Ged and Julie say
I have been a fan of the work of Bill Nelson since the mid seventies and remember standing in the Newcastle City Hall listening to the wonderful Be Bop Deluxe - from the first bars of Fair Exchange from the Sunburst Finish album I was hooked. Each new album soared into the top ten and sell out tours followed. Since these ´heady´ days I have followed Bill Nelson´s career throughout the years and in my opinion no other artist has inspired me more. Over recent years I have been extremely fortunate to get to know Bill as a friend and I am one of the organisers for the Nelsonica Convention.
When Bill Nelson found out about Sara he sent our family a lovely heartfelt letter of support which we will treasure forever. On my darkest days after losing Sara, his music, especially the more ambient and atmospheric pieces helped me so much (as did the bottle of Glenmorangie and many bottles of red wine I consumed !!!!!). It is music with a ´soul´ which connects to my heart. Bill Nelson remains highly regarded and respected in the music business and continues to inspire other artists. He is often described as being ´ahead of his time´.
A few years ago he was asked to compose a tribute for his friend, the late Stuart Adamson to perform at a Memorial gig at the Barrowlands in Glasgow. Stuart was a massive fan of Be Bop Deluxe and Bill´s solo work. I remember standing listening to this beautiful piece of music ´For Stuart´ in the concert hall, Bill´s guitar playing was sublime and at the end he received the biggest and loudest ovation of the night and many tributes from other artists on the same bill such as Midge Ure, Steve Harley, Big Country and the Skids. On my return to the North East I said to Julie if I could ask anyone to compose a piece of music in honour of Sara it would be Bill Nelson. In my dreams ........................................
When we set up Sara´s charity I emailed Bill to ask his permission to use some of his music on Sara´s website. I was thrilled when not long after, Julie received a phone call from Bill offering to compose and record a tribute to Sara, he suggested that all money raised from the piece should be donated to the Sara´s Hope Foundation. This was such a wonderful gesture and in August 2007 a Cdr of ´Six Strings For Sara´ arrived at our door. We all sat together and were so excited and so proud, there were also a few tears !!!! The piece is a wonderful and fitting tribute to our beautiful and inspirational daughter and we know that Sara would be so proud. Every time I listen to the piece the hairs on my neck stand on end !!!!
In October 2007, Bill and the Nelsonica Team kindly put together an Auction Lot with all proceeds donated to Sara´s charity. We raised nearly £1000 and have since raised a lot more through individual auctions kindly donated by fans of Bill Nelson music. At the end of the Convention, I hugged Bill and said to him "thank you for making Sara´s dad the proudest father in the universe".
A gent and a star
A million thanks to Bill for his support, care and sensitivity from us all xxxx
Six Strings For Sara can be downloaded by clicking Here
