Guy Babylon (December 20, 1956 – September 2, 2009) was an American keyboardist/composer, most noted for his work with

Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, songwriter and pianist. His music and showmanship have had a significant, lasting impact on the music industry, and his songwriting partnership with l ...

. Babylon was born in New Windsor, Maryland. He attended Francis Scott Key High School before moving on to the

University of South Florida The University of South Florida (USF) is a Public university, public research university with its main campus located in Tampa, Florida, Tampa, Florida, United States, and other campuses in St. Petersburg, Florida, St. Petersburg and Sarasota, ...

on a swimming scholarship, where he earned a BFA in music composition in 1979. Upon graduation, he moved to

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

. In 1988, he joined Elton John's studio and touring band, appearing on the album '' Sleeping with the Past''. In 1990, he performed with the group Warpipes, a side project of fellow Elton John member Davey Johnstone. Guy performed and recorded with several artists such as Mike Pinera, Iron Butterfly, Blues Image, Luis Cardenas and Renegade. Babylon also arranged many Elton John introductions, including those used in " Bennie and the Jets" and " Pinball Wizard". In 2001, Babylon won a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

for his contributions on the Elton John / Tim Rice musical '' Aida''. Babylon also worked extensively on the Elton John / Bernie Taupin musical '' Lestat'', (based on the Anne Rice novels). Until his death, he lived in Los Angeles with his wife and children, and was a member of Elton John's six-member touring and recording band. He died of a heart attack on September 2, 2009, after swimming in a pool.

References

External links

Obituary in the Los Angeles Times, Sept. 19, 2009

Guy's page on Vimeo (includes one video, "Las Vegas Twister", which he produced and uploaded in 2009 shortly before his death)
1956 births 2009 deaths 21st-century American keyboardists People from New Windsor, Maryland University of South Florida alumni Iron Butterfly members Elton John Band members Grammy Award winners American rock keyboardists American session musicians 20th-century American keyboardists {{US-keyboardist-stub