1.
Songwriter
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A songwriter is an individual who writes the lyrics, melodies and chord progressions for songs, typically for a popular music genre such as rock or country music. A songwriter can also be called a composer, although the term tends to be used mainly for individuals from the classical music genre. The pressure from the industry to produce popular hits means that songwriting is often an activity for which the tasks are distributed between a number of people. For example, a songwriter who excels at writing lyrics might be paired with a songwriter with a gift for creating original melodies, pop songs may be written by group members from the band or by staff writers – songwriters directly employed by music publishers. Some songwriters serve as their own publishers, while others have outside publishers. The old-style apprenticeship approach to learning how to write songs is being supplemented by university degrees and college diplomas, a knowledge of modern music technology, songwriting elements and business skills are necessary requirements to make a songwriting career in the 2010s. Several music colleges offer songwriting diplomas and degrees with music business modules, the legal power to grant these permissions may be bought, sold or transferred. This is governed by international copyright law, song pitching can be done on a songwriters behalf by their publisher or independently using tip sheets like RowFax, the MusicRow publication and SongQuarters. Skills associated with song-writing include entrepreneurism and creativity, songwriters who sign an exclusive songwriting agreement with a publisher are called staff writers. In the Nashville country music scene, there is a staff writer culture where contracted writers work normal 9-to-5 hours at the publishing office and are paid a regular salary. This salary is in effect the writers draw, an advance on future earnings, the publisher owns the copyright of songs written during the term of the agreement for a designated period, after which the songwriter can reclaim the copyright. In an interview with HitQuarters, songwriter Dave Berg extolled the benefits of the set-up, unlike contracted writers, some staff writers operate as employees for their respective publishers. Under the terms of work for hire agreements, the compositions created are fully owned by the publisher. In Nashville, young writers are often encouraged to avoid these types of contracts. Staff writers are common across the industry, but without the more office-like working arrangements favored in Nashville. All the major publishers employ writers under contract, songwriter Allan Eshuijs described his staff writer contract at Universal Music Publishing as a starter deal. His success under the arrangement eventually allowed him to found his own publishing company, so that he could. keep as much as possible, songwriters are also often skilled musicians. In addition to selling their songs and musical concepts for other artists to sing, songwriters need to create a number of elements for a song
2.
England
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England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west, the Irish Sea lies northwest of England and the Celtic Sea lies to the southwest. England is separated from continental Europe by the North Sea to the east, the country covers five-eighths of the island of Great Britain in its centre and south, and includes over 100 smaller islands such as the Isles of Scilly, and the Isle of Wight. England became a state in the 10th century, and since the Age of Discovery. The Industrial Revolution began in 18th-century England, transforming its society into the worlds first industrialised nation, Englands terrain mostly comprises low hills and plains, especially in central and southern England. However, there are uplands in the north and in the southwest, the capital is London, which is the largest metropolitan area in both the United Kingdom and the European Union. In 1801, Great Britain was united with the Kingdom of Ireland through another Act of Union to become the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. In 1922 the Irish Free State seceded from the United Kingdom, leading to the latter being renamed the United Kingdom of Great Britain, the name England is derived from the Old English name Englaland, which means land of the Angles. The Angles were one of the Germanic tribes that settled in Great Britain during the Early Middle Ages, the Angles came from the Angeln peninsula in the Bay of Kiel area of the Baltic Sea. The earliest recorded use of the term, as Engla londe, is in the ninth century translation into Old English of Bedes Ecclesiastical History of the English People. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, its spelling was first used in 1538. The earliest attested reference to the Angles occurs in the 1st-century work by Tacitus, Germania, the etymology of the tribal name itself is disputed by scholars, it has been suggested that it derives from the shape of the Angeln peninsula, an angular shape. An alternative name for England is Albion, the name Albion originally referred to the entire island of Great Britain. The nominally earliest record of the name appears in the Aristotelian Corpus, specifically the 4th century BC De Mundo, in it are two very large islands called Britannia, these are Albion and Ierne. But modern scholarly consensus ascribes De Mundo not to Aristotle but to Pseudo-Aristotle, the word Albion or insula Albionum has two possible origins. Albion is now applied to England in a poetic capacity. Another romantic name for England is Loegria, related to the Welsh word for England, Lloegr, the earliest known evidence of human presence in the area now known as England was that of Homo antecessor, dating to approximately 780,000 years ago. The oldest proto-human bones discovered in England date from 500,000 years ago, Modern humans are known to have inhabited the area during the Upper Paleolithic period, though permanent settlements were only established within the last 6,000 years
3.
Damon Albarn
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Damon Albarn, OBE is an English musician, singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and record producer. He is best known as the singer of the British rock band Blur as well as co-founder, vocalist, instrumentalist. After spending long periods of time touring the US, Albarns songwriting became influenced by British bands from the 1960s. The result of these came in the form of Modern Life Is Rubbish, Parklife. All three albums received critical acclaim while Blur gained mass popularity in the UK, aided by a Britpop rivalry with Oasis, subsequent albums such as Blur,13, Think Tank and The Magic Whip contained influences from lo-fi, electronic and hip hop music. Along with Tank Girl creator Jamie Hewlett, Albarn formed the virtual band Gorillaz in 1998, drawing influences from alternative rock, trip hop, hip hop, electronica, dub, reggae and pop music, the band released their self-titled debut album in 2001 to worldwide success. Although Albarn is the only permanent musical contributor, the albums feature collaborations from a range of artists. Gorillaz are cited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the Most Successful Virtual Band and he has also ventured into the world of opera with Dr Dee and Monkey, Journey to the West. In 2008 The Daily Telegraph ranked Albarn number 18 in their list of the 100 most powerful people in British culture, in a 2010 UK poll for Q magazine Albarn was voted the fourth-greatest frontman of all time. He was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the 2016 New Year Honours for services to music, Albarn was born on 23 March 1968, is the eldest child of artist Keith Albarn and his wife Hazel, née Dring. Their daughter Jessica, born in 1971, also went on to become an artist, Keith Albarn, originally from Nottinghamshire, was briefly the manager of Soft Machine and once a guest on BBCs Late Night Line-Up. He was head of The School of Art and Design at Colchester Institute, damons paternal grandfather Edward, an architect, had been a conscientious objector during the Second World War and was involved in a farming community in Lincolnshire, becoming a peace activist. In 2002 Edward Albarn died, Damon stated in an interview that Edward did not want to any longer. The Apollo Cumfycraft and The Tailendcharlie produced by his fathers company Keith Albarn & Partners Ltd under the trade-name of Playlearn, when Damon and Jessica were growing up, their family moved to Leytonstone, East London. The household was described as bohemian and their upbringing as liberal, Albarn agreed with his parents views, later claiming, I always thought my parents were absolutely dead right. I went against the grain in a weird way – by continually following them and his parents primarily listened to blues, Indian ragas and African music. The population of the area was predominantly white as opposed to the ethnically mixed part of London which he had used to. He described himself as not really fitting in with the politics of the place, Albarn was interested in music from an early age, attending an Osmonds concert at the age of six
4.
