Late Friday afternoon I spotted a couple of posts on Facebook about the passing of Gaz from Swordfish and thought it was some kind of mistake. Surely it's another Gaz from another Swordfish somewhere? Sadly not.
I first met Gaz way back in the 80s when Swordfish was in Needless Alley and over the years spent many (many!) happy hours riffling through his racks and chewing the fat about music. He'd suggest some great stuff for me to listen to and kept me well supplied with vinyl, CDs Aphex Twin calendars and that quirky Badly Drawn Boy music box. After moving to Devon back in 2015 I obviously saw very little of him but popped back last time I was in Brum and it was like I'd never been away.
The genuine outpouring of grief that's followed Gaz's passing says all you need to know about the man. He was a lovely bloke, down to earth, friendly, encouraging of new talent, welcoming to new record buyers and a huge influence on the Midlands music scene for over four decades. My deepest sympathies go out to his family, his business partner Mike and everyone else who who's as shocked as I am that he'll no longer be behind that legendary counter...this one's for you Gaz x.
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