Former school friend Trevor Beattie led the celebrity tributes to UB40 sax star Brian Travers on the day of his funeral - calling him the city's most complete 'Renaissance man'.
On a day blessed with blazing September sunshine, Trevor said: "The service was beautiful. Brian gave us brilliant weather, too. He was never going to leave on a drizzly day and even art-directed his own funeral."
Family members said Brian's definition of success was "having an idea and seeing it through... he really believed he could change the world and in many ways he and his mates did".
READ MORE:UB40 reggae star Brian Travers says 'I'm a rock and roller' after brain op
Leading Thursday's 'farewell' service at Highbury Hall, celebrant Kathryn Day said Brian, who died surrounded by his family at his Moseley home on August 22 aged 62, had been "a bundle of mischief" at Hall Green Infant and Junior School.
The poignant service included a recording of the Charlie Chaplin song 'Smile' which Brian had made during lockdown with his son Jamie and featuring the debut vocal performance from his own father, Joseph, then 85.
UB40 leader Robin Campbell's tribute at Highbury Hall was understandably read out for him - after playing concerts to thousands of people for 40 years together, Robin said he was still coming to terms with Brian's absence.
Robin's note began: "It doesn't matter how well prepared you think you are when the worst happens...
"Brian breathed music... and had an incredible memory. He would meet people and years later remember everything about them to make them feel special.
"He's left a giant, Brian-sized hole. We'll miss him forever."
A private cremation courtesy of A Natural Undertaking was followed by wife Lesley, daughter Lisa and son Jamie joining a wake held at Brian's favourite source of his beloved Guinness, the Hare & Hounds in Kings Heath.
You can see more pictures of Brian Travers - some of which have never been published before - in our photo story here.
The wake
David Campbell - a manager of the band for three years in the early '80s - and younger sibling Duncan - lead singer from 2008 until ill-health forced his retirement in June this year - quietly joined their brother Robin for the wake at the Hare & Hounds along with other key UB40 personnel including new frontman Matt Doyle
Among those paying their respects on the day were Black Sabbath's first manager and jazz festival founder Jim Simpson, 80-year-old city rock legend Steve Gibbons, Citizen Khan comedy star and broadcaster Adil Ray
Welsh actor and lifelong UB40 fan Keith Allen enjoyed talking to American star Chrissie Hynde from The Pretenders - now 70, but still-effortlessly rock-chic glam in thigh-high black boots.
It's 36 years since her collaboration with UB40 saw I Got You Babe reach No 1 on August 25, 1985 - one of the band's three UK No 1 singles out of 39 top 40 hits (or, as Brian used to say: 'More hits than the Bee Gees').
Other guests included members of The Specials, city fashion icon Patti Bell and Sindy Campbell, the head of Film Birmingham which has helped to bring Glenn Close, Steven Spielberg and most recently 'Two Tikkas' Tom Cruise to shoot at various city locations.
Trevor Beattie, who aims to become the first Brummie in space as the passenger with ticket No 1 on Richard Branson's inaugural public Virgin Galactic flight, said many people had enjoyed great success after studying at the Moseley School of Art (1899) opposite Balsall Heath Baths.
They include Roy Wood (Wizzard), Christine McVie (Fleetwood Mac) and other UB40 stars Ali Campbell, Earl Falconer and James Brown
But Trevor - whose lifelong love of space has seen him become best friends with the second man on the moon, Buzz Aldrin - said Brian Travers was the school's 'Renaissance man'.
"Brian was the most talented man to come out of the Art School," said Trevor.
"He was a writer, poet, lyricist, video and film director, musician and a brilliant painter but carried his skills so lightly. He was such a humble man.
"Brian was even a graphic designer, too - you'd pay a leading company £50,000 to come up with his signature saxophone logo just to get something nearly as good as that."
Trevor, currently producing Midas Man, a film about The Beatles' manager Brian Epstein, added: "Brian even art directed his own funeral, which is what I thought he would do.
"I'll have a cold pint of Guinness the way he wanted. I still owe him a pint."
Trevor revealed a pinprick 'tattoo' close to the knuckle of the forefinger on his left hand.
"Brian had (a similar) one on his arm and it's still the only one I've got.
"We used to dip our compasses into ink and walk down between desks and go (enacts stabbing motion).
"(The mark) disappeared and then came back and I thought 'What's this?! I didn't realise it was a tattoo at the time (he did it). "
GMB host Adil Ray started the condolence book with the words: "You were the kindest, sweetest friend. The pain we feel now is the price of the love we have for one another."
ITV Central's multi award-winning business reporter Mark Gough added his thoughts for UB40's most gregarious member.