Mike Alexander (musician)
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Michael Mike Alexander was a Jamaican-British musician who served as the bassist of English thrash metal group Evile. On 5 October 2009, Alexander died while on tour in Luleå, Sweden, due to a pulmonary embolism, Evile unveiled a memorial site to Alexander on 25 October 2009. Alexander was born in London, England, in 2000, after Matt Drake and Ben Carter formed a Metallica cover band, Alexander saw an advertisement in a local guitar store for a metal bassist. After calling Drake and rehearsing with the group, the band asked Alexander to join and they recorded an EP All Hallows Eve in 2004 and a demo Hell Demo in 2006. Soon after, the band signed to Earache Records, and released their Flemming Rasmussen produced debut album, Enter the Grave and their second album, Infected Nations, was released in 2009. Alexander performed with BC Rich bass guitars and he also endorsed Kustom and Hartke amplifiers and cabinets and Dunlop bass strings. Evile released a statement on 6 October 2009 through the bands label Earache and he died in Luleå, Sweden on 5 October 2009, during a European tour in support of their new album, from a pulmonary embolism, a blood clot on the lungs. He was replaced two months later by former Rise to Addiction bassist Joel Graham, on Eviles third album, Five Serpents Teeth, the song In Memoriam pays tribute to the late bassist, using a bass riff Alexander used to play during sound checks. He also was given credit for co-writing Long Live New Flesh, Alexander stated his favourite bassists were Jason Newsted and Sean Yseult. All Hallows Eve EP2004 Hell Demo 2006 Enter the Grave 2007 Infected Nations 2009 Songwriting credit on Five Serpents Teeth 2011 - on In Memoriam and Long Live New Flesh. BC Rich Warbeast bass BC Rich Warlock bass Silvertone Paul Stanley V Bass Hartke Cabinets Hartke Amp heads Kustom Cabinets Kustom Amp Heads Mike Alexander on Myspace
5.
Michael Algar
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Michael Olga Algar is an English guitarist, singer and songwriter who fronts the band The Toy Dolls. Mainly a lead/rhythm guitarist, Olga is also a songwriter and record producer, Algar lived in the City of Sunderland during most of his life before moving to Tokyo, Japan, in 2000. He then moved to central London in 2002 where he has lived since, michael Algar, Olga, began playing music around the age of 11 after seeing Mud, Sweet, Slade and Suzi Quatro on Top of the Pops, a UK pop TV show. He had started songwriting/composing by the age of 17 and he played in various local bands including Straw Dogs and The Showbiz Kids before forming The Toy Dolls in October 1979. Over their 35-year existence The Toy Dolls have toured the world extensively and released numerous albums, Olga has written all the bands albums which include such titles as Absurd-Ditties, Fat Bobs Feet, Idle Gossip and Anniversary Anthems. Following the debut album Dig That Groove Baby, the band had a top 10 single in the UK in 1984, Nellie the Elephant and this was followed by the album A Far Out Disc reaching number 71 in the UK Album charts.18. In 2010 he was engineer on the album Crash & Burn by North East UK punk band Crashed Out. The latest production from Olga is The album after the last one by The Toy Dolls, Olga has written the music for various TV Commercials, including Ready Brek, Badoit mineral water and Crazy Grape Pepsi Cola. His music has also used on the soundtracks of Hollywood movies, including Haggard, The Movie, Free Jimmy. Olga also wrote the theme and incidental music for the TV Rock/Pop show Razzamatazz, prior to playing guitar, Olga first learned Bass guitar and also plays Kazoo. Olga plays a yellow Fender Telecaster with a Seymour Duncan bridge pick up, the All Music Guide describes Olga as being capable of jaw-droppingly fast guitar picking. He also played bass on various US shows with The Adicts and he made a guest appearance at the birthday show of Ginger from the Wildhearts at the Garage, London 17 December 2009. Olga also appeared on vocals alongside Brian Johnson from and John Miles, on the Geordie Aid single Try Giving Everything in 1985. Another charity record that Olga appeared on was the album Guitarists 4 the Kids released in 2006, Olga finds inspiration from everyday life, girlfriends, next door neighbours and things, rather than music, for his songwriting. His early musical influences include Dr. Feelgood, Chuck Berry, Sweet, Slade, Mud, SLF, Sham 69, The Jam, The Skids, among punk rock music in general
6.
Emma Anderson
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Emma Anderson is an English musician. She is best known for being a songwriter, guitarist and singer in the shoegazing/Britpop band, as keen music fans, they wrote a fanzine called Alphabet Soup. Her first band, which she joined in 1986, was The Rover Girls as a bass player, in 1987 she formed Lush with fellow songwriter Berenyi. On 6 March 1988, Lush played their very first performance at the Camden Falcon in London and they went on to reasonable success, having a number of Top 40 hits over an eight-year career. Anderson told Everett True in Melody Maker, I remember when I couldnt play, I wasnt in a band, didnt know anyone else who could play, I sometimes find it impossible to come to terms with whats happening. Anderson and Berenyi were the women to take part in the 1992 Lollapalooza tour of the United States. Both Anderson and Berenyi became major music press celebrities as part of The Scene That Celebrates Itself, music magazines the NME and Melody Maker gleefully reported their social activities on a regular basis, which could be said to overshadow their increasingly strong songwriting. As drummer Chris Acland states, people seem to want to talk about Lushs relationship to the more than they want to talk about Lush. Of the sound of Lush, Emma says, We were kind of rock in one way. We did think Well, if they can do it, why the fuck cant we, basically, our idea was to have extremely loud guitars with much weaker vocals. And, really the vocals were weaker due to nervousness – wed always be going Turn them down, after their biggest hits, the Top 30 Single Girl, Ladykillers and 500 and Top 10 album, Lovelife, the bands drummer Chris Acland took his own life in 1996. The members were devastated and they split in 1996, Lush officially announced their breakup on 23 February 1998. While a member of Lush, Anderson also worked with Drum Club contributing vocals and guitar on Spaced Out Locked In on their 1993 album Everything Is Now, in 1997 Anderson formed a new band with vocalist Lisa ONeill, Sing-Sing. Emma talks about how it started, I just started writing songs not really knowing what was going to happen though I kind of knew I didnt want to form another 4-piece indie band, I demoed those songs for 4AD with myself singing but was dropped but I wasnt fazed. I then met Lisa ONeill via a guy I was going out with at the time and she had worked with Mark Van Hoen whom funnily enough, someone I knew said, was looking for collaborators so it kind of all fell into place and Sing-Sing was born. They released two albums – The Joy of Sing-Sing in 2001 and Sing-Sing and I in 2005, before disbanding on New Years Day 2008. Anderson joined in reforming Lush in 2015, releasing a new single Out of Control in early 2016, scar – October 1989 Gala – December 1990 Spooky – January 1992 Split – June 1994 Lovelife – March 1996 Ciao. The Best of Lush –2001 Blind Spot – April 2016 The Joy of Sing-Sing –2001 Sing-Sing and I –2005 Andersons MySpace 4AD Lush Page
7.
