My friend Rick Sanders, who has died aged 76, was a talented journalist, musician, singer-songwriter and painter, who made his name as a rock writer in the late 1960s and early 70s. He then became a successful travel journalist, reviewed cookbooks for Homes & Gardens and A La Carte magazines, and went on to review African music for Folk Roots magazine for more than a decade, always with a passion for people above all and a dislike of convention and cant.
Rick started work as a copywriter for British Oxygen in 1967 before switching to music journalism, first on Intro magazine and then as assistant editor of Beat Instrumental. This was the swinging 60s (a phrase Rick hated) and Rick interviewed and wrote about major figures including Pink Floyd, Jim Morrison, Fairport Convention and Leonard Cohen; he also went on to edit the London pages of Rolling Stone magazine. Rick’s love of music, genuine interest in people and his sociability made him a great interviewer – qualities that also made him a great friend.
