Rowland Charles "Boon" Gould (4 March 1955 – 30 April 2019) was an English

musician A musician is a person who composes, conducts, or performs music. According to the United States Employment Service, "musician" is a general term used to designate one who follows music as a profession. Musicians include songwriters who wr ...

and one of the four founding members of

Level 42 Level 42 is an English jazz-funk band formed on the Isle of Wight in 1979. They had a number of UK and worldwide hits during the 1980s and 1990s. Their highest-charting single in the UK was " Lessons in Love", which reached number three on th ...

Career

Gould was born in

Shanklin Shanklin () is a seaside resort and civil parish on the Isle of Wight, England, located on Sandown Bay. Shanklin is the southernmost of three settlements which occupy the bay, and is close to Lake and Sandown. The sandy beach, its Old Village ...

on the

Isle of Wight The Isle of Wight ( ) is a county in the English Channel, off the coast of Hampshire, from which it is separated by the Solent. It is the largest and second-most populous island of England. Referred to as 'The Island' by residents, the Is ...

. He was the guitarist of Level 42 and occasional saxophone player on their earliest albums. Boon was the brother of Phil Gould, who was the drummer and also a founding member of Level 42. Gould's tenure as a full-time member of Level 42 ended in 1987 after a period of sustained illness and nervous exhaustion, culminating in him suffering from

panic attack Panic attacks are sudden periods of intense fear and discomfort that may include palpitations, sweating, chest pain or chest discomfort, shortness of breath, trembling, dizziness, numbness, confusion, or a feeling of impending doom or of losing ...

s whilst onstage. He continued writing lyrics with the band and was present during studio work for the '' Staring at the Sun'' album in 1988. Gould released two solo studio albums: ''Tin Man'' and ''Love Kills Overtime'', the second under the pseudonym 'Zen Gangsters'. The second studio album used a number of his brother's drum samples from his later work with Level 42. Gould maintained a relationship with lead vocalist and bassist Mark King, occasionally seen attending King's concerts in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Gould provided lyrics for King's second solo studio album '' One Man'' (1998) and the full 2004 reunion of the band was officially announced on his website, although this reunion was very brief. Gould provided lyrics, some guitar work, and some music for Level 42's eleventh and most recent studio album '' Retroglide'' (2006), although he and King had an agreement that Gould was credited solely for

lyrics Lyrics are words that make up a song, usually consisting of verses and choruses. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist. The words to an extended musical composition such as an opera are, however, usually known as a " libretto" and their writer, ...

and King solely for

music Music is generally defined as the art of arranging sound to create some combination of form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise expressive content. Exact definitions of music vary considerably around the world, though it is an aspe ...

Reunions

In October 2012, Gould joined his longtime bandmates and friends, Mark King and

Mike Lindup Michael David Lindup (born 17 March 1959) is a musician best known as the keyboard player and falsetto voiced singer, who joined with Mark King and brothers Phil and Boon Gould to form the British jazz-funk/pop rock band, Level 42. Early lif ...

, for a one off guest appearance in

Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, city, Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Glouces ...

. Gould performed alongside the band for the songs "Heathrow" and " Love Games". Although Gould had a lot of writing involvement with Level 42 after the dissolution of the original line-up, the Bristol show marked his first public appearance with Level 42 in 25 years. Gould's appearance also coincided with King's birthday.

Death

Gould was found dead at a friend's home in

Uffculme Uffculme (, ) is a village and civil parish located in the Mid Devon district, of Devon, England. Situated in the Blackdown Hills on the B3440, close to the M5 motorway and the Bristol–Exeter railway line, near Cullompton, Uffculme is on the ...

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devo ...

on 30 April 2019, aged 64. A coroner's inquest found the death was

suicide by hanging Suicide by hanging is the intentional killing of oneself (suicide) via suspension from an anchor-point such as an overhead beam or hook, by a rope or cord or by jumping from a height with a noose around the neck. Hanging is often considered ...

. Boon had suffered from

bipolar disorder Bipolar disorder, previously known as manic depression, is a mental disorder characterized by periods of Depression (mood), depression and periods of abnormally elevated Mood (psychology), mood that last from days to weeks each. If the elevat ...

throughout his life.

Discography

Solo

*1995: ''Tinman'' *2000: ''Love Kills Overtime'' (recorded as Zen Gangsters)

With
Level 42 Level 42 is an English jazz-funk band formed on the Isle of Wight in 1979. They had a number of UK and worldwide hits during the 1980s and 1990s. Their highest-charting single in the UK was " Lessons in Love", which reached number three on th ...

*1981: ''

'' *1982: ''

The Early Tapes ''The Early Tapes (July/Aug 1980)'', also known as ''Strategy'', is the second album released, but first to be recorded, by the British group Level 42. Originally recorded for Elite Records, the band subsequently signed to Polydor, who bought t ...

'' *1982: ''

The Pursuit of Accidents ''The Pursuit of Accidents'' is the third studio album released by the jazz/funk British musical group Level 42, in 1982. It was issued on CD in 1985. It was re-issued on CD in 2000 as part of a two disc set with the album "Standing In The Light" ...

'' *1983: ''

Standing in the Light ''Standing in the Light'' is the fourth studio album released by English jazz-funk band Level 42. The album, released in 1983, generated the group's first top 10 in the UK Albums Chart, peaking at No. 9. The album was well received by critics a ...

'' *1984: '' True Colours'' *1985: ''

World Machine ''World Machine'' is the sixth studio album by British pop group Level 42, released in 1985. It was the band's breakthrough album internationally and features one of their most successful singles, " Something About You". Composition This releas ...

'' *1987: ''

Running in the Family ''Running in the Family'' is the seventh studio album by British band Level 42, released in 1987. It features the UK hit singles: "Lessons in Love" (which reached No. 3 in May 1986), "Running in the Family" (No. 6 in February 1987), "To Be wit ...

'' *2006: '' Retroglide''

With Phil Gould

*2009: ''Watertight'' *2021: ''Beautiful Wounds''

References

External links

Level 42 official website
* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gould, Boon 1955 births 2019 deaths Suicides in England English rock guitarists English new wave musicians Level 42 members People from Shanklin English rock saxophonists English jazz saxophonists English songwriters Musicians from the Isle of Wight People with bipolar disorder 2019 suicides 20th-century saxophonists