Tributes from fellow local musicians (From St Albans & Harpenden Review)

Tributes from fellow local musicians

3:40pm Tuesday 23rd December 2008 in

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FRIENDS have paid tribute to popular guitarist Rik Taylor, who died suddenly at the weekend.

Mr Taylor, 49, hadlived in Luton for many years but was originally from St Albans.

A well-known figure on the local music scene, he died of a suspected heart attack in the early hours of Saturday morning, after enjoying an evening at a friend’s house.

During his musical career, St Albans-born Mr Taylor played in a host of bands including Clientelle, Walking on Ice, Devlin and The Matrix.

He was separated from his wife, Karen, and had a 16-year-old son, Matthew.

His friend of 27 years, Luton drummer Dave Ashcroft, said Mr Taylor would be greatly missed by his many friends.

He said: “Rik enjoyed an awful lot of local success. He headlined at some of the larger venues and even toured supporting Hawkwind in 1981.

“He was a lovely bloke - a really nice bloke. He always had time for everybody, and he was very fun-loving and gregarious, and a great entertainer on stage.

“Understandably Karen and Matthew are in bits.”

The first instrument Mr Taylor took up was the drums, but his parents decided they couldn’t put up with the noise, and bought him a guitar instead.

One of his biggest influences was the progressive rock band Camel, and its guitarist Andy Latimer.

Mr Ashcroft said: “We met in a pub in St Albans when we were 18. Rik was a huge Camel fan and he’d had their logo embroidered on the back of his denim jacket.

“I made a passing comment about it and we just hit it off.”

Mr Taylor lived in Lincoln Road, Luton, and had recently been working as a driver. But music always remained his passion, Mr Ashcroft said.

“He was both a great rhythm player and a great lead guitarist - he was just incredibly musical,” he said.

“When he played the man had soul. He always played with feeling, and that was what I loved about his playing.”