It is hard to compute. The news came through this morning that Nigel Grainge had died overnight in California. The first words that come are whispered spontaneously. Jesus Fucking Christ. That can’t be true. But, of course, it is. It is. It is.

Not many people outside the music industry may clock the name immediately, but Nigel Grainge was one of the most important figures in the history of Irish music. Born in London, he started out in accounts with Phonogram Records, but before long had crossed over to become a great A&R scout. He loved music passionately and was always searching for the Holy Grail: great talent capable of making timeless records that might sell by the cartload.

He had joined Phonogram in the 1970s and one of his early A&R successes was signing Thin Lizzy. Up to that point, the band had been on the Decca label, but that deal had run aground. For the band, it was do or die stuff. With Scott Gorham and Brian Robertson joining Philip Lynott and Brian Downey in the line-up, they desperately needed a new label to go with their fresh twin-guitar identity.

Nigel saw that they had the makings of something special, and he loved the unique swagger of Philip Lynott as a frontman. They did the deal. Lizzy were on their way. Not long afterwards, they were regarded as the best hard rock band on the planet, a status that was majestically captured on their classic Live and Dangerous double album, released in 1978.

Having worked successfully with one Irish band, Nigel was more open than most UK record company executives tended to be in the mid-‘70s, when Bob Geldof and Fachtna O Ceallaigh came knocking with a tape of The Boomtown Rats that they insisted was worth listening to. Nigel listened and wanted in.

The Rats campaign gathered momentum, and had a number of record companies vying for their signatures, including Virgin Records. But Grainge was persuasive. He had a new record label, to which he’d given the name Ensign. The Boomtown Rats would be the label’s top priority. And he also knew how to sign a big cheque. The Rats were on their way, flying under the Ensign banner.

Within a matter of months they were having hit records, confirming that, where Irish acts were concerned, Grainge had the midas touch. In 1978, the Rats hit No.1 in the UK, with 'Rat Trap'. That was the first ever UK chart No.1 by an Irish rock band. Nigel became a life-long friend of Bob Geldof.

WONDERFULLY RESONANT SONGS

It was Kieran Owens, who managed The Virgin Prunes who made the connection between Nigel and Sinéad O’Connor. Nigel got the picture from the start, and Sinéad was signed to Ensign, with Fachtna O Ceallaigh stepping in as her manager. This was a slower burn, but there was never any doubt about Nigel Grainge’s belief in Sinéad’s special magic. When she had a global No.1 with a cover Prince’s ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’, the album from which the track was lifted I Do Not Want What I Have Not Got became a global smash hit, going on to sell 12 million copies.

The 1980s also saw another crucial moment for Irish music, when The Waterboys, fronted by Mike Scott from Edinburgh in Scotland, were signed to Ensign. Their eponymous debut album was released in 1983. By the time of the epic This Is The Sea, Steve Wickham, formerly of In Tua Nua, was on board and during the latter half of the decade, Scott gravitated towards Dublin.

He recorded what many consider to be one of the greatest Irish albums of all time, Fisherman’s Blues, in Windmill Lane Studios, Dublin and Spiddal House, Galway, with a largely Irish cast that included Wickham, Trevor Hutchinson, Máirtín O’Connor, Alec Finn and a whole lot more besides – including co-production credits for John Dunford and Vinnie Kilduff, alongside Mike Scott and Bob Johnston.

There may have been difficult discussions along the way, but it was a mark of Grainge’s dedication to the idea of enabling artists to express themselves that such a radical shift in direction was accepted. Fisherman’s Blues went on to be The Waterboys’ best-selling album. But it was far more than that too, its stylings becoming part of the vernacular here, offering a new focal point for Irish music and musicians, and lending a bunch of wonderfully resonant songs to the buskers’ canon.

Mike Scott would go on to record other landmark Irish-centric records, including the superb An Appointment With Mr. Yeats, though he had moved on from Ensign at that stage.

These were not Nigel’s only successes, not by a long shot: he signed Stevie Miller, Eddie Grant and Clover, as well as steering singles like Chuck Berry’s ‘My Ding A Ling’ to chart success. But these signings were absolutely crucial ones for Ireland and for Irish music.

INSPIRING FUTURE GENERATIONS

I had the privilege on knowing Nigel and of interviewing him for Hot Press. He had an extraordinary, virtually encyclopaedic knowledge of music. In his every action he belied the image of the feckless record company executive, who treats bands and artists like disposable fodder. He also had a great sense of humour and was wonderful, engaging company.

Nigel was interested primarily in being involved with bands and artists whose music would endure. And the Irish artists he signed – honorary Irish man Mike Scott included – did not let him down. His support was crucial to enabling them to make records that have stood the test of time and remain, legitimately, in the vicinity of any list of Greatest Albums Ever.

What is done, and what is achieved, by people behind the scenes in the industry often goes unnoticed and unsung. But there is no doubt that Nigel Grainge deserves to be accorded a special place in any history of Irish music. He gave the opportunity and the platform to some of our most important artists and they rewarded his faith by making great records – in the process inspiring future generations of Irish artists and Irish musicians to ever-greater heights of ambition and creativity.

Without him, who knows how things would have panned out? What we can say for sure is that Nigel Grainge played a huge part in enabling and encouraging the transformation of Ireland into a world force in music.

We all owe him a huge debt of gratitude. Sleep in peace.