THEY ALSOSERVED
MUSIC NUT BILLY MILLER (b.1954, above) co-founded Norton Records, the rock’n’roll/ garage/R&B reissue label supreme, with his wife Miriam Linna in 1986. They released archival treasures by the likes of Link Wray, The Sonics, Esquerita and more, an invaluable curatorial role in the pre-’net days. They had
also published the fanzine Kicks, and played in NY rockers The A-Bones and The Zantees. Miller also produced LPs for Mary Weiss, Andre Williams and Hasil Adkins. GUITARIST MARTIN STONE (b.1946) played with The Action/Mighty Baby, Stone’s Masonry, The Pink Fairies, Chilli Willi And The Red Hot Peppers, the Savoy Brown Blues Band, The 101’ers, Wreckless Eric and Marianne Faithfull.
He was also shortlisted to replace Brian Jones in The Rolling Stones.
In later life a legend of the book-dealing world, he moved to Paris, where he released the Les Homewreckers album with Laurence Barma in 1996. DRUMMER CRAIG GILL (b.1971) co-founded Oldham band the Inspiral Carpets in 1983: coming to notice in ‘Madchester’ – and via eye-catching ‘Cool As Fuck’ T-shirts - the group scored 10 Top 40 singles and three Top 10 albums from 1990-94, and for a time employed Noel Gallagher as their guitar tech. They split in 1995, but resumed touring in 2003, and released a self-titled fifth album in 2014. In 2005 Gill founded Manchester Music Tours, and hosted trips to sites of interest for fans of Joy Division, The Smiths and The Stone Roses and more.
JOURNALIST DON WALLER (b.1951), a prodigious scribe, wrote for MOJO, Billboard, LA Weekly, LA Times, USA Today and Variety – among countless others (writes Michael Simmons). He was co-founder of fanzine Back Door Man and his notes graced a multitude of box sets. The lead singer of proto-punkers The Imperial Dogs, their This Ain’t The Summer Of Love was covered by Blue Öyster Cult. Brilliant, loquacious and dapper, he was also an accomplished gourmet chef.
OKLAHOMA-born jazz, pop and country singer KAY STARR (b.1922) sang with Glenn Miller and Charlie Barnet in the war years, and enjoyed US hits in the late ’40s and ’50s including Bonaparte’s Retreat, Wheel Of Fortune,
The Rock And Roll Waltz and the Christmas tune (Everybody’s Waitin’ For) The Man With The Bag. After her chart heyday, she performed internationally, and worked with Count Basie, Pat Boone and Tony Bennett. She sang
live into her eighties, and was reputedly described by Billie Holiday as “the only white woman who can sing the blues.”
SINGER/ SONGWRITER BILLY FRANKS
(b.1956) led west London pop soul protesters The Faith Brothers, who
almost broke through with The Country of The Blind and A Stranger On Home Ground, 45s in early 1985. After two albums the band broke up: Franks continued to gig and record, and in 2005 began a mission to persuade songwriters such as Bruce Springsteen, Paul McCartney and Elvis Costello to cover his songs on a tribute album. The film Tribute This! and the book A Far Cry From Sunset followed.
FREDDIE MERCURY’S mother JER BULSARA (b.1922) died on November 13, shortly before what would have been her famous son’s 70th. Brian May wrote, “Jer was always a keen follower of our progress as a band, and always came to see us when we played nearby, always with huge enthusiasm… in latter years Jer was always ready with a cup of tea when we visited, and we were always able to speak about ‘My Freddie’ without shyness, feeling that he was not far away.” Jer had a ‘Freddie room’ in her Nottingham home, and told the Telegraph in 2012, “it reassures me that he is still loved by people all over the world, but of course, none of them love him as much as his mother.”
CANADIAN guitarist/bassist DOUG EDWARDS
(b.1946) was a session musician for harmonisers The 5th Dimension before joining Skylark. He co-wrote their Canadian/ US hit Wildflower in 1973 – a cover of which by Hank Crawford was sampled by Kanye West, Eminem, Tupac and Drake. He later did sessions and played bass for Vancouver rockers Chilliwack.