Brian Davison (drummer)
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Brian Davison (25 May 1942 – 15 April 2008), was a British musician. He is best known for playing drums with The Mark Leeman Five, The Nice, Brian Davison's Every Which Way,
Refugee A refugee, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), is a person "forced to flee their own country and seek safety in another country. They are unable to return to their own country because of feared persecution as ...
and
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.


Biography

Towards the end of the 1950s, Davison played in various
skiffle Skiffle is a music genre, genre of folk music with influences from American folk music, blues, Country music, country, Bluegrass music, bluegrass, and jazz, generally performed with a mixture of manufactured and homemade or improvised instruments. ...
groups in small clubs in the north-west of
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. He joined The Mark Leeman Five in 1963, with Mark Leeman on vocals, Alan Roskams on guitar, Dave Hyde on bass and Terry Goldberg on piano. They recorded a series of singles during their career as well as an album published in 1963, ''Rhythm and Blues Plus!'', which contains among others, a song by
Willie Dixon William James Dixon (July 1, 1915January 29, 1992) was an American blues musician, vocalist, songwriter, arranger and record producer. He was proficient in playing both the upright bass and the guitar, and sang with a distinctive voice, but he ...
, "You Can't Judge a Book by Its Cover", and one from Mud Morganfeld, "Got My Mojo Working", as well as other pieces from
rhythm and blues Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a genre of popular music that originated within African American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predomina ...
. In 1965, after Leeman died in a car accident, the band members recruited another singer Roger Peacock and the band continued until 1966 before disbanding. Davison, guitarist/vocalist
Brian Wilson Brian Douglas Wilson (June 20, 1942 – June 11, 2025) was an American musician, songwriter, singer and record producer who co-founded the Beach Boys. Often Brian Wilson is a genius, called a genius for his novel approaches to pop compositio ...
(not to be confused with the bassist of the
Beach Boys The Beach Boys are an American rock band formed in Hawthorne, California, in 1961. The group's original lineup consisted of brothers Brian, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and their friend Al Jardine. Distinguished by thei ...
) and a bassist then formed the trio The Habits, who released a single "Elbow Baby", produced by Spencer Davis. This group came to
France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
and played in
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(in a small ephemeral club L'Elbow) and in Cogolin at La Jasse. Brian Davison then formed the psychedelic band Shinn with Donald "Donn" Shinn on keyboards, Paul Newton on bass (future member of Uriah Heep) and singer Eddie Lamb. They played live, but did not release any records. Then, in 1967, Davison replaced drummer Ian Hague in a new band, The Nice, with ex- Gary Farr & The T-Bones
Keith Emerson Keith Noel Emerson (2 November 194411 March 2016) was an English keyboardist, songwriter, composer and record producer. He played keyboards in a number of bands before finding his first commercial success with the Nice in the late 1960s. He be ...
on organ and piano and Keith "Lee" Jackson on bass and vocals, as well as guitarist/trumpeter David O'List, ex-member of The Attack. They released their first album in 1967 on the
Immediate Records Immediate Records was a British record label, started in 1965 by The Rolling Stones' manager Andrew Loog Oldham and Tony Calder, and concentrating on the London-based blues and R&B scene. History Immediate Records was started in 1965. Signe ...
label, entitled ''The Thoughts of Emerlist Davjack'', based on the musicians' names. After a second album, ''Ars Longa Vita Brevis'' in the vein of the first, which saw the departure of guitarist O'List, The Nice continued as a trio until it broke up in 1969 when Emerson, seeking to broaden his horizons, disbanded the group and formed the trio
Emerson, Lake & Palmer Emerson, Lake & Palmer (informally known as ELP) were an English progressive rock Supergroup (music), supergroup formed in London in 1970. The band consisted of Keith Emerson (keyboards) of The Nice, Greg Lake (vocals, bass, guitars, producer) ...
.


