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Author Topic: Brendan Croker passed away  (Read 5470 times)

OfflineBilly’s Tune

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Brendan Croker passed away
« on: September 11, 2023, 09:46:29 PM »
More sad news. Just seen this on Steve Phillips Facebook page:

 “It is so difficult to describe the loss we feel over the passing of my dearest old friend Brendan Croker.
  I first met Brendan in the mid 1970s, when I repaired a Levin guitar for him. We soon became firm friends, and began a long collaboration of music making together, as a duo, and with other musicians.  It was Brendan that encouraged me to keep playing when I had given up all hope of trying to make a living as a musician.

  His persistence and energy led to his fantastic band “The Five O’clock Shadows”, and the formation of “The Notting Hillbillies”, which simply would not have happened without him.

He has been a massive part of my life and he will be so dearly missed.

Rest in peace my dear old friend.

Steve”

Offlinequizzaciously

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Re: Brendan Croker passed away
« Reply #1 on: September 11, 2023, 10:06:22 PM »
Just 70. RIP.

OfflineRobson

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Re: Brendan Croker passed away
« Reply #2 on: September 11, 2023, 10:09:56 PM »
Oh no :(

Feel Like Going Home...
I know the way I can see by the moonlight
Clear as the day
Now come on woman, come follow me home

Offline2manyguitars

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Re: Brendan Croker passed away
« Reply #3 on: September 11, 2023, 10:34:12 PM »
That's a real gut punch. Awful news....

Offlinedmg

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Re: Brendan Croker passed away
« Reply #4 on: September 11, 2023, 11:01:31 PM »
Gosh.  That's awful news.  Both Jack and Brendan seemingly pass away so sudden and not old either.  When you think about it they were, ironically, always the ones on stage so full of life.
"...and I blew up the radio in pretty short order."

OfflineBilly’s Tune

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Re: Brendan Croker passed away
« Reply #5 on: September 11, 2023, 11:04:57 PM »
I remember the 1998 Ronnie Scott’s gigs in Birmingham. Pre interval, Brendan joked if anyone was going to buy him a drink. Interval time and he went off stage with the rest of the band - five minutes later he’s in the auditorium queuing up at the bar with the punters waiting his turn for a beer!
Great chap, seem him a few times in different guises. He loved what he did and it showed!
RIP Brendan.
« Last Edit: September 12, 2023, 02:15:49 AM by pigster »

OfflineJules

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Re: Brendan Croker passed away
« Reply #6 on: September 12, 2023, 06:59:23 AM »
A week or two ago someone asked Guy about a band reunion, and Guy's answers was something like, as long as all of them stand, there is a chance, but very remote.

Now there is no chance for The Notting Hillbillies.

What a sad news, Brendan had a beautiful voice and wrote some great songs. I was lucky to see him playing some years ago in Barcelona, thanks to Mikel Camps Who brought him there, playing two solo gigs and next year another two gigs but with Steve Phillips playing the NHB record entirely. It was a nice experience I will always remember
So Long

Offlinesuperval99

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Re: Brendan Croker passed away
« Reply #7 on: September 12, 2023, 07:33:35 AM »
So sorry to hear that Brendan Croker has died.   I have seen him many times with the NHB and also with Steve at The Grove in Leeds.  He had a beautiful singing voice and was a great personality onstage.  RIP Brendan.
Goin' into Tow Law....

OfflineKnopfleRick

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Re: Brendan Croker passed away
« Reply #8 on: September 12, 2023, 09:37:33 AM »
OMG, another very sad news. :'( RIP Brendan.
This is all the heaven we've got, right here where we are in our Shangri-La.

