Bryn Haworth (born 29 July 1948) is a British

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

singer-songwriter, guitarist, and pioneer of Jesus music in mainstream rock. Born in

Blackburn Blackburn () is an industrial town and the administrative centre of the Blackburn with Darwen borough in Lancashire, England. The town is north of the West Pennine Moors on the southern edge of the River Ribble, Ribble Valley, east of Preston ...

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...

, England, he has released some twenty-two albums and several singles since the 1970s, as well as guesting as guitarist on many other albums by rock and folk artists. He continues to tour in the UK, appearing mostly at smaller venues, Christian centres and at prisons. He has also appeared three times at the UK Greenbelt Festival. His chosen instruments include

guitar The guitar is a stringed musical instrument that is usually fretted (with Fretless guitar, some exceptions) and typically has six or Twelve-string guitar, twelve strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming ...

(particularly slide or bottleneck guitar) and

mandolin A mandolin (, ; literally "small mandola") is a Chordophone, stringed musical instrument in the lute family and is generally Plucked string instrument, plucked with a plectrum, pick. It most commonly has four Course (music), courses of doubled St ...

. He recorded sessions for the

John Peel John Robert Parker Ravenscroft (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004), better known as John Peel, was an English radio presenter and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original disc jockeys on BBC Radio 1, broadcasting regularly from ...

show on

BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and Contemporary hit radio, current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including ...

in 1974, 1975 and 1976, and made two television appearances on

BBC Two BBC Two is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's second flagship channel, and it covers a wide range of subject matte ...

's ''

The Old Grey Whistle Test ''The Old Grey Whistle Test'' (sometimes abbreviated to ''Whistle Test'' or ''OGWT'') is a British television music series broadcast by the BBC. It was devised by producer Rowan Ayers, commissioned by David Attenborough, and aired on BBC2 from ...

''. Also in the 1970s, Haworth appeared on the weekly ITV television show "Pop Gospel", presented by Berni Flint. Together with wife Sally, Haworth has engaged in extensive musical and evangelical work in prison settings. Haworth has his own website and is featured in the current Crossrythms artists catalogue.

Early years

Bryn Haworth was born in 1948 in

, England and was brought up in the nearby town of

Darwen Darwen is a market town and civil parish in the Blackburn with Darwen borough in Lancashire, England. The residents of the town are known as "Darreners". The A666 road, A666 road passes through Darwen towards Blackburn to the north, Bolton to ...

. His father was a maths teacher and he attended the secondary school where his father taught, Darwen Technical College His main musical influence, however, was his mother, who would often buy the latest 78 releases by such artists as

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one of the most significant cultural figures of the ...

, Jackie Wilson and

Little Richard Richard Wayne Penniman (December 5, 1932 – May 9, 2020), known professionally as Little Richard, was an American singer, pianist, and songwriter. He was an influential figure in popular music and culture for seven decades. Described as the "Ar ...

as well as classical recordsChatterton., Mark. (2004), "Let The days Go By"/ "Sunny Side of the Street", double CD, GOTT Records GOTT 0003 (sleeve notes) At the age of 11 Haworth obtained his first guitar and attended lessons in

classical guitar The classical guitar, also known as Spanish guitar, is a member of the guitar family used in classical music and other styles. An acoustic wooden string (music), string instrument with strings made of catgut, gut or nylon, it is a precursor of the ...

for a year. Contemporary musical influences included guitar-based groups such as

The Ventures The Ventures are an American instrumental rock band formed in Tacoma, Washington, in 1958, by Don Wilson (musician), Don Wilson and Bob Bogle. The band, which was a quartet for most of its existence, helped to popularize the electric guitar acro ...

and

The Shadows The Shadows (originally known as the Drifters between 1958 and 1959) were an English instrumental rock group, who dominated the British popular music charts in the pre-Beatles era from the late 1950s to the early 1960s. They served as the bac ...

. While still at school, during the era of the Merseybeat groups such as

The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...

, Haworth started playing guitar himself in various local groups, including ''The Mustangs'', ''The Railroaders'' and ''The Mike Taylor Combo''. His first job on leaving school was at the local

paper mill A paper mill is a factory devoted to making paper from vegetable fibres such as wood pulp, old rags, and other ingredients. Prior to the invention and adoption of the Fourdrinier machine and other types of paper machine that use an endless belt ...

, but his band-playing activities led to his dismissal. Haworth later recalled "I couldn’t get up in the morning as I’d been out late the previous night playing in a band, so something had to give." At 17 Haworth left Lancashire for

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, with only a suitcase and a guitar and ended up sleeping rough at Victoria bus station. He eventually met up with members of the band Wynder K. Frog and was able to sleep on the floor of the house which the band shared.