Chris Andrews (singer)
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Christopher Frederick Chris Andrews is an English singer-songwriter, whose musical career started in the late 1950s. Andrews was born in Romford, Essex, England, and by his mid teens had formed his own group, Chris Ravel, on 14 March 1959, he made his British television debut, performing on the Oh, Boy. show. He would later return in April to perform a cover of Cliff Richards, for Adam Faith, Andrews wrote The First Time and We Are in Love, and then a string of hits for Sandie Shaw. They included Girl Dont Come, Ill Stop at Nothing, Message Understood, the latter remained a chart topper in the UK Singles Chart for three weeks. Girl Dont Come was covered by Cher on her debut album, as well as obtaining a high placing in the UK chart with Yesterday Man, it also climbed to No.1 in Ireland and Germany. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc, later releases were not as successful, but his own hits are seen as early examples of bluebeat influenced white pop music. In South Africa, his single releases proved particularly popular, with Pretty Belinda, Carol OK. Yo Yo reached No.7 at the end of 1970, Andrews remains active in his career as a singer-songwriter, working primarily in continental Europe and in the United Kingdom. He lives with his second wife Alexandra, who is also his manager, in Germany and Spain. net chris-andrews. de Chris Andrews discography, forum, and marketplace at Discogs
8.
Anohni
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Anohni is an English-born singer, composer, and visual artist who resides in the United States. She is best known as Antony, the singer of the band Antony. Anohni was born in Chichester, England and her family moved to the San Francisco Bay Area in 1981. In 1990, she moved to Manhattan, New York to study at New York University and she started her musical career performing with an ensemble of NYC musicians as Antony and the Johnsons. Their first album, Antony and the Johnsons, was released in 2000 on David Tibets label Durtro and their second album, I Am a Bird Now, was a commercial and critical success, earning her the Mercury Music Prize. Her debut solo album, Hopelessness, was released in May 2016 to wide acclaim, including another nomination for the Mercury Music Prize. Anohni was born in 1971 in Chichester, West Sussex, England, in 1977, her family moved to Amsterdam for a year, and then, in 1981, they moved to the San Francisco Bay Area of California where she grew up. In 1990, Anohni moved to Manhattan to attend the Experimental Theatre Wing of New York University and she spent the next several years singing in after-hours bars and clubs using pre-recorded cassettes as self-accompaniment as well as writing and directing late night theatre productions. The ensemble performed for the first time as Antony and the Johnsons at The Kitchen as part of William Basinskis installation Life on Mars in 1997, in 1999, the group began to perform more frequently at venues such as Joes Pub and The Knitting Factory in New York City. British experimental musician David Tibet of Current 93 heard the recording and offered to release it through his Durtro record label, the album, Antony. Antony and the Johnsons 2005 album I Am a Bird Now featured guest performances by Lou Reed, Boy George, Rufus Wainwright, the album was released in North America by Secretly Canadian Records and in Europe by Rough Trade. It received considerable praise and won the UKs prestigious Mercury Prize and was named Album of the Year by Mojo magazine, the band toured North America, Europe, Australia and parts of South America for a year and a half in support of I am a Bird Now. The song Bird Gerhl was featured in the soundtrack for the movie V for Vendetta, Antony and the Johnsons collaborated with experimental film maker Charles Atlas and presented TURNING in Nov 2006 in Rome, London, Paris, Madrid, and Braga, Portugal. The concert featured live video portraits of some of New York Citys most enigmatic women, the Guardian called the piece fragile, life affirming, and truly wonderful Le Monde in Paris hailed TURNING as Concert-manifeste transsexuel. Antony and the Johnsons 5-song Another World EP was released on 7 October 2008, Antony and the Johnsons third album, The Crying Light, was released on 19 January 2009. The album peaked at number 1 on the European Billboard charts, Anohni has described the theme of the album as being about landscape and the future. The album was mixed by Bryce Goggin and includes arrangements by Nico Muhly, as music, its simply exquisite – more controlled and considered than anything Antony and the Johnsons have done and sure to linger in the minds of listeners. The concert hall was transformed into a cave filled with laser effects created by installation artist Chris Levine
9.
Tim Arnold (musician)
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Tim Arnold is an English singer-songwriter, composer, producer and musician from London. His music has compared to David Bowie. He is also a campaigner for the preservation of the London district known as Soho. He first achieved success as the singer and songwriter of Britpop band Jocasta in the mid-1990s and he runs the record label TA Music and has released fifteen albums, one with Jocasta and fourteen solo albums. He is also author and composer of the musical Secrets of Soho, tim Arnolds childhood was spent travelling through Europe, as his mother, Polly Perkins, performed cabaret in theatres and nightclubs. Between the ages of eight and fourteen, he lived in France, Spain, Arnold has stated he believes in magic after meeting a Pagan “witch” at the age of nine. At fourteen years old, he enrolled as a bard in The Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids. The teachings inspired him to leave his mothers home in Spain and return alone to England to study at the Rudolf Steiner School, in 1994, Arnold and the band moved from Hertfordshire to London. Jocasta had chart hits with Go and Change Me in 1997, the bands only album, No Coincidence was released in June 1997, but they disbanded soon after its release. In 1999 he signed a deal with Richard Bransons V2 Music. He also became Master of Music at Shakespeares Globe Theatre, composing music for Peter Oswalds Augustines Oak. In 2000 he briefly begun a new band called Spearshaker, the band recorded several songs at Rockfield Studios in Monmouth, Wales, which would later be released on Arnolds 3rd solo album En Route. In 2001, Arnold left V2 and signed to Universal Music Publishing, for two years, he wrote and produced music for newly signed artists at Universal, mostly pop, R&B, garage and hip hop. In 2003 Arnold travelled to the Wat Tham Krabok Buddhist monastery in Thailand, the trip financed by his godmother, the actress June Brown, where he was successfully treated for drug addiction. Life at the monastery had an effect on Arnold who subsequently left London and moved to Thailand to live in the monastery. He recorded his solo album Lokutara with the monks who cured him, in which the music was created by following cracks in the earth. Brown and Arnold subsequently set up a fund to help other addicts receive treatment at Wat Tham Krabok, a Tham Krabok success story, Arnold returned to the UK in 2004. Over the following 18 months, he recorded and released 6 solo albums, the responses he received became the basis for many of Arnolds songs
10.
