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'I
remember Long John from Eel Pie Island. He was
synonymous with the 60s for me, he was perhaps the first
musician that was "real" and in touch. God Bless and
thank you for making my youth something special.'
-Dee
Quintas
.
Goodbye...'Your bed in the hallway of 6 Lymington
Mansions, the albums from Sheppard's Bush Market,
our late nights in Soho, the "As You Like It"
with Barry, Countess Eileen and Ernest
the Astrologer... all those wonderful Soho people. A
loaf of bread from the bakers off Wardour Street
as we walked home. Clem, Duncan, Gus
Dugeon and now you. Those times were priceless
and shaped the person I am today. I miss you and one day
we'll all meet again.'
-Roger
Pettet
Condolences...'I wish to express my deepest sorrow
for John's passing to his family and friends. I'm from
Greenville Mississippi the heart of the Delta and
his music and vocals were truly the Mississippi Delta
Blues. He will truly be missed.
-
Allen O'Bryant
.
Soho in the 1950s...'I'm sad to hear of the death of
Long John. Like so many others he was an inspiration to
me, although only a couple of years older than me, when
I used to creep down to the sessions at the Gyre and
Gimble (the Gs) in Villiers Street, in the
mid-1950s, clutching my guitar, and with a head full of
skiffle songs. His big voice, big 12 string Zamaitis
guitar, and his elongated frame made him an impressive
character, even though he was still only a teenager. His
belting out of 'Sinner man' and 'When I Was a
Cowboy Way Out on the Western Plains' set one's ears
ringing down in the basement of the Gs. He was one of
the great characters of 50s Soho, and his death
will be felt by musicians, and audiences around the
world.
-Dave
Arthur
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