Art Blakey. I helped him walking because he was too drunken. ( after his concert in Nice). He made before an after concert in a hotel in Nice.
Herbie Hancock. I could speak 5 minutes with him. ( Nice jazz festival in the middle of the 80’s)
Dizzy Gillespie. I just checked his hand and said to him that his concert was great ( in the 80’s, New Morning Jazz Club)
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I was in the village car park once at night and a car was struggling to get out of the car park on the up slope as it was icy.
The guy in the car in front of me got out of his car as did I and we pushed the car up the slope. After I reached out to shake his hand and said thank you for the music - he replied “we do our best to please”. David Gilmour. I’ve also met him in his back garden whilst I was walking my dog……
Then Springsteen, Phil Collins, pat
Metheny, and loads of my jazz heroes from Esbjorn Svensson to Manfred Eicher (over lunch and several other occasions)……
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I was always on the top with the Original Stone Roses live jigs.
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Was at school with the members of Radiohead (also Tom Hollander).
Back in my younger days I was a member of the National Youth Music Theatre and did a show with Jude Law, there were also a few “grown-ups” in the cast including Dame Thora Hird and Ian Holm
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Toyah Wilcox - in Queens Hall, Nuneaton, after a gig… (Saturday, 21st March’15).
Chatted - briefly - about Robert (Fripp) and the then future King Crimson concerts (in Sept’15), which had just been announced.
At that KC concert at Symphony Hall, Birmingham, caught sight of Toyah, rushing through the venue…
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I was walking along 5th Avenue Manhattten in midtown Xmas 2016. There was an elegant gentleman in a grey cashmere coat backed into a corner of a building surrounded by a gaggle of women asking for an autograph. I think it was Ricky Martin. The poor man was very pleasant but was quite cornered.
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Billy Gibbons and Dusty Hill from ZZ Top. In the nineties in Montreal, after the George Thorogood and ZZ Top show, my friend and I decided to go to the best stripper club in town. After about 2 beers both Billy and Dusty came and in, that was explaining why the manager was so stressed cleaning the table with the big couchs besides us.
Then not long after, four ladies, some of them being the back vocals, came and joining them. It took less than half an hour before those ladies started to strip on the table like the girls on the stage, making the manager going crazy. Both guys were sitting deep in the couchs like kings with the long beards and sun glasses with a half smile.
We did not dared try to talk with them, but the night sure did leave some great memories in my ears…. Ok in my eyes too. 
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There’s a good French movie screenplay in there somewhere.
.sjb
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Canucks can be such a PITA. I truly know … I’m Canadian so I’m surrounded by them. I’ve always said, Canada? Yeah I love Canada … there’s just too many da*n Canadians … 
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Funny it would be women, eh?
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The closest I’ve got is the parents of one the guys in Air Supply (not the curled hair one) 
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I actually met a few female country music stars before they were big names. My wife’s brother is a country drummer and was an available, dependable, gig drummer back then and got booked in for quite a few mainstream bands. I can’t remember the female leads names now cuz it’s been so long and I’m not a country fan.
But they would pull into town to drop him off at about 2am and we would still be up partying, so I would go out and help him unload his gear and meet the band. A few years later they would be on the radio and doing major gigs, but again, I just can’t remember the names.
Sorry for the somewhat lame post.
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Lemmy and Phil, oddly enough. And Chris Squire.
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In the early 90s I saw Ginger Baker and Jonas Hellborg (Swedish bassist) play in the Mean Fiddler in Harlesden, London. My friend had taken drumming lessons with Ginger, and we went backstage after the gig. My friend told me that Ginger wasn’t in great form; he’d had a polo accident, his back was playing up, and he’d been smoking some whacky baccy to ease the pain. “Fair enough,” I thought, not knowing anything about his fearsome reputation.
As soon as J introduced me, he glared at me and barked “ARE YOU A FOOTBALLER?” and, “ARE YOU ARMENIAN? ARE YOU AN ARMENIAN FOOTBALLER??” I don’t remember what exactly I said - I laughed it off gently - and only much later realised how narrowly I’d escaped being decked, or whacked with a walking stick, or whatever.