Len Arran
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Len Arran is an English composer of film scores, and songwriter for Skunk Anansie and solo artist Deborah Dyer. He began his career as a guitarist in London in the late 1980s, in 1991, he developed a writing partnership with Dyer, leading to the formation of rock band Skunk Anansie. From 1994 onwards, they produced eight Top 40 singles, including Hedonism, Twisted and Brazen,2004 saw the release of songs for Skins first Solo Album, Fleshwounds on EMI followed by her second solo album, Fake Chemical State released in March 2006. Arran has composed music for computer games, including the Sony Entertainment PC game Tellurian Defence. He has scored music for several Irish short films, in addition to music for Simon Community TV commercials and he has scored films including the award winning A Dublin Story, and Push Hands, Past Pupil and LEmpire des loups. Other works include the British romantic comedy The Truth About Love, the Shimmy Marcus/Paul Davey documentary, in 2009 the film, scored by Arran was nominated for an Oscar at the 81st Academy Awards. Len Arran at the Internet Movie Database Official Homepage Labhaoise Homepage
11.
James Arthur
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James Andrew Arthur is a British singer and songwriter who won the ninth series of The X Factor in 2012. His debut single, Impossible, was released by Syco Music after the final and debuted at number one on the UK Singles Chart in its first week of release. Since then, it has gone on to sell over 1.4 million copies in the UK, the follow-up single Youre Nobody til Somebody Loves You reached number 2 on the UK Singles Chart. He released his debut studio album in November 2013. The album debuted and peaked at two on the UK Albums Chart. After the release of his studio album James Arthur, he was involved in a series of controversies. This led iTunes to offer refunds for the album, the single release Recovery made to number 19, while the sales for the fourth single Get Down hardly made the top 100. Arthur parted ways with Simon Cowells record label Syco in 2014, in 2015, he signed a new deal with Columbia Records to release his second studio album in 2016, titled Back from the Edge. Arthur was also re-signed to Syco in 2016, Arthur was born in Middlesbrough to an English mother, Shirley Ashworth, and a Scottish father, Neil Arthur. The band was active between 2005 and 2008 and it had recordings such as Said Youd Be There, Hole in My Heart and Tear Me Apart. Cue the Drama An alternative rock band based in Marske-by-the-Sea and active between 2005 and 2008, recordings included On the Radio 98KUPD, Its Killing Me, Ill Reach You and It Hurts. Save Arcade A Middlesbrough alternative rock band made up of Arthur, Josh Brown, Matthew Green, Alex Beer, Travis Shaw, in 2009, the band released a three-track EP called Truth, carrying the title track The Truth, as well as Echoes and I Un-Proudly Present. Both releases were on the independent label 57 Records UK, emerald Skye A four-piece indie pop and rock band formed in March 2011 based in Redcar / Saltburn-by-the-Sea and made up of Arthur, Dean Harrison, Paul Gill and Save Arcade bandmate Green. The tracks were written and arranged by McGough, and mixed by Matt Wanstall with all vocals by Arthur, Arthur also released an EP as The James Arthur Band. The band consisted of Arthur, Jez Taylor, Chris Smalls, Jordan Swain, in 2012, the band released The EP Collection CD with nine tracks with R&B, soul and hip hop influences, a compilation of tracks on both EPs. Various Arthur also uploaded many of his own songs to SoundCloud and YouTube and he also revealed his father and mother had hardly spoken to each other for over 20 years, and this was a reunion of sorts for them to attend his audition. He sang A Million Love Songs at bootcamp and was chosen as one of six contestants in the Boys category to advance to judges houses, from this point onward, Arthur was mentored by Nicole Scherzinger. After his judges houses performance of I Cant Make You Love Me, he was picked as one of 12 contestants to advance to the live shows, after his second live performance, Arthur suffered from an anxiety attack backstage
12.
Richard Ashcroft
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Richard Paul Ashcroft is an English singer and songwriter. He was the singer and occasional rhythm guitarist of the alternative rock band The Verve from their formation in 1990 until their original split in 1999. He became a solo artist in his own right, releasing three UK top three solo albums. The Verve reformed in 2007 but again broke up by summer 2009, Ashcroft then founded a new band, RPA & The United Nations of Sound, and released a new album on 19 July 2010. On 22 February 2016 Ashcroft announced his solo album, These People. Chris Martin of Coldplay has described Ashcroft as the best singer in the world, Ashcroft was the only son of office worker Frank and hairdresser Louise, he also has two younger sisters. His middle name, Paul, is also the name of a paternal uncle, when Ashcroft was 11, his father died suddenly of a brain haemorrhage. Ashcroft soon fell under the influence of his stepfather, who belonged to the Rosicrucians, Ashcroft attended Upholland High School, along with future bandmates Simon Jones, Peter Salisbury and Simon Tong, and then attended Winstanley College, where he met Nick McCabe. His teachers referred to him as the cancer of the class, Ashcroft was an avid football player, playing junior football for Wigan Athletic. For some time Ashcroft wanted to be a football player, idolising George Best. Ashcroft formed The Verve in 1990 with McCabe, Jones and Salisbury, the band signed to Hut Records and became well known for their appetite for both psychedelic music and drugs. They also became a part of the Britpop movement, the band split in 1995, and around this time Ashcroft wrote a collection of songs he intended to release as his first solo album. However, by 1997 he had changed his mind and asked McCabe to return, reforming The Verve, however, the pressures of touring and the tensions within the band led to McCabes departure in mid-1998 and the announcement of the bands break-up in April 1999. In early 2007, Ashcroft made peace with McCabe and Jones, the band played gigs later that year and continued touring in 2008, headlining at several festivals around the world. A new album, Forth, was released in August, in August 2008, The Verve broke up for the third time, though it was not announced until the following year. Ashcrofts first solo single, A Song for the Lovers, peaked at No.3 in the UK charts in April 2000 and it was followed by the single Money to Burn which reached the UK Top 20 at #17. The album, Alone with Everybody, was released in June, reaching number 1, in September, a third single was released – Cmon People – entering the charts at #21. Richard does not publish the lyrics to his songs in the cards of his albums or singles as he feels they are personal to him
13.
