Those with long memories will remember Doon as Ralph's sound guy in the 70s & 80s....
From the Half Moon in Putney, where Doon was sound engineer before, thru and after working with Ralph -
08/06/43 - 10/02/14
Doon’s funeral will take place on 17/03/2014
At 3.40pm @ Putney Vale Cemetery SW15 3DZ
Followed by a get together at The Half Moon Putney SW15 1EU.
As it’s St Patrick’s Day too I’m sure we’ll be raising a glass or two of The Black Stuff in Doon’s honour.
All who knew our dear friend are welcome.
Family flowers only.
Sad news - maybe I'll see some of you there.
Ralph wrote
this in eulogy
DOON by Ralph McTell
08/06/1943-10/02/14
I first met Doon when he worked at the famous "Les Cousins" Club in Greek Street in Soho.
He worked behind the tiny coffee bar there and could occasionally produce the odd bottle of lager from his secret stash. It is hard to imagine a club running on just coffee these days, but other products were imbibed or smoked and all things moved smoothly enough.
Doon was known by all the young talents of the time. Al Stewart, Bert Jansch, John Renbourne, John Martyn, Roy Harper, The Incredible String Band as well as yours truly.
He was always regarded with affection for much the same reasons as he will be remembered.
Kindly, gentle, perhaps a little timid at times, he had an inner strength and a survival instinct which saw him through some lonely and difficult times. He kept himself to himself and was an observer of the rich and varied music scene which flourished in the mid to late sixties acoustic scene.
It was something of a surprise to him when the late Trevor Lucas asked him if he had ever run a P.A. and although Doon had not had any experience and admitted such, Trevor hired him to run the new system for the "Fotheringay" line up that included Sandy Denny.
It was Trevor who renamed the formerly "Gordon Graham" DOON after the way he perceived Doon to pronounce his name.
The name stuck and Doon named his small P.A. company Rig o' Doon and from then on only answered to that name.
Doon also drove Trevor's Bentley and became a total confidante of Sandy who was a very needy and insecure person.
She valued Doon's gentle, non aggressive stance and many tears splashed on his shoulders during their long and fruitful creative time.
Doon loved to tell how he would arrive early to pick up Sandy for a gig and she would get him to "iron her hair" (Sandy had very curly hair when straight hair was the fashion)
These times were crucial in Doon's slow acquisition of knowledge on "sound" and he stubbornly remained in the old view that the vocal was more important than the snare drum.
When "Fotheringay" disbanded, and as Doon's reputation grew, he was selected to be the sound man for "Steeleye Span" and toured the USA extensively over several tours with the band.
There was at one time quite an extrovert side to his personality as he readily adopted the more extreme versions of hippie garb and on a hitch hiking trip around France he wore a kilt which enabled him to to wait no longer than a few minutes at the side of the road before stopping a car.
We toured together for several years and he was an easy travelling companion and although I have moved away from Putney he was still one of the main reasons for my occasional visits to the famous watering hole.
It was as if no time had lapsed between visits as Doon took his customary place at the corner of the bar. Conversation was resumed where we last left off and to me he never seemed to age.
His frugal life style worried some of us and he was badly burned by a few who took advantage of his generosity. He seemed able to accept what life threw at him with calmness. I never saw him really angry although he might get frustrated at times. I doubt if anyone could have foreseen the heart condition that caused his death as he never ever went to a doctor. I have very pleasant memories of a dear gentle character. An appreciator of small kindnesses and who was totally unambitious.
In his active sound mixing life at the half Moon he did sound for possibly thousands of bands many of whom were new to him. He gave them all the same dedication he gave to me and all that he worked for. He was seldom condemnatory about the degree of talent he mixed for. They all deserved the best he could do for them. He literally became part of the furniture in the bar after he retired from being part of the furniture of the music room
He loved the Half Moon, (as his name rhymed with the address) several times I addressed postcards to....
" Doon at the Moon" which usually found their way to him.
Towards the end it was hard in the end to ever get him to leave the place especially when they opened the convenience store next door. Doon balanced his books by shopping late at night relishing his "bargains" by sell by date and I guess they will miss his nightly errands too, but not as much as we who remember this gentle soul.
He will leave no better footprint in the sand than that though some of us will acknowledge that there will be an echo of his sound mix in the Half Moon forever.
Ralph McTell 11/2/14
