Man of the World: A Rock's Backpages Tribute to Charlie Gillett, 1942-2010

CHARLIE GILLETT'S contributions to music are far too numerous to be listed here. Briefly, he was the author of the seminal history The Sound Of The City (1970); the host of the wonderful "Honky Tonk" show on Radio London; and the co-manager of Ian Dury's Kilburn the High Roads. He gave Dire Straits their first break and founded Oval Records, enjoying a No. 1 hit with Paul Hardcastle's '19'. Perhaps more important than anything, Charlie played an immeasurably important role in introducing world music to the UK, both on radio and on record.

As the tributes below attest, Charlie Gillett was also a fundamentally decent man, someone who gave freely of his time and knowledge to anyone who asked. We are all going to miss him terribly. RBP's deepest sympathies go out to Charlie's wife Buffy and their children Suzy, Jody, and Ivan.

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