Brian Davison's Every Which Way

Brian Davison then founded another group, Brian Davison's Every Which Way, and released an eponymous album on the Charisma label in 1970, with Graham Bell on vocals, acoustic guitar and electric piano, John Hedley on electric guitar, Alan Cartwright on bass, Geoffrey Peach on flute, horns and backing vocals, and Brian himself on drums. In a rhythm and blues and
free jazz Free jazz, or free form in the early to mid-1970s, is a style of avant-garde jazz or an experimental approach to jazz improvisation that developed in the late 1950s and early 1960s, when musicians attempted to change or break down jazz conventi ...
vein, the album contains the long
blues Blues is a music genre and musical form that originated among African Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues has incorporated spiritual (music), spirituals, work songs, field hollers, Ring shout, shouts, cha ...
"Bed Ain't What It Used to Be", but goes unnoticed and, due to low sales, the group split up. Davison is then forced to play with small unknown formations. He plays for Wolfgang Dauner, then does a few sessions as a studio musician. He thus played with former Nice colleagues Keith Emerson and Lee Jackson on an album by Roy Harper, ''Flat, Baroque & Berserk'' in 1970, on the piece "Hell's Angels". He did it again in 1973, appearing on Roy Harper's album ''Lifemask'', on which he played on the long suite "The Lord's Prayer". Jackson, for his part, formed his own group Jackson Heights after the dissolution of The Nice, and after their fourth album ''Bump n' Grind'', approached the Swiss keyboardist Patrick Moraz about joining the band. Moraz refuses and proposes instead to form a new group, Refugee. Moraz, Jackson and Davison thus came together for an eponymous album produced in 1974. They did a few concerts, but Moraz then auditioned for the group Yes and left the trio; British keyboardist Graham Bond was considered a possible replacement, but after an audition the combination proved impractical. Davison played with the band
Gong A gongFrom Indonesian language, Indonesian and ; ; zh, c=鑼, p=luó; ; ; ; ; is a percussion instrument originating from Southeast Asia, and used widely in Southeast Asian and East Asian musical traditions. Gongs are made of metal and ...
on tour for a while before scraping by again with small local bands.


The Nice reunion

In 2002,
Keith Emerson Keith Noel Emerson (2 November 194411 March 2016) was an English keyboardist, songwriter, composer and record producer. He played keyboards in a number of bands before finding his first commercial success with the Nice in the late 1960s. He be ...
reformed The Nice with Lee Jackson, Brian Davison and guitarist Dave Kilminster, augmented for a few songs by Phil Williams on bass and Pete Riley on drums. A tour of England followed and a live album ''Vivacitas'' was released in 2003, with songs from The Nice including the double "America/Rondo" and "Karelia Suite". Also included are pieces by Emerson, Lake & Palmer, such as "Tarkus" and "Fanfare for a Common Man. Davison taught drumming at Bideford College. He died of a brain tumour on 15 April 2008 at home in Horns Cross
Bideford Bideford ( ) is a historic port town on the estuary of the River Torridge in north Devon, South West England. It is the main town of the Torridge District, Torridge Districts of England, local government district. Toponymy In ancient records Bi ...
,
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, aged 65.


Discography


Mark Leeman Five


Singles

* 1965 : ''Portland Town/Gotta get myself together'' : Columbia – DB 7452 * 1965 : ''Blow my blues away/On the horizon'' : Columbia – DB 7648 * 1966 : ''Forbidden Fruit/Going To Bluesville'' : Columbia – DB 7812 * 1966 : ''Follow me/Gather Up The Pieces'' : Columbia – DB 7955 Promo Single


Album

* 1963 : ''Rhythm and Blues Plus!'' : serial number unknown


Compilations

* 1971 : ''Rock Generation Volume 8 – Soft Machine at the Beginning – Mark Leeman Five And Davy Graham'' : Byg Records – 529.708 * 1991 : ''The Mark Leeman Five – Memorial Album'' : See For Miles Records Ltd. SEE CD 317 – Available on CD


The Nice


Studio albums

* 1968: '' The Thoughts of Emerlist Davjack'' (Immediate) * 1968: '' Ars Longa Vita Brevis'' (Immediate) * 1969: ''
Nice Nice ( ; ) is a city in and the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative city limits, with a population of nearly one millionFive Bridges'' (Charisma) * 1971: ''
Elegy An elegy is a poem of serious reflection, and in English literature usually a lament for the dead. However, according to ''The Oxford Handbook of the Elegy'', "for all of its pervasiveness ... the 'elegy' remains remarkably ill defined: sometime ...
'' (Charisma) * 1996: ''America – The BBC Sessions'' (Receiver) * 2001: ''The Swedish Radio Sessions'' (Sanctuary) * 2002: ''BBC Sessions'' (Sanctuary) * 2003: ''Vivacitas'' (Sanctuary) * 2009: ''Live at the Fillmore East December 1969'' (Virgin)


