BRENDAN MARTIN, COLLEAGUE AND FRIEND WRITES:
Brian Cookman
Although he loved the blues music of the Mississippi delta and although he was born, (I seem to recall him telling me) in India, Brian Cookman - Brizy to his friends - was an Englishman to his boots.
He enjoyed a pint of English bitter and in one of his last emails, he told friends of how was cheering on the England cricket team on his newly-acquired satellite TV.
It was typical of the Brian many of us knew to rejoice in the simple pleasures. He squeezed maximum enjoyment out of a meal with friends, a beer with a mate or just the beauty of nature. I was lucky enough to be a mate with whom he partook of the occasional beer. Our paths first crossed in 1997 through our day-jobs: training journalists. I doubt I'll ever look at another pecan Danish without thinking of Brian - wearing one of his many bright but tasteful Hawaiian shirts - arriving at the training rooms with a freshly-bought pastry for his breakfast. We would enjoy some merry banter over our first coffees of the day.
This positive energy that Brian exuded touched all who came into contact with him. He was someone who enhanced other people's lives. Certainly those who were lucky enough to catch Brian's act at Brooks Blues Bar will know what I mean.
As Delta Flashback, Brian and son Leo were the act that opened BBB in May 2003. Since then they played many times, often over-running closing time because the audience wouldn't let them go. Why would they? Brian and Leo were giving us all such a wonderful time.
What many people who met Brian in the latter years of his life maybe didn't know was that he was a established song-writer as well as a fine musician. He packed a lot into the all too short 58 years he spent on this planet.
In 1962, he formed the Jug Trust, a trio renowned as much for their humour as their interpretations of rarely heard jug band music from outfits like the Memphis Jug Band, Clifford Hayes Jug Band, King David's Jug Band and Gus Cannon's Jug Stompers.
Brian soon established his harp-on-a-rack and authentic driving guitar style aping the great Jesse Fuller.
The Jug Trust toured the UK and Europe where their music was much in demand. Brian's song-writing was developing at the time and many of his songs were recorded by other artists as well as Jug Trust. The Trust added keyboards, bass and drums to their line-up and changed their name to Bronx Cheer.
Sharing the same management as Chicken Shack, Mungo Jerry and Savoy Brown, more years on the road followed, with two storming albums and five singles.
The band evolved again into The Brian Cookman Band which toured with such luminaries as Gallagher and Lyle. However, bands were becoming too expensive to maintain, so he began all over again, this time as a solo artist.
It was in that capacity that Brian had chart success: he went to No 1 in eastern European with a song called Barrel House Woman. (He played it on the opening night of BBB.) He told me once how this success behind the then Iron Curtain had made him a zloty millionaire...but that he never saw any of the money because he couldn't get it out of the country!
As a solo artist, Brian released three albums - sadly none of which are still available and that have been collectors' items for some time. No doubt they'll be even more sought after now.
Brian also had a career as a children's television presenter. Memory fails me as to the name of the programme. But I won't forget the look on his face when a group of trainee journalists met Brian and burst into the theme tune of the series.
What was he doing with trainee journalists? You may well ask. It was just another string to his bow. As well his musical career, Brian had a day-job as a magazine designer. He was, at one point, art director for Rolling Stone magazine in Europe. He was responsible for the look of many magazines. He also designed the BBB logo.
It was this experience that led him to become a trainer in desktop publishing and its associated computer programs. He even wrote several books on the topic.
And then there was his Tai Chi. He had practiced this for years - giving up a day a week to work as one of the first, not the first, NHS Tai Chi instructor. Before he left us, Brian had been working with Ann and Tony of BBB on Tai Chi television series.
But of all his achievements, without doubt his greatest were Miles, Leo, Phillipa and Louise - his children. To them, his wife Lesley and partner Diane we offer our sympathy. And to the universe, we say thanks for Brian and the privilege of knowing him.
Someone once wrote of him: "Two metres of sartorial splendour, laconic wit and unflappable charm - that's Brian." That's how I'd like to remember him. Or as an Englishman with a big talent and even bigger heart. Or maybe even the old bugger who would never give me a bite of his pecan Danish!
Brendan Martin