Career

Early work

Within six months of his arrival in London, Haworth joined '' The Fleur de Lys'', a Motown/soul/psychedelic band, which became house band for

Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over the course of its first two decades, starting from the release of its first recor ...

in England, and whose members included bassist Gordon Haskell and pianist Pete Sears. As houseband for Atlantic, Fleur de Lys recorded albums with such artists as

Isaac Hayes Isaac Lee Hayes Jr. (August 20, 1942 – August 10, 2008) was an American singer, songwriter, composer, and actor. He was one of the creative forces behind the Southern soul music label Stax Records in the 1960s, serving as an in-house songwr ...

, Dave Porter and Barney Kessel. 1968 also saw Haworth providing guitar backing for Sharon Tandy on such singles as "Hold On". "Daughter of the Sun", "Gotta Get Enough Time", "Look and Find", "Love is not a Simple Affair", "Stay With Me", "Somebody Speaks Your Name", "

Our Day Will Come "Our Day Will Come" is a popular song composed by Mort Garson with lyrics by Bob Hilliard. It was recorded by American R&B group Ruby & the Romantics in early December 1962, reaching #1 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Ruby & the Romantics' ori ...

" and "Hurry Hurry Choo Choo". The band had a residency at London's

The Speakeasy Club The Speakeasy Club, also known as The Speak, was a club situated at 48 Margaret Street, London, Margaret Street, London, England, and was a popular late-night meeting place for the music industry from 1966 to June 1978. The club took its name and ...

and on one occasion Haworth enjoyed a jam-session, playing " Red House", on stage with

Jimi Hendrix James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American singer-songwriter and musician. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential guitarists of all time. Inducted ...

. For a time Tandy and Haworth were a couple. When Fleur de Lys folded, Haworth travelled to

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

. In 1969 he met American musician Leigh Stephens who had just left the acid band " Blue Cheer" (in the Guinness Book of Records at the time as being the loudest band in the world). He toured extensively in the US as guitarist in various American bands, including the Jackie Lomax Band, and Wolfgang, (with Leigh Stephens and managed by the legendary Bill Graham who named the band after his own original Polish name) appearing with such artists as

Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock music, rock band formed in London in 1968. The band comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist-keyboardist John Paul Jones (musician), John Paul Jones and drummer John Bonham. With a he ...

Jefferson Airplane Jefferson Airplane was an American Rock music, rock band formed in San Francisco, California, in 1965. One of the pioneering bands of psychedelic rock, the group defined the San Francisco Sound and was the first from the San Francisco Bay Area, ...

Taj Mahal The Taj Mahal ( ; ; ) is an ivory-white marble mausoleum on the right bank of the river Yamuna in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India. It was commissioned in 1631 by the fifth Mughal Empire, Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan () to house the tomb of his belo ...

Grateful Dead The Grateful Dead was an American rock music, rock band formed in Palo Alto, California, in 1965. Known for their eclectic style that fused elements of rock, blues, jazz, Folk music, folk, country music, country, bluegrass music, bluegrass, roc ...

and

The Moody Blues The Moody Blues were an English rock band formed in Birmingham in May 1964. The band initially consisted of Graeme Edge (drums), Denny Laine (guitar/vocals), Mike Pinder (keyboards/vocals), Ray Thomas (multi-instrumentalist/vocals) and Clint W ...

. Bryn eventually moved to

Woodstock The Woodstock Music and Art Fair, commonly referred to as Woodstock, was a music festival held from August 15 to 18, 1969, on Max Yasgur's dairy farm in Bethel, New York, southwest of the town of Woodstock, New York, Woodstock. Billed as "a ...

in upstate New York, working again with Jackie Lomax on his second and third albums. It was in Woodstock that Bryn met future wife Sally. Returning to the UK in 1973, Bryn lived with Sally in a remote cottage in

North Wales North Wales ( ) is a Regions of Wales, region of Wales, encompassing its northernmost areas. It borders mid Wales to the south, England to the east, and the Irish Sea to the north and west. The area is highly mountainous and rural, with Snowdon ...

before being signed to

Island Records Island Records is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded in Jamaica by Chris Blackwell, Graeme Goodall, and Leslie Kong in 1959, and was eventually sold to PolyGram in 1989. Island and A&M Records, another ...

for whom he made his debut solo album '' Let the Days Go By''. A further album for Island, '' Sunny Side of the Street'', was recorded in 1974. He then continued his career as a solo recording artist with

A&M Records A&M Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group and functions as a branch of Interscope Geffen A&M Records, Interscope-Geffen-A&M. Established in 1962 by Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss, the label initially operated independent ...

with whom he recorded '' Grand Arrival'' (in

Nashville Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...

with

J. J. Cale John Weldon "J. J." Cale (December 5, 1938 – July 26, 2013) was an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. Though he avoided the limelight, his influence as a musical artist has been acknowledged by figures such as Neil Young, Mark Knopf ...