Ian Astbury
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Ian Robert Astbury is an English singer and songwriter. He is best known as a member and the lead vocalist for the rock band The Cult. In 1979, while living in Glasgow, Astbury was influenced by The Doors song The End, in 1980 he was in Liverpool, where he was active on the punk scene based around Erics Club. He moved to Bradford in late 1980, where he was a member of the positive punk band Southern Death Cult in 1981. Southern Death Cult lasted until March 1983, along with guitarist Billy Duffy, bassist Jamie Stewart and drummer Raymond Taylor Smith, Astbury formed a new band, Death Cult and released The Death Cult EP. To gain broader appeal, the changed its name to the Cult in January 1984 before appearing on the Channel 4 television show. The Cult have been a rock band active since 1983. Their first album, Dreamtime was released in 1984, and followed by Love in 1985, Love featured the single She Sells Sanctuary, which introduced the band to an international audience. Many songs of early albums focus on Native American themes. On their third album, Electric, The Cult made a transformation to hard rock sound with the help of Rick Rubin, after the release of the 1989 album Sonic Temple, and the single Fire Woman, Astbury relocated to Los Angeles, California. In 1994, The Cult returned with an album and a change of musical pace. Their hard rock sound was gone, replaced instead by Astburys growing interest in music, fashion. The self-titled album was not a success, but released two singles. To support the album set out on a tour, in Brazil, however, Astburys creative differences with guitarist Duffy reached their peak. Astbury soon after assembled another group of musicians and began writing new songs and he called the group The Holy Barbarians, and in 1996 the band released the album Cream. Although this was not a commercial success, the band appeared at the small Tunbridge Wells Forum which saw them being joined onstage by Vic Reeves for a rendition of The Cults classic Wildflower. Personal difficulties and a drive for further introspection drove Astbury away from his new group, in 1999, Astbury and Duffy reformed The Cult. A new contract with Atlantic Records was inked, and in 2001 came the release of Beyond Good, early radio success was being had by the single Rise, until the band had a falling out with Atlantic and they ended all commercial promotions and radio play for the album
14.
Pete Atkin
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Pete Atkin is a British singer-songwriter and radio producer notable for his 1970s musical collaborations with Clive James and for producing the BBC Radio 4 series This Sceptred Isle. Born in Cambridge on 22 August 1945, Atkin attended Romsey County Primary School and The Perse School, in 1959 he formed a church youth club band called The Chevrons for whom he played piano with four schoolfriends. He studied Classics and English at Cambridge University where he was a member of St Johns College, in 1966 he joined Cambridge Footlights, becoming the musical director for the revues. Atkin made his first recording in 1967, a pressing of 160 copies of While The Music Lasts. Next year he was taken to EMI with Julie Covington to record the most popular number from the 1967 Revue Show, the complex Duet, at six minutes, it was too long to be a single and has never received commercial release, the tape has since been lost. Atkin released another privately pressed album in 99 copies entitled The Partys Moving On in 1969, essex Music funded the recording of fourteen tracks in 1969. The lyrics to this, and all but two of the tracks on the album, by Atkin, were written by Clive James who met Atkin whilst they were both members of Footlights. Before the release of Beware of the Beautiful Stranger in 1970 Atkin, Covington and these shows, also called The Partys Moving On, each featured three songs and were broadcast only in London late at night. They led to the commissioning of the larger revue format series What Are You Doing After The Show, Atkin did, and still does, write his own lyrics, but it was the collaboration with Clive James that produced his most famous songs. Pete Atkin and Clive James recorded six albums in the 1970s, as well as writing an album for Julie Covington, however, despite Atkins popularity on the college performance circuit the records did not sell in any great numbers. When singer Val Doonican recorded a version of the song The Flowers. For Atkin, touring provided a respectable but not luxurious income, the release of the fourth album, The Road of Silk was accompanied by a promotional tour with a backing band featuring the guitarist Chris Spedding, in contrast to Atkins usual solo tours. Despite the investment this implied, Atkin and James became increasingly dissatisfied with their handling by their record label, paradoxically this album resulted in their most successful tour to date, as Clive James joined Pete Atkin on stage for an evening of song, satire and poetry. Clive James read from the first of his epic poetic satires, The Fate of Felicity Fark in the Land of the Media while Pete Atkin sang songs from the latest release, to their dismay, the offers from other record labels did not flow in after the tour ended. James lyrics were far from popular music, being frequently dense with poetic references. At their most accessible they might describe the life of a tool shop supervisor. A song such as My Egoist, in contrast, is translated almost entirely from a poem by Guillaume Apollinaire, other references include Rainer Maria Rilkes Duino Elegies and William Shakespeares sonnets. Often Atkin turned James intentions upside down, as with The Last Hill That Shows You All The Valley, the combination worked as James mournful cataloguing of mans inhumanity to man became a cry of protest
15.
Adrian Baker
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Adrian Baker is an English singer, songwriter, and record producer. Baker made his debut as a singer on Magnet Records/Epic Records in the United Kingdom, in 1975, he released his first solo album, Into a Dream. From that album, he had one hit on the UK Singles Chart, as a record producer, Baker is known across Europe for his dance hit productions with the group Liquid Gold. He twice attempted to write the UKs entry for the Eurovision Song Contest and his first finalist song, Miss Caroline Newley, performed by the band M Squad finished eleventh of the twelve songs in 1979. Baker, with his band Gidea Park, recorded a version of the Beach Boys California Girls for the James Bond film and it was featured in the opening sequence with Bond snowboarding. It has been suggested that this teaser sequence helped initiate interest in snowboarding, in the United States, he is best known for being the falsetto voice for the touring Beach Boys band from 1981–1982, 1988–1993, and 1998-2004. Baker was also a member of The Four Seasons with Frankie Valli from 1994-1995, in 2006, Baker released his sixth solo album, Runaway Tracks. On 19 March 2011, Baker was presented with the Key to the City of Hickory, North Carolina, Baker was Honorary Chairman of the Hickory Rotary Clubs Rotarian Idol Education Scholarship competition for the second consecutive year. He is currently touring with the band Papa Doo Run Run. P. net website dedicated to the touring band and former band members Papa Doo Run Runs website
16.
