A Mark In Time
Mark Knopfler Discussion => Mark Knopfler Discussion Forum => Topic started by: Billy’s Tune on September 11, 2023, 09:46:29 PM
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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”
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Just 70. RIP.
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Oh no :(
Feel Like Going Home...
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That's a real gut punch. Awful news....
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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.
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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.
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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
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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.
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OMG, another very sad news. :'( RIP Brendan.
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A beautiful farewell from Brendan last month.
https://youtu.be/BduhWPKAyQc?feature=shared
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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. :(
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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
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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"
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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...
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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.
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still no comment on mk.news
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So sad indeed! :'(
This one perhaps hit the hardest so far? (And therefore social media isn't prioritised.)
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still no comment on mk.news
Might be difficult for him.
The message is going to be even more emotional than the one by Marcus Cliffe. You will see.
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GF: (instagram)
Our beloved, brave and beautiful Brendan has sadly so suddenly left us. We will miss you for sure big man.
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So sad. As already pointed out; they were the two people who really radiated happiness on stage. Both his album and the charity project is out of MKs hands now I guess, but there sure are plenty of reasons to do things NOW, while it is possible :-/
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'It’s a sad farewell to old friend in song Brendan Croker who has succumbed to leukaemia. You’ll probably read more about Brendan in obituaries soon. He was a true artist in every way, appeared eccentric to many but was positive, brave and generous to a fault.
We had many happy years sharing music including touring and singing with our mutual pal Steve Phillips in the Notting Hillbillies. The song I can hear Brendan singing now is the one we used to finish our set with, ‘Feel Like Going Home’.
My thoughts are with Brendan’s partner Ali and their friends everywhere.' - MK
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Damn, sad news. Another great musician left the stage of live on earth. RIP Brendan Croker. I never had the chance to see him live on stage, but i have his records on vinyls and cds. Very good musician and personality. No he is in heaven, together with Jack, jammin´ on cloud number nine and havin´ good times. I hope so.
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I've always had a fondness for this song
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSc9eFDUBao
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I've always had a fondness for this song
That's away been one of my favourites too. I listened to it the night I heard the news and it was very emotional.
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I've always had a fondness for this song
That's away been one of my favourites too. I listened to it the night I heard the news and it was very emotional.
Me too.
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I've always had a fondness for this song
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSc9eFDUBao
Brandan always reminded me of Van Morrison. Only, I suppose, he was much better to work with than with Van!
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Wonderful Obituary in The Telegragh:
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/obituaries/2023/09/14/brendan-croker-notting-hillbillies-clapton-died-obituary/
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Wonderful Obituary in The Telegragh:
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/obituaries/2023/09/14/brendan-croker-notting-hillbillies-clapton-died-obituary/
very nicely written! thnx for the link
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https://www.udiscovermusic.com/news/brendan-croker-notting-hillbillies-dies/
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I still had a little hope that Mark would perform a one off NHB gig.
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On 15th August 2024, Brendan would have turned 71 years old
To that occasion WWW.BRENDANCROKER.COM exclusively releases the demo of an UNRELEASED SONG
In My Baby's House, written by Brendan Croker and Dennis Morgan, recorded at Lion Studios Leeds in 1992 or 1993
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Thank you very much, such a big loss, a great artist.
That guitar sounds very Knopfler but I guess is Mark Creswell, his guitar player of the 5'o clock shadows at that time.
I hope that there are more songs from that gig Brendan did in Newcastle with MK and Alan Clark in the band, that complete concert would be something truly great to see the light one day!
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On 15th August 2024, Brendan would have turned 71 years old
To that occasion WWW.BRENDANCROKER.COM exclusively releases the demo of an UNRELEASED SONG
In My Baby's House, written by Brendan Croker and Dennis Morgan, recorded at Lion Studios Leeds in 1992 or 1993
thnx Waldo. miss you around here :-)
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10th September 2024, it has been a year now.
It has been less colourful without you, but you are still inspiring us.
Thank you, Good Man!
WWW.BRENDANCROKER.COM
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10th September 2024, it has been a year now.
It has been less colourful without you, but you are still inspiring us.
Thank you, Good Man!
WWW.BRENDANCROKER.COM
such a great man, artist, ...rip..