Singles

* 1967 : ''The Thoughts of Emerlist Davjack / Azrael (Angel of Death)'' (Immediate) * 1968 : ''America / Diamond Hard Blue Apples of the Moon'' (Immediate, 1968) * 1968 : ''Brandenburger / Happy Freuds'' (Immediate) * 1969 : ''Diary of an Empty Day / Hang On to a Dream'' (Immediate) * 1969 : ''Country Pie / Brandenburg Concerto No. 6 / One of Those People'' (Charisma)


Compilations

* ''Hang on to a dream'' – Esperar un sueno (Emidisc 1C 048-50 722 – 1970) * ''The Nice'' (Phillips 9299 718 – 1970) * ''The best of The Nice'' (Immediate 1C 048-90 674 – 1970) * ''Keith Emerson with the Nice'' (Mercury – 830 457-2 M-1 – 1971) Include albums Five Bridges Suite and Elegy * ''Keith Emerson with the Nice Vol 2'' (Fontana 9286 862 1971) * ''In memoriam'' (Immediate 2C 054 – 95954 – 1972) * ''Autumn '67 – Spring '68'' (Charisma, 1972, UK) Reedited under the title : ''Autumn to Spring'' (Charisma, 1973, USA) * ''The Immediate Story'' (Double CD – Sire SASH – 37102 – 1975) * ''Amoeni Redivivi'' (Immediate IML1003 – 1976) * ''Greatest Hits'' (Immediate IML 2003 – 1977) * ''Ars Longa Vita Brevis'' (3 LP Box – Charly Records 26 76 210 – 1977) * ''The Immediate Years'' (3 LP Box – Charly Records CDIMMBOX2 – Charly Schallplatten GmbH – 1995 Germany) * ''Nice Hits Nice Bits'' ''(BMG Fabricated, 1999)'' * ''The Immediate Collection'' (Recall Records – 1999 Double CD Album) * ''Here Comes The Nice'' ''The Immediate Anthology'' (3CD Castle Music – CMETD 055 – 2000) * ''Keith Emerson & The Nice'' ''Absolutely The Best'' (True North 1003941 – 2001) * ''BBC Sessions'' – Ian Hague on drums on ''Flower King Of Flies'', ''Sombrero Sam'' and ''Rondo'' recorded for the television show ''Top Gera''. * Artistes Variés – ''Immediate Pleasure -'' Including Rod Stewart and P.P. Arnold'', Come home baby'' and two songs from The Nice, ''The Thoughts of Emerlist Davjack and America (2002)''. * ''The best of The Nice, The Small Faces. Humble Pie, Eric Clapton & John Mayall'' (Immediate – 1C 148-92 661/662) Double Album * ''The Nice & The Humble Pie*- Famous Popgroups Of The '60s Vol. 4'' (Music For Pleasure – 1M 146-94319/20) – CD 1 The Nice – CD 2 Humble Pie) Double Album


Brian Davison's Every Which Way

* 1970 : ''Brian Davison's Every Which Way''


Refugee

* 1974 : ''Refugee'' * 2007 : ''Live in Concert Newcastle City Hall 1974'' * 2010 : ''Refugee & Refugee Live in Concert 1974'' Both albums were reedited on Floating World Records.


Collaborations

; Roy Harper : * 1970 : ''Flat, Baroque & Berserk'' – The Nice (Keith Emerson, Lee Jackson and Brian Davison) play on the song ''Hell's Angels''. * 1973 : ''Lifemask'' – Brian Davison plays drums on the long suite ''The Lord's Prayer''.


References


External links


Brian “Blinky” Davison at Find a Grave
{{DEFAULTSORT:Davison, Brian 1942 births 2008 deaths English rock drummers British male drummers Musicians from Leicester Progressive rock drummers The Nice members Refugee (band) members 20th-century British male musicians