The symbol of the day was Brian's roundel of a red dot inside yellow and green circles, an image which appeared in wreath form, on hats, T-shirts and as stickers.
Brian created the design seven years ago as a 'more inclusive' alternative to the circles of blue, white and red from RAF planes adapted by Mods (the pioneers of modern rock in his view).
Many of Brian's symbols are already dotted around south Birmingham. For years, one has been next to the elevated York Road street sign opposite the Hare & Hounds.
Missing from the day was Ali Campbell, even though Brian was best man at his wedding.
They had been born just eight days apart in February, 1959 and were, according to oldest Campbell brother David, the two biggest disruptors he knew during their childhoods.
He said Ali wanted to be a bass player or drummer, even though he was the most natural choice to be the frontman.
David said the band Ali chose to leave in 2008 after three decades of hits would never have been so successful without "Robin being much more middle of the road" and he regretted how personal the split had become between the two brothers
Others at the wake said Brian's outgoing nature helped some members of UB40 "who were actually quite shy."
Making every day count
UB40's first gig was at the Hare & Hounds in Kings Heath on February 9, 1979 - two days after Brian's 20th birthday.
That show is now commemorated by a PRS plaque on the outside wall facing York Road - it was unveiled almost ten years ago on October 4, 2011.
Weeks after celebrating his 60th birthday, Brian had a seizure at home on March 19, 2019.
Perhaps it was as well the band had been five months early with their 40th anniversary 'secret show' at the pub on October 7, 2018.
As you can see in the above video, when sax star Brian Travers walked across the front of the stage fans cried out 'Bri-an, Bri-an' before he gave his trademark V-sign ready to lead the band through Food For Thought, which has one of the greatest sax riffs in pop history as well as the line 'Death a certain harvest scattered from the skies'.
Eight days after his seizure, Brian learned that his friend from The Beat, Ranking Roger, had died from a double brain tumour.
But the next day, on March 28, the UB40 star kept calm and carried on... right into the QE Hospital where he then had his own double brain tumour removed.
Miraculously, Brian returned home the following day, not begrudging his UB40 bandmates starting a UK-wide 40th anniversary tour that night without him.
In an interview at the Hare & Hounds on April 16, 2019, Brian said he had 'no fear' because his recovery was a creative opportunity.
“I want to tell people not to be afraid, but to embrace everything in life while you can," he said.
"I haven’t got a bucket list like so many. I’ve got no regrets. I’ve lived my life to the full and I’m going to carry on living it to the full – I’m a rock and roller!
“I have never had a greater gift than this operation. I am going to make some great art, and I am so excited.”
Celebrant Kathryn Day told more than 120 guests at Highbury Hall: "This is a ceremony for a man who embraced life and didn't waste a second of his 62 years.
"At 15 he became an apprentice electrician and said 'It was like working in the bowels of hell' when he was at a tower in Five Ways... so he decided to do things that would make him happy...
"(As someone) who'd 'never been anywhere to having been everywhere', he later used his own privilege to try to improve the lives of others."
Having met future wife Lesley by chance at The Horseshoe in Hall Green, Brian had once said: "It' not about finding that person you live with, it's about finding the person you can't live without."
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Tributes from Brian's son Jamie and daughter Lisa were read out - "He loved his family and friends so much, this is the worst loss of our lives" - as were notes from former Radio 1 DJ and family friend Janice Long.
She was not well enough to attend, but wrote: "Brian was the right side of naughty... always had a story to tell... and made time for so many people regardless of whether he knew them well or not."
A note from city historian Carl Chinn praised Brian for "not losing his working-class roots... the city has lost a true champion."
Local promoter Dave Travis then delivered his own personal tribute to Brian, having first met him as a photographer for the NME in 1980 and later hosted Brian's first art exhibition at the then Havill & Travis Gallery in Harborne in the autumn of 2015.
Dave told the gathering: "It was a joy to watch this outrageously talented friend perform, always with an enormous grin on his face and chatting to the audience before, after and sometimes even during the gig.
"He loved playing sax and was often generous enough to offer his services to bands that recorded at UB40's DEP studio.
"I'm told he even asked the extreme metal band Cradle of Filth: 'Do you want some sax on that, lads?'
Incredibly, they turned down this generous offer."
After asking Brian for a dozen paintings to create an exhibition at the Harborne gallery, Dave recalled: "Seven months later Brian turned up with 165 new paintings, ceramics, glassware and furniture.
"I had a theory he had a secret twin - one Brian touring the world and the other working 20 hours a day producing these incredible works of art.
"Brian was a mini tornado... a whirlwind of creative new ideas and fascinating anecdotes but always looking out for, and concerned about, others. I've never met anyone like him."
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