Joe Bonamassa plays on album in tribute to Dorking musician

A group of musicians have recorded an album of songs originally written by their friend who died from bowel cancer.

Matt Long, from Dorking, Surrey, was an award-winning blues guitarist, singer and songwriter, and the frontman of the band Catfish. He died 18 months after his diagnosis.

In memory of the 29-year-old, friends from across the music industry, including blues legend Joe Bonamassa, have recorded an album of his songs, as well as a cover of The Beatles track With a Little Help from My Friends.

Profits from the album will be donated to the Onslow Ward at the Royal Surrey County Hospital, which cared for Mr Long.

Two of the tracks on the album include Mr Long’s vocals, which his mother, Fiona Long, said “brings him back to us briefly”.

“The people who are involved are all friends of his who are in the music industry, and everybody has put their heart and soul into every track,” she said.

“The final track is from one of the benefit gigs that we ran for Matt when he was still with us. We were raising money for extra treatment that wasn’t available on the NHS.

“It was an encore with all the musicians involved, a version of With a Little Help from My Friends, so that seem like a really appropriate name for the album.”

Mr Long’s father, Paul Long, said every person who played on the album had “done us proud”.

The album is the latest fundraising effort for the Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust by Mr Long’s parents.

In August, the pair donated an ultrasound machine to the trust, which Sarah Etherington, associate director of nursing for oncology, said at the time would “enable faster symptom relief and significantly improve patients’ quality of life”.