's producer Audie Ashworth) and '' Keep the Ball Rolling''. During this period he made numerous radio and TV appearances, and toured extensively in UK and Europe supporting such artists as

Traffic Traffic is the movement of vehicles and pedestrians along land routes. Traffic laws govern and regulate traffic, while rules of the road include traffic laws and informal rules that may have developed over time to facilitate the orderly an ...

, Bad Company, Gallagher and Lyle and

Fairport Convention Fairport Convention are an English British folk rock, folk rock band, formed in 1967 by guitarists Richard Thompson (musician), Richard Thompson and Simon Nicol, bassist Ashley Hutchings and drummer Shaun Frater (with Frater replaced by Marti ...

. His prowess as a guitarist was recognised by Alexis Korner who played Bryn's records on his wonderfully eclectic BBC programme. In 1974, Haworth and wife Sally became

Christians A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the world. The words '' Christ'' and ''C ...

and this life-changing experience brought a strong gospel influence into his music.

Later work

Haworth has recorded with a number of well known musicians including Chris de Burgh, Joan Armatrading, Ian Matthews and Gerry Rafferty (on five of his albums, but notably on '' On a Wing and a Prayer'', '' Over My Head'' and '' Another World''). He has also toured as part of the band with

Cliff Richard Sir Cliff Richard (born Harry Rodger Webb; 14 October 1940) is a British singer and actor. He has total sales of over 21.5 million singles in the United Kingdom and, as of 2012, was the third-top-selling artist in UK Singles Chart histo ...

. From 1989 to 1992, Haworth worked with the SW London Vineyard developing the worship and prison ministry, and leading worship at many UK conferences. He continues to travel extensively, performing concerts both solo and with a band and also leads seminars and guitar clinics throughout the world, in a wide variety of venues including concert halls, colleges, churches and prisons. Haworth also has a long song-writing pedigree and has had several of his compositions recorded by other artists including

Lulu Lulu may refer to: Companies * LuLu, an early automobile manufacturer * Lulu.com, an online e-books and print self-publishing platform, distributor, and retailer * Lulu Hypermarket, a retail chain in Asia * Lululemon Athletica or simply Lulu, a C ...

Sandy Denny Alexandra Elene MacLean Denny (6 January 1947 – 21 April 1978) was an English singer-songwriter who was lead singer of the British folk rock band Fairport Convention. She has been described as " guably the pre-eminent British folk-rock sin ...

and Mary Black (for the latter on her 1999 album ''Speaking with the Angel''). He made a brief UK tour in September 1997, with a line-up of Haworth (vocals, guitar), Jeff Hamer (guitar), Terry 'Tex' Comer (bass) (previously of the band Ace) and

Henry Spinetti Enrico Antonio Giorgio Spinetti (born 31 March 1951) is a Welsh session drummer whose playing has featured on many prominent rock and pop albums. Career Spinetti was born in Cwm, near Ebbw Vale, Monmouthshire, Wales.) His first band, aged abou ...

(drums). He has recorded ten further albums (see discography below) including ''Songs & Hymns'' which was recorded at

Woodworm A woodworm is the Xylophagy, wood-eating larva of many species of beetle. It is also a generic description given to the infestation of a wooden item (normally part of a dwelling or the furniture in it) by these larvae. Types of woodworm Woodbo ...

Studios in

Oxfordshire Oxfordshire ( ; abbreviated ''Oxon'') is a ceremonial county in South East England. The county is bordered by Northamptonshire and Warwickshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the east, Berkshire to the south, and Wiltshire and Glouceste ...

. The CD ''Water From The Rock'', a compilation of faith tracks, was the first release on Haworth's own new record label, "Bella Music Ltd". A long-awaited CD of brand new songs '' Keep the Faith'' was released in 2005.

Recent work

Haworth's latest albums, released in August 2010, are ''One Way Ticket'' and ''Inside Out'', both on Bella Music. ''One Way Ticket'' is a mix of 12 brand new songs and instrumentals. ''Inside Out'' is a compilation for prison inmates with six new songs plus half a dozen tracks from previous albums which are particularly relevant for them. The recordings were made between January and March 2010 at the ICC Studios in

Eastbourne Eastbourne () is a town and seaside resort in East Sussex, on the south coast of England, east of Brighton and south of London. It is also a non-metropolitan district, local government district with Borough status in the United Kingdom, bor ...

