Very sad news just as we were going to press last month was the news of the death of Charlie Gracie. One of the first wave of rock’n’rollers, Charlie was one of the most popular players on the scene, and his musicianship was only ever bettered by his seemingly permanent smile; he seemed to be enjoying what he did every bit as much as we did. Thanks for the memories, Charlie.

But rock’n’roll lives on, and our Steppin’ Out section this month includes one of the biggest draws around at the moment, Big Sandy (with his Fly-rite Boys) and one of the best new clubs of the moment, Dave Diamond’s excellent Boomerang Club. We suggest you catch both as soon as possible, the live scene depends so much on you getting out rockin’

Rock On, Johnny Hop