RIP Syd, didn't know he was ill. I just remember him cracking his kneecap in the early 90's, put an end to his career,
Mick Ralphs, the influential guitarist, songwriter, and co-founder of the iconic rock bands Bad Company and Mott The Hoople, has passed away at the age of 81. He is survived by the love of his life, Susie Chavasse, his two children, three step-children and his beloved bandmates Paul Rodgers and Simon Kirke. He also leaves behind millions of devoted fans and friends across the world. “Our Mick has passed, my heart just hit the ground. He has left us with exceptional songs and memories. He was my friend, my songwriting partner, an amazing and versatile guitarist who had the greatest sense of humour. Our last conversation a few days ago we shared a laugh but it won’t be our last. There are many memories of Mick that will create laughter. Condolences to everyone who loved him especially his one true love, Susie. I will see you in heaven.” Love Paul “He was a dear friend, a wonderful songwriter, and an exceptional guitarist. We will miss him deeply,” Simon Kirke. Paul Rodgers of Free first met Mick Ralphs in 1971. After an inspired jam session and a mutual sharing of songs, Ralphs made the bold decision to leave Mott The Hoople and form a new band with Rodgers, and Bad Company was born. Adding former King Crimson bassist/vocalist Boz Burrell and drummer Simon Kirke, the band was complete. With the help of Led Zeppelin’s legendary manager Peter Grant, Bad Company became the first band signed to Zeppelin’s Swan Song label. The group’s success was meteoric. Their 1974 self-titled debut went five-times platinum, producing classic hits like “Can’t Get Enough” and “Movin’ On,” alongside electrifying rock anthems such as “Ready for Love,” “Rock Steady,” and the title track “Bad Company.” In a fitting tribute to the band’s enduring influence, Bad Company will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame later this year in 2025. Ralphs gave his final performance with Bad Company on October 29, 2016, at London’s O2 Arena. Just days later, he suffered a debilitating stroke and remained bedridden until his passing. Mick Ralphs leaves behind a powerful musical legacy that will continue to inspire generations.
I saw Bad Company live on the same bill as The Who, and Lou Reed in around 75 at Charlton.....Top band...Great line up with Paul Rogers, Mick Ralphs and Simon Kirke, but they never took off in the massive way, many people expected. RIP Mick Ralphs.
for any that don't know, the "syd" nickname was from a well-known bandleader. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syd_Lawrence
The young lad who has been missing and now tragically found Jamie Watson RIP A cracking young man who had tried to overcome so many hurdles in his life
Rocked all night at Bier Keller, Bad Company, Free and the Stones. Great nights with the greatest music. Thanks for the music of youth Mick. I couldn’t get enough of it.
RIP John Clark, who has died aged 84, was a member of the Celtic team that won the European Cup in 1967, the first time the trophy was secured by a British club. Playing alongside the imperious centre-half Billy McNeill, Clark was the ultra-efficient sweeper at the heart of defence. Clark and McNeill always shared a room, and a snap taken on the morning after the triumph in Lisbon showed the two men, both from working-class backgrounds in Lanarkshire, sleeping contentedly with the greatest prize in world club football perched between their beds. It was an image that epitomised the character and camaraderie of the Celticteam, all of whom were drawn from within a 40-mile radius of the club’s stadium, mostly from similar backgrounds. Throughout his life, Clark remained the same quiet, dignified figure, intensely proud of what they had achieved while unfailingly modest and understated. A profile written after the Lisbon victory noted that “John has kept his feet on the ground because he has shunned the temptations which can come with fame in the big city”, preferring to live in his home village of Chapelhall. please log in to view this image View image in fullscreen Martin O’Neill, left, the Celtic manager in 2003 with Clark, when he was the club’s kit manager. Photograph: Maurice McDonald/PA At that time, his friend, Paddy Crerand, who had moved from Celtic to Manchester United, said: “John Clark is a player’s player because he’s always thinking of the team and never plays for himself. If he’s given the job, he does it without any fuss or fancy stuff.” These same characteristics continued throughout a life built around the three pillars of family, faith and football. He was loved by the supporters as a man with whom they could so easily identify; one of their own who had risen to the heights but had never left them, or Celtic, behind. His daughter, Marie, recalled an incident from childhood when her dad took her into Glasgow to buy a Christmas party dress but when she came home, it had gone. He explained there was a cleaner at Celtic Park who had no money to buy her daughter a dress. “He told me: ‘She had nothing. We can get another one.’ He was doing things like that all his life. He was a kind man.” When John was 10 years old, his father, also John, was killed in a railway accident while working on the track at Watford. He had gone south for work and planned for his family to follow. His wife, Lilly, was expecting their fourth child and they returned to her native Limerick, where John went to school for a time, before coming back to Lanarkshire. In his teens, Clark signed for the semi-professional side Larkhall Thistle, a tough learning school that helped develop the physicality of his game. He soon caught the eye of Celtic, at that time developing a youth policy that was to yield such momentous results. Jock Stein, his playing career cut short by injury, was in charge of youth coaching and, McNeill later recalled: “Suddenly, the whole thing became much more than reading your name up on the list in the dressing room. John Clark, Jim Conway [later of Norwich City] and I were particularly lucky because, like him, we lived in Lanarkshire and we used to get [Stein’s] company home, listening and talking about football.” Clark made his debut against Arbroath in October 1959. It was a dismal period for Celtic and to the dismay of the young players, Stein departed from his coaching role to manage Dunfermline Athletic. His return as Celtic manager in 1965 was transformative, not least by building round the Clark-McNeill partnership. Within weeks, they had won the Scottish Cup, the club’s first trophy since 1957. Thereafter, the run of success was giddy, including nine league titles in a row. Clark played 140 consecutive games and was the only ever-present in the 1966-67 season when Celtic won a “quadruple”, which included the European Cup. Celtic winning the European Cup in 1967 His career was affected thereafter by injury and he played his last Celtic game when the Lisbon Lions were reunited for a final bow in the last game of the 1970-71 season. Despite the club honours he assembled, Clark was capped only four times for Scotland; an under-representation which he shared with other Celtic players of the era. He spent two seasons with Morton before retiring as a player and soon returned to a coaching role at Celtic. When McNeill went into management, Clark was his assistant first at Aberdeen and then at Celtic. There had been some expectation that Clark would succeed as manager when McNeill left in 1983 but this did not materialise. However, he continued to serve Celtic in various roles and in 1997 became kit manager, a post he held for 20 years and addressed with characteristic diligence and efficiency. His daughter recalled: “My dad always told us, if you are doing anything, do it properly – and that’s the way he lived his life.” Players arriving at Celtic were impressed to learn that the man in charge of their kit was also the possessor of a European Cup winners’ medal. To a succession of Celtic managers including Martin O’Neill, Gordon Strachan and Neil Lennon, Clark remained a valued source of footballing wisdom and experience. The current manager, Brendan Rodgers, said: “John’s continued presence at Celtic across the decades served as an absolute inspiration to so many players, managers and staff.” The Celtic chairman, Peter Lawwell, described him as “a wonderful man who achieved so much and remained so humble”. Clark is survived by his wife, Eileen (nee Martin), whom he married in 1963, their daughter, Mairi, and son, Martin, and three grandchildren. John Clark, footballer and coach, born 13 March 1941; died 23 June 2025
Barry Hills racehorse trainer,88. One of the all time greats,followed his horses for many years.To his credit, his son's are still firmly embedded in the sport...RIP.
