The singer and guitarist Rob Rose, who has died of cancer aged 57, was a respected mainstay of Reading's music scene. A few weeks before his death, he was still giving performances as compelling as any since his stage debut in the mid-1970s, when he was a pupil at Ashmead comprehensive.
At school he became known for his sharp dress sense and winning grin, his adolescent imagination already gripped by US soul. An appearance at the Top Rank ballroom, Reading, by the singer Curtis Mayfield proved pivotal in informing Rob's artistic direction. He honed much of his musical skill under the tutelage of his art teacher at Ashmead, Roger Barnes, who, outside work, led a rhythm-and-blues outfit.
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