Listen: Without Whom – Tunes For David Horton

During Real Gone’s first decade, our website managed to pick up a lot of supporters.  From keen music fans, to labels and bands who loved what we did, every year seemed to gain momentum.  Among it all, between the famous bands, the DIY artists and labels, there had been an unsung hero.

David Horton, a keen music fan from the US, supported our site from somewhere close to the very beginning.  At a time when we wrote articles about albums we felt were overlooked and threw in the odd review for a new release, at a time when we only had support from a handful of regulars, David was there.


David introduced us to a bands and labels that would soon become part of the fabric of our site.  Bands he loved came to us for coverage.  Bands they were friends with came to us after being impressed with our coverage for others.  We owe so much to David.  He helped to really put us on the map.

We are very sad to say that David – known to a whole world of people on social media as “Popa” or “Popa Tunes” – lost a battle against cancer this month.  His presence on the internet, and on twitter especially, was fantastic.  If you enjoyed blues, garage rock or Americana influenced music, you’ll certainly be aware of how important David was.  He seemed to devote all of his spare time to sucking up new music and sharing his findings with others.

You only have to explore his twitter account to realise he was still sharing new music and things he loved right until the end.  His personal blog, last updated in 2017, is a treasure trove of cult and underground music.

David will be best remembered through the music he loved.  We’d like to share just a few of the things we found through him from a few bands and labels we know he loved.  There area  few notable exceptions – especially his beloved and short-lived Skeletons In The Piano – but the core of everything we’ll forever associate with Popa can be explored via the below playlist.  We hope you find something new to enjoy.  Maybe you’ll even find something to love as much as he did.