Nottingham's music community has paid tribute to local musician Nick Turner who was described as 'one of a kind and a legend'. He ran the independent music bar Chameleon Arts Cafe, in Newcastle Chambers off Beastmarket Hill, that helped to showcase some of the best in local and international bands.
Mr Turner passed away over the weekend after a long battle with ill health. He was well known and respected on the Nottingham's music scene after relocating to the city in 2007.
He took over the venue which was then a cafe, formerly known as Raffles, before turning it into a live music venue. Mr Turner sold the venue in 2014 but remained a regular visitor. He was not only a musician but an artist, too.
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He created Chameleon with a view to making a safe space and launch pad for new bands. He believed that "everyone had to start somewhere" so he developed Chameleon into one of Nottingham's best independent music venues.
John Rothera took over the Chameleon in 2014 as owner. He paid tribute to Mr Turner's contribution to the Nottingham music scene. Mr Rothera met Mr Turner while he was playing in bands at Chameleon.
"He still came to the bar quite a bit and will be very missed. Without what he did for musicians and for the Chameleon, the Nottingham music scene would be very different as he was integral."
"We've had a lot of his friends pop in over the weekend and it's still quite a fresh thing. He had a lot of friends that he was very close with. Nick had a very unfiltered personality which was very refreshing.
"He was so welcoming and he was really supportive of bands while being positive about the music. He was very warm and welcoming to anyone who came into the bar and hilarious too. He was one of the funniest men ever."
Musician Dom Gourlay recalled working on gigs with Mr Turner at Chameleon. He recalls that Mr Turner would tell incredible stories while cooking chilli for every band that called into or played the venue.
He recalled that Mr Turner was not only a musician in a band called Big Bandit but a talented artist too. Mr Gourlay said: "He was completely himself and there was no one else like him. He didn't really have a filter, for better or worse which was what made him so lovable in a lot of ways. He was a really nice guy and very welcoming.
"He had an unbelievably photographic memory for names and faces even if you had played the gig five years ago, he'd would remember everyone." He added: "He was the first guy in the city to be giving bands a place to get a gig or get started. We have JT Soar now but, before that, he was able to offer his space.
"He wasn't originally planning on doing anything musical but someone came in and just let them put on a show. That's sort of the ethos of the place which wouldn't have happened if he didn't do that originally."
Comments have been left on social media that remember Mr Turner's contribution to the music scene. One person wrote: "So many memories of nights from The Chameleon as a promoter and a fan. Nick was an irrepressible character whose contribution to the Notts music scene is absolute huge. RIP."
Another wrote: "Oh dear. I first played in a band with Nick in 1968 - formed from Mr Barnes cellar bar Blues Sessions. Not seen him since just before lockdown. Many happy memories. The word 'individual' was made for Nick. So sad to hear this news."
William Jeffery, a musician from Nottingham, knew Mr Turner after connecting over a shared love of music. Mr Jeffery played at songwriters' nights at the bar and also played gigs there.
"The first time I met Nick, I found him hilarious and later on found him to be very creative. I then realised he was a musician who played blues whereas I played folk music. There was a lot more than meets the eye when it came to Nick."
