The Music world lost a remarkable man some weeks ago. Keith Webb, whose career spanned an amazing SIX decades,from the jazz bands of the 50’s, through drumming for cosmic troubadour Donovan and gravel voiced Terry Reid in the 60's, creating the Prog-Rock band Paladin in the 70's, to working in the 80's with a young Stevie Ray Vaughn. The 90's & beyond saw him backing blues legends in Europe, & playing with The Flying Vultures in Spain. He left us aged 73.
I was incommunicado touring Brittany, and discovered the sad news via an email from Derek Holt from the Climax Blues Band.
Some weeks beforehand, we’d had a coffee together in our village of Turre. It’s an area of Spain rife with musicians, actors & performers. Keith and I gigged a few times last summer, in a band with Robin Sarstedt, good times in the sun. He told me of his plans to visit America & Brazil.Full of life & raring to go.
The tragedy is that Keith left us before writing his memoirs…I was privileged to have him talk to me on many evenings, just sat on my balcony, and the history of rock would come forth, A history he witnessed first hand, and helped to create.
One of the first Plaster Caster subjects, Jimi Hendrix jammed with him, Frank Zappa dubbed him Octopus, in deference to his drumming, he memorably welcomed Led Zeppelin to the USA with champagne on a silver tray, and appeared in the iconic 60’s film “Groupies” as himself, a well spoken member of the rock hierarchy with an wicked wit. The list is endless. He counted Charlie Watts, Keith Moon and Youth as friends.
I was fortunate to have known and worked with him. He was a good friend, and I will miss him.
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