A Son of the Rock

I was so sad to hear that John Byrne, artist and playwright, has died.

People who won’t have consciously known of his work will certainly have seen it (if they are of a certain age.) He contributed album covers to the work of both Billy Connolly and – his partner in the Humblebums – Gerry Rafferty, both in his time with Stealers Wheel and his solo work.

Indeed Rafferty wrote a song, Patrick, in Byrne’s honour. (In Byrne’s early days he used his father’s – and his own middle – name.)

It was as a playwright though that Byrne made most impact on the public consciousness, firstly with the stage play The Slab Boys, for which he drew on his experiences in the paint shop of a carpet maker’s, and subsequently with the TV series Tutti Frutti  and Your Cheatin’ Heart of blessed memory.

Hie art work is distinctive. You can rarely mistake a Byrne painting for one by someone else.

The video below is illustrated with some of Byrne’s art works.

The Humblebums: Patrick

John Patrick Byrne: 6/1/1940 – 30/11/2023. So it goes.