Ginger Baker
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Peter Edward Ginger Baker is an English drummer, best known as the founder of the rock band Cream. Bakers work in the 1960s earned him praise as rocks first superstar drummer, Baker is credited as a pioneer of drumming in genres like jazz fusion, heavy metal and world music. Baker began playing drums at age 15 around 1954, and later took lessons from Phil Seamen, in the 1960s, he joined Blues Incorporated, where he met bassist Jack Bruce. The two clashed often, but would be rhythm section partners again in the Graham Bond Organisation and Cream, Cream achieved worldwide success but only lasted until 1968, in part due to Bakers and Bruces volatile relationship. Bakers drumming attracted attention for his style, showmanship, and use of two bass drums instead of the conventional one, in his early days, he performed lengthy drum solos, most notably in the Cream song Toad, one of the earliest recorded examples in rock music. Baker was born in Lewisham, south London, an athletic child, Baker began playing drums at about 15 years old. In the early 1960s he took lessons from Phil Seamen, one of the leading British jazz drummers of the post-war era and he gained early fame as a member of the Graham Bond Organisation with future Cream bandmate Jack Bruce. The Graham Bond Organisation was an R&B/blues group with jazz leanings. Baker founded the rock band Cream in 1966 with Bruce and guitarist Eric Clapton, a fusion of blues, psychedelic rock and hard rock, the band released four albums in a little over two years before breaking up in 1968. Baker then joined the short-lived supergroup Blind Faith, composed of Clapton, bassist Ric Grech, and Steve Winwood and they only released one album before fading. In 1970 Baker formed, toured and recorded with rock group Ginger Bakers Air Force. Baker lived in Nigeria from 1970 until 1976 and he sat in for Fela Kuti during recording sessions in 1971 released by Regal Zonophone as Live. Fela also appeared with Ginger Baker on Stratavarious alongside Bobby Gass, Stratavarious was later re-issued as part of the compilation Do What You Like. Baker formed Baker Gurvitz Army in 1974 and recorded three albums with them before the band broke up in 1976, in 1992 Baker played with the hard-rock group Masters of Reality with bassist Googe and singer/guitarist Chris Goss on the album Sunrise on the Sufferbus. The album received critical acclaim but sold fewer than 10,000 copies, Baker lived in Parker, Colorado, a rural commuter town at the southeastern corner of the Denver Metropolitan Area, between 1993 and 1999, in part due to his passion for polo. Baker not only participated in events at the Salisbury Equestrian Park. In 1994, he formed The Ginger Baker Trio with bassist Charlie Haden and he also joined BBM, a short-lived power trio with the line-up of Baker, Jack Bruce and Irish blues rock guitarist Gary Moore. On 3 May 2005, Baker reunited with Eric Clapton and Bruce for a series of Cream concerts at the Royal Albert Hall, nowadays, were happily co-existing in different continents
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Roy Thomas Baker
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Roy Thomas Baker is an English record producer, songwriter, arranger, and Recording Academy governor, who has produced pop and rock records since the 1970s. Baker began his career at Decca Records in England at the age of 14. Rex, after co-founding Neptune, Baker met a band that would eventually be known as Queen. He began a relationship that lasted for five albums and a number of awards – including Grammy Awards and The Guinness World Records for the best single. Following his successes with Queen and other artists Baker signed an album production deal with CBS Music. He then proceeded to move to the US and set up The RTB Audio Visual Productions Offices in New York, at this time under his new CBS deal RTB produced Journey, Starcastle, Reggie Knighton, Ian Hunter and Ronnie Wood. Baker, also at this time, committed to produce four albums for The Cars after being prompted by Elektra Records to see them perform in a Boston school gymnasium, the albums were certified platinum and The Cars were Grammy nominated. During his tenure as Sr. V. P, Elektra signed artists Metallica, Simply Red, Yello, Peter Schilling, The World and 10,000 Maniacs. Baker has also worked with artists Guns N Roses, Alice Cooper, Foreigner, Pilot, Ozzy Osbourne, Devo, The Stranglers, Dusty Springfield, TPau, Cheap Trick and Lewis Furey. He also produced Yess 2014 album Heaven & Earth,35 years after his previous experience with the band, Baker lives in Los Angeles, Europe and at the RTB Studio Du Lac, his recording retreat, in Arizona. Roy Thomas Baker at the Internet Movie Database Roy Thomas Baker s Linked Professional Profile, an Invitation to the Opera, Sound on Sound, October 1995 – interview with Baker Mix interview with Roy Thomas Baker by Rick Clark, April 1,1999. Mix interview with Roy Thomas Baker by Paul Tingen, March 1,2006
18.
John Balance
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He was responsible for vocals, lyrics, chants, synthetics and various esoteric sound-making instruments and devices. Outside of Coil he collaborated with Nurse with Wound, Death in June, Psychic TV, Current 93, Chris & Cosey, Thighpaulsandra and his early work and wide-ranging collaborations made him one of the most influential figures in the industrial, experimental minimalist and neofolk music scenes. Balance first recorded using the alias Merderwerkers, the Merderwerkers track, Blue Funk, was included on the Sterile Records cassette compilation Standard Response. Balance also published a zine, Stabmental, and released a track, A Thin Veil of Blood. A Thin Veil of Blood was included on the cassette compilation Deleted Funtime – Various Tunes for Various Loons, Balance then joined up with Peter Christopherson and Boyd Rice to record Nightmare Culture under the moniker The Sickness of Snakes. Balance subsequently joined Psychic TV and performed alongside Christopherson, however in 1984, Balance, a short collaboration with Zos Kia produced the split tape Transparent. Credit for the album was shared, and marked Coils first release, the original Coil / Zos Kia tape, Transparent, was released as a His-Storical CD reissue in 1997. Dreams Less Sweet Just Drifting Berlin Atonal Vol.2 N. Y, scum Thee City ov Tokyo/Thee City ov New York Mein-Goett-In-Gen Merderwerkers, Blue Funk on Sterile Records compilation Standard Response. Stabmental, A Thin Veil of Blood on compilation Deleted Funtime - Various Tunes for Various Loons, Sickness of Snakes, Nightmare Culture Rosa Mundi, The Snow Man on compilations The Final Solstice, The Final Solstice II and split album Grief. Balance died on 13 November 2004, after falling from a balcony at his home. Peter Christopherson announced Balances death on the Threshold House website, Balances memorial service was held near Bristol on 23 November, and was attended by approximately 100 people. November 2014 saw the publication of a volume of his art called Bright Lights and Cats with no Mouths by Edition Timeless
19.
