The Singer-Songwriter's Last Stand - Tapa blanda

It was no great surprise when Arthur Grimsby, legendary session musician and record producer, ploughed into a brick wall last one night - nor that his jag was found littered with empty whisky bottles. His sudden death, as so often in the music business, may have ruined his complexion, but did wonders for his reputation. Immediately following the crash many celebrities were heard regaling his praises and admitting, for the first time in public, how much they owed their 'old mate'. 'What a colourful character'. 'A great loss'. And all that tosh. Within no time at all, a special compilation album was put out, tribute concerts arranged, glowing press articles written, etc, all celebrating the man's unassuming genius. Even today, though most music buffs have either forgotten or never heard of him, a small band of aficionados still argue the toss about his influence on the music scene - a tricky task since evidence is thin on the ground and often highly speculative. The last thing Alwyn Stevens expected was to hear Arthur's wailing harmonica one cold morning in Newcastle city centre shopping precinct. Though he'd known the old rogue once, bumming around as a itinerant singer-songwriter back in the Sixties and had even considered him a friend, he wasn't sure he wanted his life upset now by this ghost from the past. But, like it or not, many secrets are revealed - not only Alwyn's but also Arthur's and other musicians past and present. The story, based on true events, is accompanied by a CD of songs that inspired the book.