LOVE FROM JOHN & YOKO – Steve Tilston

A couple of years ago, it was reported that John Lennon had written a letter of support to Steve Tilston in 1971, though it was never delivered. Lennon had been inspired to write to the then 21- year-old singer after reading an interview in ZigZag magazine, in which Steve confessed he feared wealth and fame might negatively affect his songwriting. Steve did not become aware of the letter’s existence until a collector contacted him in 2005 to verify its authenticity. “Being rich doesn’t change your experience in the way you think,” Lennon wrote. It was signed, “Love John and Yoko.” Steve Tilston has come a long way since then, quite unaffected by wealth and fame. And he is still going strong – he recently won the BBC Radio 2 Award for the Most Original Song of 2012 for The Reckoning, the title track of his latest album.

And now he has really hit the Big Time – with a date at Lympstone Village Hall.

The Guardian’s review of The Reckoning tells you of the treat that you can expect:

“In the Pennine hills in Yorkshire there lives a singer-songwriter and guitarist who has never achieved the public attention he deserves, but has always been praised by fellow musicians. Steve Tilston writes thoughtful, highly personal songs and is one of the finest instrumentalists on the folk scene, with a style that echoes the elaborate, rhythmic “folk baroque” guitar work of Bert Jansch and Davy Graham. He writes about anything that takes his interest, and the songs here range from unashamedly lyrical pieces about the countryside to others concerned with memory… or a cheering story from the Spanish civil war, given a flamenco edge. The album is dominated by Tilston’s exquisite guitar work, and features two spirited solo instrumental tracks, including a suitably virtuosic tribute to Graham.”

Tickets for Friends of Lympstone Entertainment £8.50 direct from John Welton, 1 Harefield Cottages, phone 01395 263 928