Every once in a while in life, a friend comes along who becomes such a crucial part of the bedrock of your most wonderful experiences that it is impossible to imagine what your world would have been without them.

​I’m lucky to have several such pals, yet am blessed with one in particular who, to my shame, has never featured on these pages even after all these years.

As he has recently celebrated a rather big birthday, I will remedy that situation forthwith.

Way back in 2008 (crikey… when did 2008 start to warrant a ‘way back in’?) I did what many shaggy-haired students around the world do when they are 20, and put together a rock band.

A guitarist of middling ability, but a tart in extremis, I had my eyes on the front man prize, and with my 20-Benson’s-a-day gravelly voice, started to gather other musicians around me who would actually make the whole enterprise sound good. First there was ‘The Captain’ – another guitarist who took the pressure resolutely off me, and then there was our keyboard player – one of the loveliest women I will ever meet, who also had plenty of vocal chops.

A very old chum of mine signed on to play the drums, and finally, we landed a bass player. Unfortunately, he didn’t quite work out, but luckily, help, and the man who would be key to any success we could ever........

© Shropshire Star