OfflineBeryl

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Re: Brendan Croker passed away
« Reply #9 on: September 12, 2023, 10:47:02 AM »
A beautiful farewell from Brendan last month.

https://youtu.be/BduhWPKAyQc?feature=shared

Offlinedustyvalentino

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Re: Brendan Croker passed away
« Reply #10 on: September 12, 2023, 10:54:51 AM »
A beautiful farewell from Brendan last month.

https://youtu.be/BduhWPKAyQc?feature=shared

Unbelievable that was only a couple of weeks ago. What a shame. I saw him many times, twice in 97, 98, 99, 02 with NHB and in 05 I think with Steve. On every occasion he was the life and soul of the party, as DMG says so strange that he and Jack die first when they were both so full of life. :(
"You can't polish a doo-doo" - Mark Knopfler

OfflineJules

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Re: Brendan Croker passed away
« Reply #11 on: September 12, 2023, 09:42:10 PM »
Message from Marcus Cliffe on his Facebook:

yesterday, I was woken with a phone call telling me my friend Brendan Croker had died the previous day. I've been sat with this now for over 24 hours and I'm still coming to terms with it. I joined Brendan Croker and the 5 O'Clock shadows when I was about 23/24. The band had been going for a year but the bassist Nigel Brooke decided the music bizz wasn't for him and Graham pollard the drummer decided the same thing. So with the new lineup of Myself on Bass, Mark Creswell on gtr, Davey Curry on drums and brendan on vocals/gtr we set out on what was to become an amazing musical and personal adventure. We'd already made a name for ourselves in our home town but knew we had to venture forth, so we all made the decision to 'go pro' and go for it. I was working at a music shop in Leeds at the time, Brendan had had odd jobs and so had the other guys. So off we went into the big wide yonder playing every gig we could for a couple of years, making a couple of albums and getting some good press/radio to boot. We eventually got a management contract and a good agency and upped our profile enough that we were, along with 'The Stone Roses'  the first signings to the new 'Silvertone' label where we made our last album as the band, an album I had the pleasure of playing with Mark Kopfler, eric Clapton, Tanita Tikaram amongst others. The music Bizz took it's toll on the band and we split up a year or so afterwards, however Brendan and I went on to be in another band shortly afterwards. A band that WAS very successful....'The Notting Hillbillies' .

Those years together really were my formative years both musically and personally. We had so many adventures around the world, got into some amazing 'scrapes' , laughed, cried and everything in between. Brendan Croker and Mark Cresswell are engrained in my psyche .

Brendan was a one off. He was eccentric, sometimes seemed to talk in riddles but was always a kind and generous soul. His artistic vision was unfaltering and no one could mould him into anything other than being 'Brendan' . My friend described him as having a 'beautiful madness' and I think anyone who knew him would agree with that. He was a true artist in the proper sense of the word and I'm glad to have traveled that path with him through amazing times.

My thoughts are with his partner Ali at this time, they were a special couple Brendan and Ali :)

here's pic of the 5 O'clock shadows doing what we did so well.

R.I.P Brendan ..'now you've died and gone to heaven, you'll find no policemen there. So go to sleep you weary Hobo  :) xxxx
So Long

OfflinePottel

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Re: Brendan Croker passed away
« Reply #12 on: September 13, 2023, 10:35:59 AM »
i too have been fortunate enough to see the great man a few times.
the two first shows of the 99 string of Ronnie Scotts shows, brilliant, and then the 2002 Beaulie show, such an experience.
as someone else said somewhere, we better get used to this feeling of losing "old friends"
any Knopfler, Floyd or Dylan will do....

OfflineJules

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Re: Brendan Croker passed away
« Reply #13 on: September 13, 2023, 01:24:49 PM »
i too have been fortunate enough to see the great man a few times.
the two first shows of the 99 string of Ronnie Scotts shows, brilliant, and then the 2002 Beaulie show, such an experience.
as someone else said somewhere, we better get used to this feeling of losing "old friends"

One can avoid the fact that someday we will loose our man but it's not until we lost one DS and one NHB members that I didn't feel the risk around the corner...
So Long

OfflineRobson

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Re: Brendan Croker passed away
« Reply #14 on: September 13, 2023, 01:58:13 PM »
i too have been fortunate enough to see the great man a few times.
the two first shows of the 99 string of Ronnie Scotts shows, brilliant, and then the 2002 Beaulie show, such an experience.
as someone else said somewhere, we better get used to this feeling of losing "old friends"

One can avoid the fact that someday we will loose our man but it's not until we lost one DS and one NHB members that I didn't feel the risk around the corner...

I feel the same.
I know the way I can see by the moonlight
Clear as the day
Now come on woman, come follow me home

 

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