Obituary: Michael Brewer, musician

Oklahoma native Michael Brewer and Tom Shipley became unlikely international stars in 1971 when the Missouri folk duo’s single One Toke Over the Line caught the record-buying public’s imagination. Essentially a joke song celebrating marijuana, it played constantly on the radio and reached No 10 on the United States charts.

Although they never repeated that success, Brewer & Shipley recorded nine more albums and the likes of the Byrds, John Denver, Stephen Stills and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band covered their songs. Michael Brewer died on December 17, aged 80.