Andy Kanavan (born 23 May 1961) is an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

classical musician Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be #Relationship to other music traditions, distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical mu ...

Composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and def ...

and

multi-instrumentalist A multi-instrumentalist is a musician who plays two or more musical instruments, often but not exclusively at a professional level of proficiency. Also known as woodwind doubler, doubling, the practice allows greater ensemble flexibility and mor ...

. He was best known for his work with

post-punk Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad genre of music that emerged in late 1977 in the wake of punk rock. Post-punk musicians departed from punk's fundamental elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a broader, more experiment ...

bands Level 9, Foreign Playground and German band Styffe. Kanavan also played briefly with

Killing Joke Killing Joke were an English rock music, rock band formed in Notting Hill, London, in 1979 by Jaz Coleman (vocals, keyboards), Paul Ferguson (drums), Geordie Walker (guitar) and Youth (musician), Youth (bass). Their first album, ''Killing Joke ...

Enigma Enigma may refer to: *Riddle, someone or something that is mysterious or puzzling Biology *ENIGMA, a class of gene in the LIM domain Computing and technology * Enigma (company), a New York–based data-technology startup *Enigma machine, a famil ...

The Maisonettes The Maisonettes were an English pop band formed by Lol Mason (formerly of City Boy) with Mark Tibenham and drummer Nick Parry, best known for their hit single "Heartache Avenue". History The group's debut single, "Heartache Avenue", reached ...

The Alan Parsons Project The Alan Parsons Project was a British rock music, rock duo formed in London in 1975. Its core membership consisted of producer, audio engineer, musician and composer Alan Parsons, and singer, songwriter and pianist Eric Woolfson. They shared w ...

and

Dire Straits Dire Straits were a British rock band formed in London in 1977 by Mark Knopfler (lead vocals, lead guitar), David Knopfler (rhythm guitar, backing vocals), John Illsley (bass guitar, backing vocals) and Pick Withers (drums, percussion). Th ...

. He was recognized as a capable drummer, as showcased in concerts such as Larks in the Park. He was also a founding member of Mellow Yellow.
/ref> A session musician, Kanavan drummed for Decca Records, Decca,

Polydor Polydor Limited, also known as Polydor Records, is a British record label that operates as part of Universal Music Group. It has a close relationship with Universal's Interscope Geffen A&M Records label, which distributes Polydor's releases in ...

and indie label

Sabre A sabre or saber ( ) is a type of backsword with a curved blade associated with the light cavalry of the Early Modern warfare, early modern and Napoleonic period, Napoleonic periods. Originally associated with Central European cavalry such a ...

, and became the drummer for the band Dream Cast on their ill-fated European tour, in which Dave Elliott (guitar), Chris Nichols (keyboards) and Helen Raven (vocals) died in a horrific traffic accident. Born in

Accrington Accrington is a town in the Hyndburn borough of Lancashire, England. It lies about east of Blackburn, west of Burnley, east of Preston, north of Manchester and is situated on the culverted River Hyndburn. Commonly abbreviated by locals to ...

, the former

Royal Marine The Royal Marines provide the United Kingdom's amphibious warfare, amphibious special operations capable commando force, one of the :Fighting Arms of the Royal Navy, five fighting arms of the Royal Navy, a Company (military unit), company str ...

Officer built a reputation for his aggressive and rhythmic style of drumming. As a rock and soul drummer for bands both in

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

and the UK, Kanavan was never short of work. Following his brief spell of notoriety, Kanavan stepped away from the limelight in the early 1980s and began a new life as a music tutor in the South of England. Following the death of his wife on 11 August 1989, Blue Haze vocalist Barbara Mac, he lost his love of music. He would fail to show at concerts and was soon dropped by mainstream record labels and bands. In 2024 Kanavan returned to music reforming

Blue Haze ''Blue Haze'' is a compilation album of tracks recorded in 1953 and 1954 by Miles Davis for Prestige Records. Overview The album is a reissue in 12" format of the 10" LP '' Miles Davis Quartet'' (PRLP 161), with " I'll Remember April" added. ...

and composing

Classical Music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be #Relationship to other music traditions, distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical mu ...

. Kanavan has made several appearances with

in and around Edinburgh and Stirling.

Band history

Foreign Playground was founded by Kanavan and Hamilton and although found moderate success with the single "Would You" in Japan, the song failed to enter the UK singles chart. Panned by critics, the band released "Love in the Woods" which saw the band's popularity rise in Germany and Italy. His clashes with other band members sealed the fate of the band. In 1983, the band parted company.

References

External links

* * *David Roberts (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). HIT Entertainment. {{DEFAULTSORT:Kanavan, Andy English multi-instrumentalists English session musicians English male drummers Living people 1961 births People from Accrington