TalkAwhile - The Folk Corporation Forum

Reported on FB that Gerry Conway has died today from Motor Neurone Disease  :'(

I just saw that...  :'(

Awfully sad news. RIP Gerry, a true gentleman of drums...

So sorry to hear this! Such a gentle man RIP Gerry.

So sad, rest in peace, Gerry.

An absolute f****r of a disease.

Too bloody sad, MND is one of the worst 😥😥😥🤬

Thank you Gerry x

That's so sad. He was a fine musician and seemed to be very nice fellow too.

I’ve only just seen this, desperately sad news.  
RIP Gerry, my condolences to Jacqui and all his family, friends and all his many admirers.
Is it me or is MND on the rise?😔

Ah, no. :-(

Jules

So very sad. He was such a gentle likeable chap - and a fantastic drummer.

MND is a b*stard disease.

Very sad news
R. I . P

I was just listening to an album featuring him, last night.  I must have many such.  A great folk - rock musician.  RIP Gerry.

So sad to hear this. Lovely tribute from Simon on FB http://facebook.com/simon.nicol.9 including these words -

"Wonderfully patient and wise, infuriatingly tardy (!) but always ready and eager to play, and blessed with his own inner calm and solidity, I'm going to miss him more than I can say."

So long Sir Gerald of Conway. A talented drummer and by all accounts a lovely chap.

Very sad indeed RIP Gerry.

A lovely tribute to Gerry from Dave Mattacks.

https://www.facebook.com/dave.mattacks

GC & I met circa ’70 .. we played alongside each other a lot - literally & metaphorically . He was a truly gentle soul - SO musical - & his TIME ! There were many artists we both worked with  - but I was always in awe when i heard what HE did with them. One is spoilt for choice for incredible examples of his playing - everyone will have their favorites - & this is one of mine - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9B-LBliiwU . IMHO, it’s a masterclass on how to play a great song ; the fill at 0.18, the downbeat-not-played after the two 16th note accents at 0.52 .. everything . At one of our parties he came to, I almost forced him to sit & listen to it while I raved .. “ It came out ok “ was the jist of his response. Gerry ; I’m sure you’re making them all sound really great up there , my friend. With my love - DM

So very sad news.
R.I.P., Gerry

I was listening to some Fotheringay earlier and Gerry's playing on Banks of the Nile was really inspiring. It's hard for an amateur musician like myself to even figure out what the time signature is - the song seems to drift through time and space. It feels almost waltz-like so it 3/4 or something more complicated? But Gerry didn't try to keep time on it, he seemed to improvise his drum part which worked perfectly. As Wayne and Garth would have said, "We are not worthy!"

This is great from DM and absolutely spot on.

Jules

Very sad news.

Thank you Gerry, for so much perfect music.

It is very touching reading all the tributes to both the musicality of Gerry and his good nature. Can’t link at the moment but Iain Matthews and Dan Ar Braz also posted some nice words

A fond memory of a soft spoken, mild mannered and fabulous musician. R.I.P. Gerry.

I've only just seen the news...so, so sad. RIP Gerry and thanks for all the wonderful music

I only spoke to Gerry once, after a gig in Birmingham, and he was smiley and modest and a good chap.

When I saw FC at the Fleurfest after the coof, up close for the first time in years, I could tell that he was dealing with something.

When he left the band, it wasn't a surprise, but now, knowing what was up, as the rest of the band must have known, I can only say a fond farewell, and wish him a peaceful rest.

I will always remember him playing Let There Be Drums at Croppers, a tune I liked from the Sandy Nelson original and The Bunch.

R.I.P Gerry, and thank you.

I think Simon's message on FB expressly stated that they didn't know...

I don't do FB anymore, so I didn't see the full thing.
So he kept it to himself, then ?

At a time like that, I guess you can choose to tell your friends and get support from them, or keep it quiet so not to burden them with your issues.

That's pretty brave of him.
 

Here's what Simon wrote:

My dearest drumming pal, someone I first worked alongside in about 1968 on various sessions and toured with in Al Stewart's band way back when, as he looked in those days.
He stepped away from the Fairport's Cropredy Convention Official page stage after the Cropredy festival in 2022, and retired from touring.
None of us knew that he was in the early stages of that pernicious horror Motor Neurone Disease - I didn't know until today, when news of his death filtered out from the protection and privacy he and Jacqui Mcshee sought and deserved.
Wonderfully patient and wise, infuriatingly tardy (!) but always ready and eager to play, and blessed with his own inner calm and solidity, I'm going to miss him more than I can say.
Here's one of my very favourite tracks of the countless number he played on - with Rosko Gee, Stevie Winwood, Jean Roussel and Chris Spedding, all backing another superb drummer chasing the spotlight with a mic - Jim Capaldi.
Love you, you wonder. RIP xxx
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9PJjaA8j-kE...

That is beautiful and touching.

This btw was the fab picture Simon posted

Thanks, David.

I agree with Lubi.

I think I have something in my eye.

The word on the street was that he had something else, and this was "confirmed" to me by a music journalist. Fortunately I respected his privacy and didnt do a Kate Middleton.

I didn't do one of those either.
I didn't hear the word on the street.
I guessed when he retired the something was the real reason, but he was keeping it private.
I'm surprised that if I noticed, and there was a 'word on the street', that the other guys didn't know, but if that's the case, that's the case,
and it's none of my business to speculate or do a Kate.

I hope you didnt think that I was implying that you did any of those. In my roundabout way I was implying that people on here and close to Gerry had behaved very well in comparison to those in a similar situation elsewhere.

Not at all.
I'm agreeing with you about both situations.

I think it was clear to most of us who saw Gerry at his last Cropredy that he was struggling (needign help up onto the drum riser), and thus it was no great surprise that he retired from touring and Fairport shortly thereafter.  But I too am glad that there was a lack of uninformed speculation on this forum, merely a concern for him, and that those who had heard 'words on the street' kept them to themselves.

Its Sunday morning, and I was just now making coffee while thinking about preparing my twelve string for an approaching gig.  Fotheringay comes to mind (Sandy's Guild on the cover) and then drifts to that video of Too Much of Nothing. Never one of my favorites from the album - it was a revelation live.  "God!" I thought, "Gerry could bring anything to life."  I sit down at the computer for a completely different reason and catch the Fez icon on my browser.  "Hummmm.....Sunday morning, might as well catch up."

Sorry to learn the news so late, Gerry.  I saw you at my first RT show in 1986, where I had not the foggiest notion of what I was about to witness.  You were part of a life changing event that had a rippling effect to many I raved to as a drooling evangelist.  Thank you for the oportunities of sharing pints and chats as our paths crossed onward toward the ledge.....and of course for all the years of the music.  My heart is heavy knowing now of your passing.

I need to return to Cropredy.......

 There is a magic about Cropredy....

Beautiful tribute, Pat.

Jules