So sorry to hear the news of the death of my oldest and longest standing Student, Sid Hill who passed away last week at the age of 87.
I first met Sid on the 6th October 2009 when he attended his first Guitar Lesson at 71 years of age. He had been playing the Guitar since he was 18 and was now playing the folk open mic nights and in a Ceilidh Band around Darlington and Barnard Castle.
After seeing many Folk Guitarists over the years, Sid had concluded that he needed help with some aspects of his playing – specifically fingerpicking. So our musical journey together began sharing a fondness for Joan Baez, Bob Dylan, Fairport Convention and others. Sid was particularly proud of the fact that he was one of the very few to see Big Bill Broonzy live when he toured England in 1952.
Being an experienced performer, Sid made a memorable appearance at my Awards Night in 2010 accompanied by local Banjo Wizard Ian Sharp playing one of Sid’s old favourites – “Muirsheen Durkin”
We worked through the RGT Acoustic Grades and Sid successfully completed Grade 2 with Distinction (Winter 2010), Grade 4 with Merit (Summer 2011) Grade 5 with a Pass (Summer 2012). He featured in a Northern Echo Article following his Grade 5 Exam.
It was at the point that a we agreed that Sid had probably reached his level at Grade 5 following a “challenging” encounter with the RGT / LCM Examiner, so we decided that progression to Grade 6 was probably not the best plan of action. Instead we continued with his preparations for the many Folk Club Open Mic nights in and around Darlington and Barnard Castle, rehearsing 3 or 4 songs for each – Murshin Durkin, Imagine, Where have all the Flowers gone? Spancill Hill, El Dorado, Handle me with Care, Folsom Prison, Polly on the Shore, Blowin’ in the Wind, Rose of Allendale, Dimming of the Day and many others, not forgetting of course – Danny Boy.
An interesting story which Sid relayed to me on many occasions was when as a small boy sheltering under the Kitchen table at his Auntie’s house in Grimsby, he experienced the horror of a German bombing raid during World War II. The house was virtually destroyed and his Uncle who was in the back garden was tragically Killed. When the dust settled his Mother burst into “Danny Boy” – a song since firmly imprinted on Sid’s soul.
In 2018 we started a recording project which is now part of Sid’s Legacy. A big fan of Sandy Denny and Fairport Convention Sid enjoyed a brief Jerry Donahue period where we explored the application of all of the scales he had learned in his grades to the idea of Lead Guitar improvisation.
However, it wasn’t long before Sid returned to his familiar Acoustic Guitar accompaniment to his extensive vocal repertiore. This led to us embarking on a project which involved the arrangement and recording of two old Fairport favourites – “Meet on the Ledge” and “Who Knows where the Time Goes”. I was very happy to produce a couple of videos for the tracks from photos taken from Sid’s extensive collection on Facebook.
Sid was certainly a very determined and persistent Student. His failing eyesight resulted in a couple of unfortunate accidents whilst driving between Barnard Castle and Darlington resulting in the difficult decision to stop driving. But that didn’t stop him coming for Guitar Lessons now accompanied by his lovely wife, and new chauffer, Janet.
Sid’s persistence was later tested by the onset of Covid lockdowns in 2020 which led to Guitar Lessons switching to ZOOM in those strange times. Whilst many of my Students just stopped lessons at that point, Sid, despite his age (and with Janet’s invaluable support) persisted with the technical challenges of new technology and our weekly lessons continued.
His move to Carlisle introduced him to a new Folk Club in Carlisle assisted by his Daughter-in-Law Jean. Shoulder surgery and a Heart Valve operation didn’t stop him for long and our weekly preparations continued. Unfortunately, Sid’s deteriorating health meant that his later contributions were unaccompanied / acapella as his eyesight began to cause him difficulties seeing his Guitar Fretboard – yet he persisted.
We visited Sid and Janet last Summer and saw that he was beginning to have mobility problems, but his weekly ZOOM lessons continued. His later “lessons” became discussions about his favourite artists and their songs and reminiscence of the many concerts he had attended over the years – one notable one being at St James Park in 1984 (Sid was of course a Newcastle fan) featuring Lindisfarne, Santana and Bob Dylan – quite a match!
My last lesson with Sid was on 30th October 2025 where we talked through Folsom Prison, Blowin’ in the Wind, Spancill Hill and he managed to play his Guitar and sing his old favourite – Muirshin Durkin.
We had a couple of phone calls to Janet since then and I tried to have a conversation with Sid before Christmas but he struggled and his health was obviously letting him down.
Then came the unwelcome phone call when Janet told me that Sid had passed away peacefully in Penrith Hospital on Sunday 12th January 2026, at 87 years of age.
Janet deserves a special mention. From the first time I met Janet when she started to bring Sid through for his Guitar Lessons after he could no longer drive with his failing eyesight, I could see how devoted they were to each other. She lovingly wrote out all of his song sheets in increasingly large print, she was the on site Technical Support when we ran in to problems with ZOOM and lovingly managed his care over the last 12 months. They marked 66 years of marriage last September and Janet’s care for Sid as his health continued to fail him over recent years has been nothing short of complete devotion – an inspiration to us all.
Sid led a full and varied life. A soldier, Civil Engineer and roving Balladeer. A long and happy marriage with Children, Grand Children and his Great Grandson who all gave him great pride and quiet satisfaction.
I miss our weekly chats Sid, but your songs will stay with me for life.
RIP Sidney Hill – a life lived.
