I have heard today that Geoff
Harden died yesterday in Belfast after suffering from heart disease and
cancer.
Geoff ran the hugely successful
Medway Folk Centre in the Old Ash Tree in Chatham in the early seventies,
booking the likes of Long John Baldry, Richard Thompson, Malicorne and every
well known folk act of the time. He also encouraged many local musicians to
develop their talent. He wrote the folk column in the Evening Post under the
pseudonym Al. E. Stire and opened an intimate singers' club in
Wouldham.
The audiences at the Old Ash Tree
were regularly over 200 and Geoff, who worked for the BBC, recorded every
moment from floor singer to star's encore. He moved back to Belfast in the
late 70s where he was active in the arts - instigating the Belfast Folk
Festival.
He was a journalist and a mover
and shaker in the arts world in Northern Ireland, bridging sectarian
differences.
His death was quite sudden and he
will be missed by the many folk enthusiasts, musicians and
artists who came into contact with him.
Doug Hudson