Tribute to late Wirral guitar legend Brendan McCormack

Jul 15 2009 by Lorna Hughes, Birkenhead News

WIRRAL guitar legend Brendan McCormack will be remembered at a special Summer Serenades concert this weekend.

New Brighton-based Brendan – once famously described by John Lennon as his favourite guitarist – who founded the Summer Serenades 23 years ago and helped to found Wirral’s International Guitar Festival – died of a heart attack in March.

Friends and guitar players who worked with Brendan will perform tributes to him and play some of his own arrangements at the Williamson Art Gallery on Sunday (July 19).

The line-up includes classical guitarist Neill Smith, jazz and country guitarist Gary Potter and Paul Balmer, a guitarist, author, guitar teacher and television and radio producer.

Cellist Nick Byrne, artistic director of the Summer Serenades, met Brendan in 1997 when he was studying for a music A-Level.

The guitarist later invited him to join his renowned Tivoli Trio and three years ago asked Nick to take on the Summer Serenades.

He said: “I needed to do some compositions and a friend said ‘you must meet Brendan’ because he had all the computer software.

“He was that kind of guy who would help anyone out, especially with their music.”

The event will be particularly poignant for Brendan’s close friend and former pupil, Northamptonshire-based Paul Balmer, who last performed with him at the Williamson in November.

Brendan and Paul worked together on a number of projects, including a film about classical guitarist Julian Bream which was named Gramophone DVD of the Year in 2007.

He told Liveguide: “I first saw him play when I was 16 and I was completely overwhelmed by how good he was as a guitar player.

“Brendan was a great teacher and a very self-effacing man and we’re all missing him immensely.

“Playing at the Williamson without him is going to be very hard.

“His loss will leave a big hole in the musical culture of Merseyside.”

The concert starts at 3pm. Admission is free but donations are requested to cover costs.