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The recent death of Brian Dawson听was an enormous shock to the folk community of Lincolnshire. Brian went about his business in a quiet, reserved manner, one which hid his solid determination to collect, conserve and disseminate the folk songs of the Yellerbellies.

He was more than a local singer though. Brian Dawson was nationally known and had been booked at festivals the length and breadth of Britain,听and his interests were not centred wholly round folk songs. Brian carried a passion for, and knowledge of, all aspects of the county鈥檚 heritage, its architecture, archaeology, dialect and its social history and traditions. You can read anywhere that Lincolnshire has hosted the visits of some great folk song collectors. The same names always crop up but all of the sources miss out one crucial name - that of Brian Dawson. He was one of only a handful of modern-day folk song collectors in the county and a huge source of all folk-related knowledge, always seeking the opportunity to visit olden day singers and always willing to give credit to those he collected from.

Brian was droll, humorous, self-deprecating and seldom believed the plaudits he received from others about his gift. He was once booked to play in Boston Market Place (). At the end of his set there was a disagreement about the modest fee he was being offered. 鈥淚t鈥檚 too much鈥�, was Brian鈥檚 standpoint. It clearly wasn鈥檛 but that was Brian. He never understood what a treasure he was, never could grasp how much he was valued by all.

Many years ago Brian told an audience that he had played at over 500 different Lincolnshire venues including his time with the Grimsby-based Meggies and Broadside Band and since then with his numerous one man shows. That figure must have almost doubled by the time of his death. He was well known and well loved throughout the county, not only by folk aficionados but by the very people he enjoyed playing to most - the ordinary Lincolnshire people, those who heard him at the WI meetings and the Rotary Clubs, those who attended his frequent village hall performances where he was so much appreciated and where he was asked to return again and again. One such place was Howsham Village Hall where on November 9th听he collapsed with a heart attack. He died on November 22nd听without regaining consciousness.

Ageless and timeless, Brian Dawson was the voice of the county. Through him the songs of old Lincolnshire and the characters within came alive. Although he thoroughly detested the oft-used epithet, Brian Dawson truly was and always will be 鈥楳r Lincolnshire Folk鈥�.

听

Tom Lane