife Sue made the perfect couple. My heart goes out to Sue and her family at this awfully sad time.

RIP with the angels my dear pal. You were a special man and fine musician and will be greatly missed.

Thoughts

This time of year is very quiet so I'm currently looking at my sketch of ideas and re visiting material that was written a few years back to see if can been brought up to date with new ideas.

The writing process continues to be a mystery to me and I have said many times that I have no idea how I write this stuff and to a degree I feel I'm just a channel for what may or may not appear.

My dear friend Pete Townshend (name drop) thinks otherwise. He says that it's my hands, my muscle memory and I'm good at my job. I guess after nearly 60 years (this year more of that shortly,) I should be getting something right. Maybe he's right but I don't think so. Nature has given me a wee gift, and I make the most of it and am very grateful.

When I was composing the music for Visionary all those years ago, (it will be 50 years this year!)I was so obsessed with William Blake that it felt like I was almost channelling him, and the ironic thing is that when I lived in Sutton Coldfield I lived just around the corner from Blake St, and where I live now has a Blake's Hill opposite the house. I think the great man is keeping an eye on me!

60th anniversary concert

Yes folks, November of this year marks my official step into showbusiness with the signing of that first contract with Transatlantic Records.

The question is ...

Should l celebrate it and is it worthy of a celebration?

I guess the answer should be YES, but what form will it take?

Will it be a grand affair like that Symphony Hall concert of yore?

Will it be crammed full of superstars clamouring to share the stage with me?

Will it just be a low-key affair?

Will I somehow reform what is left of the GG band?

Will we go down memory lane and perform tracks from those three seminal albums?

How much will it cost?

Who will fund it?

Will there be a posh light show and back projection?

Finally, will I have the energy to pull it off?

A wonderful new guitar repair and restoration business

I want to share with you a fabulous new guitar servicing business run by my two friends Chris and Nathan Sharp.

I got to know these two great guys during my time as an endorsee for John Hornby Skewes. Both these gentlemen worked on many of my signature instruments and others beside.

They worked veritable miracles on instruments that at times would have been deemed beyond repair!

They truly looked after me during my tenure with the company. I cannot recommend them highly enough. They can be trusted to look after your precious instruments electric or acoustic.

Thanks for your time and friendship during a period I regard as a golden age within the history of the company.

You rank alongside some of the finest in the business including my friend Michael Gough, and that's praise indeed! If you gentlemen lived closer, I swear I would be visiting your workshops on a regular basis.

I wish you well.

92.5 Phoenix FM

I hope you enjoy my fairly lengthy chat with Joe from Dublin radio station 92.5 Phoenix FM.

I have done so many of these kind of interesting views it's hard to say something original about my past and my brief flirtation with Rock Stardom and my memories of those heady days in the sixties, but depending on the interviewer I find myself totally engaged with the process and my chat with Joe was a prime example of this.

On Sunday 18/01/26 on Joe's Musical Icons, English guitarist Gordon Giltrap joined Joe O'Connor for a special interview. Best known for the iconic track Heartsong, Gordon talks about his music and enduring career.

Listen online at Joe's Musical Icons 18-01-26 16:00-17:00 by 92.5 Phoenix FM | Mixcloud

Melody Maker Clipping

My friend Chris Herring in Germany sent me this clipping from the gig page in the Melody Maker from 1968.

The venue was my favourite folk club in Bromley Kent, the Star and Garter. I think it was on a Sunday night, and the special guest was the legendary American singer songwriter Jackson C Frank.

Jackson had the voice of an angel and wrote the most sublime songs. At one point his girlfriend was Sandy Denny and he wrote the now classic song ‘Blues run the Game’. He recorded just one album produced by Paul Simon and is now regarded by many as a classic of its time.

He died in virtual obscurity but a few years ago the BBC produced his life story for radio, and it was incredibly interesting and gratifying to know that he hasn't been forgotten.

As the above advert testifies to the fact, I opened for him. He was a lovely gentle person, and I had the opportunity to play him my version of his ‘Blues Run the Game’. He smiled and said he liked it especially my typical Giltrap twiddles.

Also on the posting is my dear late friend Derek Brimstone who was a stalwart on the scene at that time. An incredibly gifted entertainer with razor sharp wit also a fine guitarist and even better bluegrass banjo player.

Both these lovely souls are no longer with us and greatly missed.

RIP my dear pals.

Quiz

An old friend of mine Steve Christopher emailed me to say that he had just returned home from his local quiz night and told me that I was a quiz question that asked, "who composed and performed the tune for The Holiday Programme?".

I think we know the answer but a nice little ego boost just the same.

Carrie Martin News

I have been pretty busy of late arranging a second guitar part to my friend Carrie Martin's superb version of 'Scarborough fair'.

So far I'm really pleased with it and it reminds a bit of the sort of approach my friend the late great John Renbourn would come up with...very medieval and decorative.

We plan to record it in March when I'm in her area and I can't wait. This sort of thing takes me out of my comfort zone and forces me to focus and more to the point practice, which I rarely do if there are no upcoming concerts.

This track will go on her forthcoming studio album.

Panther

Please say hello to "PANTHER". Panther is my partner Susan's family cat and has been for years. He has lived in Sue's house up until now and we thought it would be a nice idea for him live a new home.

He's a beautiful animal and is settling in nicely and it's the first time in many years that I have shared a home with a pet so for me it and he is very special.

He's an old cat and we hope he will enjoy his remaining days in relative comfort. Panther is a lucky cat who has been spoilt rotten, and methinks the spoiling will continue!