I never met Brigitte Bardot but, like half the boys I knew, I had her picture on my wall when I was at boarding school.

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It was when The Clash invited Joe Ely to join them on tour in 1980 that I began to understand the parallels between punk and rebel country music.

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It’s not often you hear people describe a guitarist who doesn’t generally do solos as one of the all-time greats. But countless other guitar greats gave that accolade to Steve Cropper.

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With her bleach-blonde hair, scarlet lipstick and outrageous self-designed creations, Pam Hogg was the archetypal rock goddess. Even though she wasn’t one herself.

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Jimmy Cliff was one of the first reggae singers to enjoy a hit single in the UK. And one of the outliers who turned Jamaica’s national music into a global sound.

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Dave Ball was one of the least starry rock stars I ever met. It’s probably why we became mates.

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Ace Frehley, aka Space Ace, aka The Spaceman, was the creator of countless heavy rock riffs – and solos – in his role as lead guitarist of Kiss.

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I have to confess I never really paid much attention to the rise of D’Angelo, wrongly filing him away as a smooth R&B crooner of bedroom ballads.

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Rick Davis, co-founder, co-vocalist, co-songwriter and keyboard player in prog giants Supertramp, died in September 2025.

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