My friend Neil Slaven, who has died aged 79, came to prominence in the music business during the 1960s British blues boom.
In 1965, Neil and his friend Mike Vernon, who both worked for the Decca record label, founded their own independent label, Blue Horizon Records (Neil suggested the name). Their debut release was a 45 by Hubert Sumlin, Howlin’ Wolf’s guitarist, with Neil playing second guitar. They also published the magazine R&B Monthly.
