Slade star's tribute to Dame Vera
Former Slade drummer Don Powell has paid tribute to Dame Vera Lynn who died at the age of 103.
The forces' sweetheart met with the Black Country glam rock band at the Melody Maker Awards in 1973, and they were pictured together around a piano.
Don said he remembered the occasion well, and said it was a privilege to meet someone of her stature.
"She was a fantastic woman, when you think of the history she had got," he said.
"Her history is just unbelievable when you think of what she did through the wartime years. When you talk about icons, that's just what she was."
Don, now 73, remembered her as being very friendly and good fun.
"She was just one of the girls really, she seemed so interested in what we were doing," he said.
"She didn't really know us, she just walked over to us and asked us what we were up to."
Don recalled the event as a particularly enjoyable occasion, with some of the biggest names in the music industry.
"It was just fantastic, when you look at the people that were there. She was the one who was so friendly and came up to talk to us and ask us what we were doing."
The ceremony took place in March, 1973, when Slade – formed at Bilston drill hall –was at the height of its success, having just topped the charts with Cum On Feel the Noize.