and were mixed in early June. Neil Costello is co-producer. Other musicians include Henry Spinetti on drums, Dave Bronze on bass, Mark Edwards on keyboards and Mal Pope on backing vocals. There is also a special guest appearance from well-known

harmonica The harmonica, also known as a French harp or mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used worldwide in many musical genres, notably in blues, American folk music, classical music, jazz, country, and rock. The many types of harmonica incl ...

player Paul Jones on the title track of the ''One Way Ticket'' album. In December 2018, he uploaded the instrumental "Blue Jumper" to his

YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...

channel. In May 2019, collaborating with filmmaker Nigel Walk, he launched his latest single and video project, "Enough is Enough", which was written in response to the My Tree Matters campaign, speaking out against the indiscriminate felling of trees. In September 2020 Haworth released a new album ''Peace & Understanding'' and in September 2021 another titled ''Ready or Not''. In March 2024 Haworth re-recorded the song "All I Need Is a Home", originally recorded for his 1974 debut album '' Let the Days Go By'', and produced a video, with international film director Nigel Walk, to help raise awareness of homelessness. A sample of Haworth's music, together with a list of forthcoming concert dates, may be found on his

MySpace Myspace (formerly stylized as MySpace, currently myspace; and sometimes my␣, with an elongated Whitespace character#Substitute images, open box symbol) is a social networking service based in the United States. Launched on August 1, 2003, it w ...

Music page. A 2003 review of '' The Gap'' album concluded: "He's largely unknown, but those who follow virtuosos know about this guy". John Ingham, for '' Sounds'' music paper, wrote:

. . . if we are to have God-rock, then let it be Bryn Haworth; he thinks of the music foremost . . . you owe yourself a listen.

Solo discography

Albums

* '' Let the Days Go By'' (1974),

ILPS 9287 * '' Sunny Side of the Street'' (1975), Island Records ILPS 9332 * '' Grand Arrival'' (1978) * '' Keep the Ball Rolling'' (1979) * '' The Gap'' (1980) * '' 12 Classics'' (1981, re-issued 2017, compilation album) * '' Pass It On'' (1984) * '' Wings of the Morning'' (1984, re-issued 1995) * '' Mountain Mover'' (1986, re-issued 2012) * ''Blue and Gold'' (1989) * ''Chronology'' (1989, compilation) * ''Take Our Lives'' (Vineyard Music Group) (1991, featured worship leader) * ''More Than a Singer'' (1992) * ''The Bryn Haworth Band Live'' (1993) * '' Slide Don't Fret'' (1995) * ''The Finer Things in Life'' (with Kevin Prosch, 1997) * ''Songs & Hymns'' (1999) * ''More Than a Singer'' / ''Band Live'' (Double CD, 2002) * ''Water from the Rock'' (2002, re-issued 2017, compilation album) * '' Let the Days Go By'' / '' Sunny Side of the Street'' (repackage, double CD, 2004) * ''Simply Bryn Haworth'' (repackage of ''Wings of the Morning'', ''Hymns And Songs'' & ''More Than A Singer'') (triple CD, 2005) * '' Keep the Faith'' (2005) * ''One Way Ticket'' (2010) * ''Inside Out'' (2010) (a compilation for prisoners) * ''Time Out'' (2014) * ''Rebel Man'' (2015) * ''Peace & Understanding'' (2020) * ''Ready or Not'' (2021)

Singles

* "Grappenhall Rag" (1974,

) * "Give All You Got to Give" (1975, Island Records, WIP 6240) * "We're All One" (1978,

, AMS 7361) * "Woman Friend" (1978, A&M Records, AMS 7371) * "Come See What Love / Full Day" (1978, A&M Records) * "Keep the Ball Rolling" (1979, A&M Records, with

Albert Lee Albert William Lee (born 21 December 1943) is an English guitarist known for his fingerstyle and hybrid picking technique. Lee has worked, both in the studio and on tour, with many famous musicians from a wide range of genres. He has also m ...

, 9-track limited edition promo) * "

Unchained Melody "Unchained Melody" is a 1955 song with music by Alex North and lyrics by Hy Zaret. North wrote the music as a theme for the prison film '' Unchained'' (1955), hence the song title. Todd Duncan sang the vocals for the film soundtrack.Robert ...

" (1979) * "City Boy" (1979, A&M Records) * "It Could Have Been Me" (1980, Chapel Lane)

References

External links

* *
Bryn Haworth: The veteran recalls three decades of music ministry

review of a 2006 concert
* - featuring 1975 sessions from

's ''

'' * - Interview with Mike Rimmer at UCB TV Studios, 2013 {{DEFAULTSORT:Haworth, Bryn 1948 births Living people British performers of Christian music English male singers English rock singers English rock guitarists English pop guitarists English folk guitarists English male guitarists English blues guitarists British slide guitarists Island Records artists People from Darwen Musicians from Blackburn