STRAWBSWEBNEWS - ARCHIVE

STRAWBSWEBNEWS - STOP PRESS OCT 2009 - ROBERT KIRBY

Sent by Dick Greener: 4 Oct 2009

Very sorry indeed to have pass on the news I've just had from his closest friend Geoff James, that Robert died yesterday (Saturday 3rd Oct).

Difficult to believe it's only three weeks ago that Robert conducted the Royal Artillery Band through his arrangements for the Acoustic Strawbs' "Evergreen", John Ford's "Heavy Disguise" and the full band's "River/Down By The Sea" and the magnificent "Where Silent Shadows Fall", which had many fans in tears as the grand finale of an emotional weekend-long celebration of Strawbs' 40th anniversary.

I met him on a number of occasions, and he was always the nicest of men, approachable, amusing and self-effacing. Whilst we Strawbs fans know him for his contributions to Strawbs and Dave Cousins albums, both arranging and playing, he was well known outside our world for his contributions to Nick Drake's fantastic albums, underrrated when released, but these days quote as an influence far and wide. He has contributed to artist as wide ranging as The Magic Numbers to Vashti Bunyan, Paul Weller to Roger McGough. See the list at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Kirby.

He will be very much missed.

DICK

DICK GREENER
STRAWBSWEB- www.strawbsweb.co.uk
"You'll scarcely believe all the pleasures inside..."