I've been trying to put some of my thoughts together regarding my lasting memories of Chris, there is so much I could say. It's no coincidence that in all of the tributes and messages posted, the one word that crops up over and over again is "Gentleman" and if I had to describe Chris in one word that would be it.
I spent a lot of time with Chris and witnessed first hand what he went through during the past three and a half years as he battled with this dreadful illness. I would like people to know how amazingly brave he was throughout. I never heard him complain once or show any signs of feeling sorry for himself. His wife Karen said exactly the same thing to me just the other day. He often said that it made him more determined to get on and enjoy life and that it made him really appreciate the little simple things in life that he previously took for granted. He continued to be the same polite, caring and humorous person that I'd always known, and every time I saw him he greeted me with that smile on his face that always let you know he was pleased to see you. Chris was always interested in what you had to say, he was a good listener and a great comforter if you had a problem yourself. These qualities remained evident in spite of everything he was going through.
Regarding Chris the musician, much has been rightly said about his mastery of the John Rostill sound and playing, on his Burns Bass. I would just like to mention that he was no mean player when it came to his Fender Precision, particularly playing the earlier Shadows tunes which he did with the same passion and attention to detail. I feel very fortunate to have played all this music with him during the past 20 years, as I'm sure anybody else who played with him would agree.
Chris and I used to meet up at the local pub twice a week for a couple of pints, right up until last month and he always said he was never too ill for that. Much of our conversations centred around music and we often spoke of how lucky we have been to have lived our boyhood dreams in our later years, playing all this fantastic music that we love at some great events. I know that Chris was so happy when he met up with The Shadows themselves and the friends and acquaintances that he'd made within the Shadows community.
Hope I haven't gone on too much, there is so much more I could say about Chris, but I'll always have the memories.
I will just say that he was and always will be my best mate.
Terry Carter