My friend Charlie Sinclair, who has died after a stroke aged 72, trained as an engineer, and made his living as an electrician, but at his core he was a musician. He was proud to have worked with Roy St John, Ian Dury (in the band Kilburn and the Highroads) and Davy Jones (post-Monkees), to mention just a few.
Charlie first worked as a professional musician when, in the early 70s, he accompanied his friend Stan Smith from their native Shetland to London so that Stan could audition for Roy St John’s band, Phoenix, and found himself also recruited. They played residencies at venues all over London including the Kensington, the Tally Ho, the Hope and Anchor, and the Cock; and lived in squats first in Mornington Crescent, then in Maida Vale, where their neighbours were Woody and the 101ers (Woody later became better known as Joe Strummer, lead singer of the Clash).