Jonas was a perfect gent. I mentioned that I really enjoyed his album Elegant Punk, which was true. He commented, “Oh, that’s an old one.” I didn’t let on that I’d only heard of him because I’d bought that album after reading about it in Hi-Fi Review.
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A couple of years ago I was at our local motor racing circuit and needed to use the toilet. Standing at the entrance to the toilet with his back to me was a guy talking to someone. I waited a short while but they didn’t move so I put my hand on the guys shoulder and gave him a gentle push and said “Excuse me. Would you mind moving”. He turned round and I realised it was Nick Mason (Pink Floyd). I gaped open mouthed at him, muttered something stupid and went into to toilet. Regretted ever since that I didn’t say something a bit more appropriate.
Earlier this year at the same race track my mate and I bumped into this guy:
Brian Johnson (AC/DC)
Also 3 years ago I was standing next to a guy siting on the pavement who I thought was a tramp. Very scruffy and looked old enough to be Keith Richards dad.
It was only when someone asked him if they could take his photo that I looked closer and it was Don Powell. Drummer from Slade. Just read that he has had a stroke since then. Hope he has recovered.
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I was forgetting another 2…! In the back room of pub near Rugby, Martin Carthy. It was a Folk Club - and apparently Martin had played there many years ago. The club asked him back - and he said yes…!! I think this was 1992 or 93…? Via a good work colleague I managed to get a ticket. His son has taken Guitar lessons with Martin.
Also there was a very skinny young girl, with purple hair. And a Violin. She was there to sell the ‘merch’. She was persuaded to play with Martin on a couple of songs. That was a very young Eliza Carthy. She has done quite well, since then.
Something like this…
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I saw the Jeff Beck Group with Rod Stewart on vocals twice in just over a week. Once at the Bull &Vic, Dartford and again at the Black Prince, Bexley. Beck had a big hit at the time called “Hi Ho Silver Lining” which was very poppy and way different from the rest of their set which was bluesy and Rod was at his vocal peak then. Beck sang this one and Rod just sat on the front of the stage and looked as unimpressed as I was. He actually recognised me from the previous week (I was right at the front both times) and we shared our disgust at the song. As it was the end of the first set we wandered off to the bar and he bought me a pint. He was a really nice down to earth bloke in those days and one of the best white blues singers ever.
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Off the top of my head:
Mick Jones twice
Tom Robinson with and without Band many times.
One of the original Softs in the pub - a lovely evening!So many beers and so long ago, I’d have to look up his name 
Crass - as in spent time with them when we played support once.
Not me - but my wife was good friends with Marc Almond
…And of course (Future Stars!) Ese Okorodudu and The Vooduu People lots. They’re all lovely 
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Met Ronnie Barker at a car boot sale. Went up and shook his hand. Was a nice bloke.
Bernie Marsden (Whitesnake) was a regular in the shop. He’d sit with a coffee and just talk till closing time.
Last one is less met and more paths crossed. When I was young (maybe 12 or 14), my friend’s mum worked at a local venue. Led Zep were playing that weekend and they were rehearsing in the auditorium with the lighting guy and someone up in the sound booth. My friend and I were in there having a listen for quite a while, when suddenly Robert Plant just lost his s%%t. Went into an expletive laden tired about freeloaders just wondering in to watch them play (pointing at us as the only two people in the seats) and just stormed off. Page and the others were just confused. My friend and I make a sharp exit.
So that’s better than meeting a star. That’s having Led Zep’s sole attention while they swear the air blue at you.
David Prowse (Darth Vader) was a local man. He’d come into the bookshop my mum worked often and was often there when I stopped in.
Jeremy Clarkson. Less met and more of a case of no one in the Banbury/Chipping Norton area never having at least once pulled up next to him at the traffic lights.
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That is very funny indeed (although you are probably better able to laugh at it now than you were as a teenager when Planty was turning the air blue!).
Is there any chance that recording tapes were running at the time? If you had a copy, it would be a thing to treasure, and to bequeath to your grandchildren - the day my friend and I broke up a Led Zeppelin sound check!
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