Paul Banks (musician, born 1973)
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Paul Banks is an English musician, songwriter and lead guitarist with the rock band, Shed Seven. He spent the six years recording and touring with the band. The bands third album Let It Ride with all music composed by Banks to Witters lyrics, in 1999 the record company asked Banks to write a new lead single for Shed Sevens Greatest Hits album, Going For Gold. The song, Disco Down, later became a Top 20 hit, in an interview in 2002, he said, I spent about two weeks, and I wrote a song called Disco Down, that was just complete to a formula. Right, thatll do, theres your single, and the record company creamed themselves when they heard it. It was like, I cant do any more. I was writing it, and I could see the video, and I could see the front cover of the single, and it was just complete formula. Going For Gold – The Greatest Hits reached number 7 in the UK Albums Chart, but by the time Shed Seven finally left Polydor in 1999, Banks had already decided to leave the band. The last straw was the Greatest Hits album…. I can honestly say that I sold myself short for the last six months. I thought it was better to just stop it and move on. He also spent a time with Fletcher in The Yards, as well as working as a freelance film-maker and music tutor, teaching guitar, bass and songwriting at his studio in Pocklington. In late 2006, Paul joined the Alistair Griffin-fronted band, Albion and they wrote and recorded a number of songs together, releasing several free download-only tracks via their official MySpace page. However, the following July saw Shed Seven announce their reformation and his appearance on the subsequent Greatest Hits tour was the first time he had appeared on stage with the band since leaving in 1999. Following the announcement of the Shed Seven reunion, a statement from the band noted that it would not affect the individual members projects which will continue as before. Yet, despite this vow, Albion abruptly split up in August 2007, when interviewed, Griffin commented Things werent working out the way we anticipated and it seemed the right time to call it a day. Paul Banks at the Internet Movie Database Shed Seven song credits at AllMusic Guide Transcription of Q&A session, The Cultural Foundation,2002
20.
Peter Banks
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For the keyboard player Peter Banks, see the entry for the band After the Fire. Peter William Brockbanks, known professionally as Peter Banks, was an English guitarist, vocalist and he was best known as the original guitarist in the rock bands The Syn, Yes, Flash, and Empire. Former Sniffin Glue and NME journalist Danny Baker and Big George are widely reported as having called Banks The architect of progressive music. Banks father was a mechanic and his mother a cleaner and he grew up in Barnet, North London where he attended Barnet Secondary School. When he was a boy, his father bought him an acoustic guitar. As a teenager, he learned how to play the banjo. Banks started with The Nighthawks in 1963, and played his first concert at the New Barnet Pop Festival before leaving that band to join The Devils Disciples in 1964. The band consisted of Banks on guitar, John Tite on vocals, Ray Alford on bass and they recorded two songs on an acetate, Arthur Alexanders You Better Move On and Graham Gouldmans For Your Love which would be a hit record for The Yardbirds one year later. These two songs can be found on Banks archival album Can I Play You Something, according to Chris Welch, The Devils Disciples used to play The Rolling Stones first album in its entirety, just for the sake of it. About a year later, Banks joined The Syndicats, replacing their guitarist Ray Fenwick, who himself had replaced Steve Howe, Banks then formed a new band with ex-The Selfs bassist Chris Squire, this band being The Syn. They were joined by keyboardist Andrew Pryce Jackman, Steve Nardelli on vocals as well as Gunnar Jökull Hákonarson on drums and they recorded two singles, Created By Clive/Grounded and Flowerman/14 Hour Technicolour Dream both in 1967 before calling it a day a year later. Squire meanwhile joined friends Clive Bayley and Bob Hagger in Mabel Greers Toyshop and he briefly left the band, which was subsequently joined by singer Jon Anderson and then drummer Bill Bruford replacing Hagger. During that short period of time, Banks played with the band Neat Change, recording one single, I Lied to Aunty May with Squire on tambourine and chorus. The members searched for a name, Jon would suggest Life and Chris would propose World. Atlantic Records took notice of the band and, in 1969, got them into a studio to record their first album, the next year another album was in progress but Anderson and Squire decided they wanted an orchestra backing the five musicians. The idea was not well received by Banks, and things got worse when the orchestral arrangements left the guitarist, as well as Tony Kaye, with little to do. Once the album was released, a tour ensued, Banks was asked to leave the group and he was replaced by Steve Howe. During Yes 1991 Union tour, Kaye invited Banks to play during the encore at 15 May show at the Great Western Forum in Inglewood, California, Banks accepted the invitation and went to the show
21.
Tony Banks (musician)
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Anthony George Tony Banks is an English musician and multi-instrumentalist, primarily known for being the keyboardist and a founding member of the rock band Genesis. He is one of the two members who have been with Genesis throughout the bands entire history. In 2010, Banks was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, in 2015, he was named Prog God at the annual Progressive Music Awards. Banks is ranked No.11 on MusicRadars greatest keyboard players of all time, Banks was one of the main composers of Genesiss music and made major lyrical contributions to the bands songs. As the bands keyboardist he used a variety of instruments, including the ARP Pro Soloist synthesiser, the Mellotron, the Yamaha CP-70, in the bands earliest years Banks would play acoustic guitar for some of the mellow and pastoral songs. Outside Genesis, Banks has pursued a career, which has included film scoring, pop songs. In 2006, the first Tony Banks biography, Man of Spells by journalist Mario Giammetti, was published in Italy, Anthony George Banks was born in East Hoathly, Sussex, England. He received classical training in piano and taught himself to play guitar and he attended Charterhouse School, where he met fellow pupil Peter Gabriel in 1963. Banks originally planned to study mathematics in higher education, after Charterhouse he began studying chemistry at Sussex University but soon switched to physics and philosophy. After a year at Sussex, he took a leave of absence to explore a career with Genesis. Banks and Gabriel, together with drummer Chris Stewart, formed a band called Garden Wall and this band merged with another called Anon, which included Mike Rutherford and Anthony Phillips. They recorded a set of demos which ultimately led to the formation of the band that became Genesis. In addition to playing keyboards, Banks contributed to Genesiss 12-string acoustic passages in such as The Musical Box, Entangled, The Cinema Show. Banks also was an occasional back-up vocalist and sang vocals on Shepherd. Banks achieved a sound by running all of his keyboards into a mixing board. This can clearly be heard on everything Banks plays on the Genesis Live album, Bankss earliest setup included a Hammond L-100 organ, a Hohner Pianet N and a Mellotron MkII, all of which are first heard on the Trespass album. Banks used the Pianet as both a substitute for a piano, and also as a lead instrument, with the use of a fuzz box. He would often duel with Hacketts guitar, as heard on tracks like The Musical Box, The Return of the Giant Hogweed and it was often effected with the homemade fuzz box and an MXR Phase 100 – later these pedals were inserted in the panel of the Electra Piano
22.
