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A SPECIAL TRIBUTE TO WIRRAL ' S MUSIC MAN ' PHIL CATON '
Wirral ' s well known music man Philip Anthony Caton , who was in bands such as The Chip Shop Boys and also backed The Scaffold , has sadly passed away peacefully at the age of 71 .
Phil was born in 1950 to parents Winnie & Fred . He spent his childhood at the Leasowe Golf Club which his parents managed and then later at the Pig & Whistle pub in Liverpool where Winnie was the manageress .
He was husband to Lin for over 50 years , Father to Debbie , Emma & Simon and Grandad to Connor , Adam , Joel , Megan , Josef , Olivia , Evie & Anya .
In the late 60 ' s , Phil started playing with local bands such as The Cheese Band ( 1967 ), Casper ' s Engine , Do Do ( 1972 ), and later on The Profumo Affair & The Chip Shop Boys who often played with The Scaffold . His passion for music was something that stayed with him until the very end and helped him throughout his battle with Parkinson ’ s Disease , which he sadly lost on 5th June 2022 .
Wirral Life spoke to his granddaughter Megan about her fondest memories of him and how Wirral have lost a legend .
Megan said : " My Grandad was a man of many talents and there was little he wouldn ’ t be able to help you with . He was a drummer , pianist , guitarist , artist , writer - he gave everything his best shot and was seemingly unafraid of failure .
" Whenever I think of him , I imagine him as he was in his prime , he had a sense of youth and ambition about him that was infectious to everybody he met . He had a magnetic personality and possessed an ability to connect with everyone he met , young or old . He was curious , bold and full of great conversation .
" Everyone who knew him would be able to recollect a good chat they had with him , a moment or an adventure they ’ d been on together . Even from a young age I recognised that he was special and not everybody was lucky enough to have such a character for a grandparent .
" Most people remember my Grandad as a bit of a legend , a musician , a joker and all round great company . I remember him as the man who told dad jokes and showed the same bad magic tricks every time I saw him . He was the man who took me for ice cream at Parkgate and made every outing feel special . When we went for walks on the beach in Heswall or bike rides along the Wirral Way , he ’ d tell me tales of fairies and monsters and witches , he had the knack of making the most normal activities into an adventure and it is to him that I owe my imagination to .
" I always remember hearing of his rock ' n ' roll lifestyle as a kid and being in awe . The musicians he had met and performed with , the celebrities he met , the iconic countries and places he had visited and the mischief he ’ d caused whilst there . I always wanted to be like him , however I lacked the ability to play an instrument . What I wanted was his confidence , to be able to walk into any room anywhere in the world and make fast friends and to this day still have friends from all corners of the world . He had an ability to bring people out of their shell , he was genuinely interested in whatever you had to say and taught me the value of really listening to people .
16 wirrallife . com