Dreaming Of Birds That Are Blue

I have often spoken about how Uncle Tupelo and Steve Earle pretty much invented the genre of Alt-Country in the late 1980s, blending together outlaw country with hints of punk. But that, of course, is not really the full story – like claiming the Pistols and The Clash invented punk and omitting The Stooges and The Ramones from the narrative. And that is the case here; Joe Ely , who sadly died yesterday aged 78, was doing all of that a decade before the rest. Don’t believe me?

The sad news came out this morning, via his Facebook site, that reggae legend Jimmy Cliff had died, "due to a seizure followed by pneumonia." The post, written by his wife Latifa Chambers, went on to say; "To all his fans around the world, please know that your support was his strength throughout his whole career. He really appreciated each and every fan for their love." Photo: Getty Images Jimmy Cliff was a transitional musician, one of the key people to bring reggae wider g

So, we say goodbye to one of the more distinctive British drummers of the last 50 years, with the news that Gilson Lavis has died today, aged 74. He is perhaps best known for his work through the late 70s and 80s with Squeeze , before moving across to be at the back of fellow Squeeze alumnus Jools Holland's Rhythm & Blues Orchestra . He was actually born David Leslie Gilson Lavis , in Bedfordshire, back in 1951. He was already an accomplished and well seasoned drummer before