Chris Rea

That's Christmas fucked... 
I remember the firs time I heard Chris Rea. Dad would usually play Neil Diamond when driving us from Cornwall to Newcastle and back for holidays then one trip he put Shamrock Diaries into the tape deck. I first thought "thank God for that, no more Neil Diamond" then after listening to Steel River and Stainsby Girls I was hooked. The following year it was On the Beach and the miles just melted away. The Road to Hell, Auberge and God's Great Banana skin are three of my favourite albums. 
Stainsby Girls is just brilliant as was so much he did.
He also built that Ferrari 156 replica (Phil Hill was amazed how accurate it was) for that film about the car and Von Trips and that 1961 accident.
A true genius and by all accounts all round decent bloke lost
RIP