JOHN David, Forest based songwriter, is delighted that two songs he penned for Status Quo frontman Rick Parfitt shortly before he died are to finally see the light of day.

John, who runs Berry Hill studio, has been a long time collaborator with Status Quo, having written no fewer than eight singles for the legendary rockers.

So it was no surprise that, when Rick left the band last year over health problems and decided to record a solo album, he should turn to John for help.

John said: “In October last year Rick called me and said he was leaving Quo to pursue a solo career because they were planning an acoustic tour and he ‘wanted to rock’.

“He asked me to send him some songs. He sounded so excited and full of life. He was looking forward to a new career.

“Out of the 15 I sent him he picked two to do. The titles were ‘Everybody Knows How To Fly’ and ‘Long Distance Love’.

“Then on December 24, 2016 I heard the news that he died.

“What I didn’t know then, was that he had actually done a lot of work on his new solo album, including my two songs, and after his death, a group of stellar musicians including Brian May, Alan Lancaster and others got together to finish Rick’s project."

The result is a posthumous Rick Parfitt solo album titled ‘Over and Out’ which is being released in March.