John Barry (composer)
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John Barry Prendergast, OBE was an English composer and conductor of film music. He composed the scores for 11 of the James Bond films between 1963 and 1987, and also arranged and performed the James Bond Theme to the first film in the series, in 1999, he was appointed OBE at Buckingham Palace for services to music. Born in York, Barry spent his years working in cinemas owned by his father. During his national service with the British Army in Cyprus, Barry began performing as a musician after learning to play the trumpet, upon completing his national service, he formed his own band in 1957, The John Barry Seven. He later developed an interest in composing and arranging music, making his début for television in 1958. He came to the notice of the makers of the first James Bond film Dr. No and this started a successful association between Barry and Eon Productions which lasted for 25 years. He received many awards for his work, including five Academy Awards, two for Born Free, and one each for The Lion in Winter, Dances with Wolves and Out of Africa. He also received ten Golden Globe Award nominations, winning once for Best Original Score for Out of Africa in 1986, Barry completed his last film score, Enigma, in 2001 and recorded the successful album Eternal Echoes the same year. He then concentrated chiefly on live performances and co-wrote the music to the musical Brighton Rock in 2004 alongside Don Black and he was made a Fellow of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts in 2005. Barry was married four times and had four children and he moved to the United States in 1975 and lived there for the remainder of his life until his death in 2011. Barry was born John Barry Prendergast, in York, England, and was the son of an English mother and his mother was a classical pianist. His father, John Xavier Jack Prendergast, from Cork, was a projectionist during the silent film era, who later owned a chain of cinemas across northern England. As a result of his fathers work, Barry was raised in and around cinemas in northern England and he stated that this childhood background influenced his musical tastes. Barry was educated at St Peters School, York, and also received lessons from Francis Jackson. Serving in the British Army, Barry spent his national service playing the trumpet, the career breakthrough for Barry was the BBC television series Drumbeat, when he appeared with the John Barry Seven. He was employed by EMI from 1959 until 1962 arranging orchestral accompaniment for the singers, including Adam Faith, he also composed songs. When Faith made his first film, Beat Girl, Barry composed, arranged and conducted the score and his music was later released as the UKs first soundtrack album. Barry also composed the music for another Faith film, Never Let Go, orchestrated the score for Mix Me a Person, in 1962, Barry transferred to Ember Records, where he produced albums as well as arranging them
23.
Lionel Bart
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Lionel Bart was a writer and composer of British pop music and musicals, best known for creating the book, music and lyrics for Oliver. He was born Lionel Begleiter, the youngest of seven surviving children of Galician Jews, Yetta and Morris Begleiter and he grew up in Stepney, his father worked in the area as a tailor in a garden shed. The family had escaped the pogroms against Jews by Ukrainian cossacks in Galicia. The sole survivor of the seven children is Barts sister Renee Gold, a more likely derivation of Bart is from the silk-screen printing company he founded with John Gorman, G and B Arts. As a young man he was an accomplished painter, when Bart was aged six, a teacher told his parents that he was a musical genius. His parents gave him an old violin, but he did not apply himself, at the age of 14 he obtained a Junior Art Scholarship to Saint Martins School of Art. One Friday afternoon he was suspended for mischievousness along with student, John Groom, for making a noise with the rest of the class, involving set squares. On the following Monday, he returned to the School with an explanation of his peripheral involvement in the disturbance. After St Martins he gave up his ambition to be a painter and he never learned to read or write musical notation, this did not stop him from becoming a significant personality in the development of British rock and pop music. He started his career in amateur theatre, first at The International Youth Centre in 1952 where he. The following year the pair auditioned for a production of the Leonard Irwin play The Wages of Eve at Londons Unity Theatre. Shortly afterward Bart began composing songs for Unity Theatre productions, contributing material to its 1953 revue Turn It Up, and songs for its 1953 pantomime, while at the Unity he was talent-spotted by Joan Littlewood, and so joined Theatre Workshop. He also wrote songs for the Sunday lunchtime BBC radio programme The Billy Cotton Band Show. He first gained recognition through his pop songwriting, penning numerous hits for the stable of young male singers promoted by artist manager. Barts pop output in this period includes the hits Living Doll and Rock with the Cavemen, Handful of Songs, Butterfingers, during this period, Steele and Mike Pratt were his songwriting partners. He won three Ivor Novello Awards in 1957, a four in 1958, and two in 1960. He wrote the song for the 1963 James Bond film From Russia with Love. His other hits include, Do You Mind, big Time, Easy Going Me and Always You And Me
24.
Colin Bass
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Colin Bass, is an English musician, award-winning record producer and songwriter. Since 1979 he has been a member of the British progressive-rock band Camel, from 1984 to 1992 he was also a core figure in the pioneering World Music group 3 Mustaphas 3. He has also made two albums under his own name and three albums recorded in Indonesia under the name Sabah Habas Mustapha. The title track of the first, Denpasar Moon, became a popular song in Indonesia in the mid-1990s and has been covered by over 50 Indonesian, Malaysian, Japanese. As a guest artist he has appeared on albums by a number of acclaimed artists including top Malian singing star Oumou Sangare. In 1971 he joined an incarnation of the 60s chart-topping group The Foundations, in 1971 he met Ernie Graham, formerly of Eire Apparent and, together with guitarist Jonathan Glemser, they formed the band Clancy. The band became part of Londons growing Pub-Rock scene and briefly signed with Island Records but were dropped after differences with producer Muff Winwood, shortly afterwards the band signed with Warner Brothers and recorded two albums, Seriously Speaking and Every Day. The line-up on both was, Bass, Ernie Graham, Gasper Lawal, Dave Vasco, Dave Skinner, Clancy split in 1976 and Colin joined Steve Hillage, who was putting together a band to promote the album L on a six-month tour of Europe and the USA. The line-up included ex-Jethro Tull drummer Clive Bunker, in 1977 Bass was invited by American saxophonist and composer Jim Cuomo, who had occasionally played with Clancy, to participate in his musical Woe Babylon at the Edinburgh Festival. The band from the show included pianist Ollie Marland and drummer Miguel Olivares, Olivares was later replaced by ex-Back Door drummer Tony Hicks. Recordings were made with producer Tom Newman but were never released, in 1979, Steve Hillage tour manager Laurie Small introduced Bass to British progressive-rock band Camel. The line-up at the time was Andrew Latimer, Andy Ward and keyboardists Kit Watkins, there followed two albums I Can See Your House From Here and Nude and respective international tours. In 1981 at the end of the Nude tour, Andy Wards health problems led to Andrew Latimers dissolving of the band, Bass relocated to Paris where he recorded an album and performed live with old colleague Jim Cuomo. In the same year he started to play with the Anglo-Ghanaian band Orchestra Jazira, which led to his induction in the pioneer world-music group 3 Mustaphas 3, the first, Denpasar Moon, was recorded in Jakarta and explored the sounds of the popular music style Dangdut. At the same time, the 90s saw a rejuvenated Camel back on the scene after a period of inactivity due to a protracted legal dispute with previous management. Between then and 2003 Camel released another three albums and undertook subsequent tours all documented with live albums and DVDs. In 1998, Kartini Music released Bass first album under the name Colin Bass, subsequent tours produced two live albums, Live at Polskie Radio 3 and Live Vol.2, Acoustic Songs. 2000 also saw the release of another Sabah Habas Mustapha album recorded in Bandung and it further explored the sounds of the Sundanese region and featured again the multi-instrumentalist Ismet Ruchimat and several musicians from his group SambaSunda
