It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Tom Dixon, a music journalist, reviewer, and valued member of the RAMzine team, who left us on 9th April 2025 at age 67.
Tom Dixon was born in the North East of England on 16th November 1957. He tied the knot with his wife Diane, whom he first met in grammar school back in 1978. Together, they built a life in Somerset and celebrated an enduring marriage that spanned 46 years, having been together for half a century.
Tom was delighted to have retired early and looked forward to making meaningful contributions to RAMzine each week, a commitment he maintained for eight years. During this period, he wrote hundreds of reviews for both the website and the print magazine when it was still in circulation. As Tom himself expressed, “I’m fortunate to have retired early and I can now take full advantage of the 40+ years I have spent collecting, listening, watching and playing (badly) and have enjoyed researching how blues in particular has shaped the music we know and love today.”
Tom’s influence endures through the writings he left behind and the enthusiasm and expertise he shared for rock and blues music. His inaugural review for RAMzine took place in 2017, where he critiqued Europe’s album Walk The Earth, remarking, “Joey Tempest told us he’s ‘Not Supposed To Sing The Blues,’ yet the revival of a blues-infused Europe carries on with their latest release.” The final album review he penned was for Black Eyed Sons’ Cowboys In Pinstriped Suits, in which he declared, “Eleven tracks and not one a skipper… make no mistake, this isn’t Quireboys, this is a new band of quality, making great music together – give it a try and then buy”.
Tom frequently spoke about the band Brave Revival, so it feels fitting to share these words he sent me at the beginning of the year: “Brave Rival proved me right with stellar live performances and a brilliant follow-up to a brilliant debut. Fight or Flight is a mature, varied and always enthralling trip through blues, rock with the odd tasteful soulful interjection. Try the genius blues of ‘Stars Upon My Scars’ or the new classic rock of ‘Blame the Voices.’ They must surely be rewarded for their hard work, skill and originality in 2025.“
You can read through all of Tom’s articles here: https://ramzine.co.uk/author/tomdixon. As tribute this week we will publish a few of Tom’s articles from the magazine on our website, including ‘Artists who paved the way in rock,’ ‘6 from the sixties,’ and ‘6 from the eighties’.
We sincerely appreciate all of Tom’s contributions to RAMzine and the music community. His presence will be deeply missed, and we extend our heartfelt wishes to everyone who had the pleasure of knowing him.
Rest in peace.
