Steve Tilston
Born in Liverpool in 1950, Steve Tilston is one of Britain’s most widely respected singer-songwriters and guitarists regularly touring the UK, Europe, America and Australia. His first album, An Acoustic Confusion, of 1971 is still a classic Many more albums of great quality have followed. His wide musical activities included rock, theatre work and touring with Ballet Rambert. In the early 1980s, Steve ran a folk club with Bert Jansch in New Kings Road, Chelsea. He formed his own record labels, Run River, and Hubris. In 1988 he was a member of John Renbourn’s group ‘Ship of Fools’, which released an album on Tilston’s label. He is actively gigging today. He is also a published author whose first novel All for Poor Jackset in Bristol and the New World, has been enjoyed by the likes of Bob Dylan.
Weeping Willow Replanted
A piece by Steve Tilston for Bert Jansch
Steve writes: My piece is a bluesy one. That is how I got in to Bert’s music in the first place, through the blues which he performed a lot. This is my rewrite of an old blues pieces that Bert, and Wizz Jones used to play called ‘Weeping Willow Blues’ I have called mine ‘Weeping Willow Replanted’. I’m sure you can hear echoes of Bert’s guitarist ‘filigree’ there. I make no bones about that. I first saw Bert play in 1965. I was 15 and still at school. Needless to say, I was mesmerised by his playing and whole demeanour. I spent a lot of time listening to and learning to play his music. And soon it became apparent that I was not alone. There were many like me who had fallen under the spell of his music.
We got to know each other in the early 70s, when we had the same manager gigging together regularly and meeting socially around the Half Moon in Putney and in family walks in Richmond Park with children in tow. When he had his music shop, I would often go over and we’d end up playing tunes together. He was a good friend and always in inspiration. This Yamaha TransAcoustic is a nice guitar and it plays well.
