It was as though Brazier had to hurry his achievements along, because he may not be there for dinner. After he first stepped on stage in the early 1970s, playing country blues, Brazier quickly became renowned for his unsurpassed talents as a performer, singer and songwriter. Notoriety for other pursuits may have dominated perceptions of him among the wider public. But not for anyone who witnessed him front Hello Sailor in any of its incarnations – acoustic songsmiths or swashbuckling rock’n’roll pirates – or his days ashore, playing solo or with backing bands, or telling tall stories behind the counter of his mother’s bookstore.