songwriter
A songwriter is a person who creates musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music genre and film scoring. ...
,
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 ...
,
record producer
A record producer or music producer is a music creating project's overall supervisor whose responsibilities can involve a range of creative and technical leadership roles. Typically the job involves hands-on oversight of recording sessions; ensu ...
,
performer
The performing arts are The arts, arts such as music, dance, and drama which are performed for an audience. They are different from the visual arts, which involve the use of paint, canvas or various materials to create physical or static art ob ...
and
music teacher
Music education is a field of practice in which educators are trained for careers as elementary or secondary music teachers, school or music conservatory ensemble directors. Music education is also a research area in which scholars do origina ...
, most notable for his work with
Toyah Willcox
Toyah Ann Willcox (born 18 May 1958) is an English singer-songwriter, actress, and television presenter. In a career spanning more than 40 years, she has had eight top 40 singles, released over 20 albums, written two books, appeared in over 40 ...
,
Hawkwind
Hawkwind are an English rock band known as one of the earliest space rock groups. Since their formation in November 1969, Hawkwind have gone through many incarnations and have incorporated many different styles into their music, including hard ...
and
Ginger Baker
Peter Edward "Ginger" Baker (19 August 1939 – 6 October 2019) was an English drummer. His work in the 1960s and 1970s earned him the reputation of "rock's first superstar drummer", for a style that melded jazz and Music of Africa, Africa ...
.
Biography
The Yorkshire-born musician moved south when he was ten. Whilst in his final year at primary school he won first prize in the Cadbury's National Essay Competition for Schools. As a teenager he moved back to
Hull
Hull may refer to:
Structures
* The hull of an armored fighting vehicle, housing the chassis
* Fuselage, of an aircraft
* Hull (botany), the outer covering of seeds
* Hull (watercraft), the body or frame of a sea-going craft
* Submarine hull
Ma ...
to join Nothineverappens "Yorkshire's premier psychedelic band". Returning to London he played in the Bromley based band Aslan (with Geoff Knowles, Tony Fleet and Tony O'Leary), who performed around South London, and at Chislehurst caves and free concerts with David Bowie in the Library gardens, Bromley. He then collaborated in "Silly Balls", a mixed-media project designed to maximise audience participation but this proved too unwieldy to be commercially viable. His distinctive keyboard work and songwriting ability led him to being asked to join
Comus
In Greek mythology, Comus (; , ''Kōmos'') is the god of festivity, revels and nocturnal dalliances. Cup-bearer of the god Dionysus, he was represented as a winged youth or a child-like satyr. His mythology occurs only in later antiquity. Duri ...
in 1973. Later projects included his own band Blood Donor,
Hawkwind
Hawkwind are an English rock band known as one of the earliest space rock groups. Since their formation in November 1969, Hawkwind have gone through many incarnations and have incorporated many different styles into their music, including hard ...
, and
Ginger Baker
Peter Edward "Ginger" Baker (19 August 1939 – 6 October 2019) was an English drummer. His work in the 1960s and 1970s earned him the reputation of "rock's first superstar drummer", for a style that melded jazz and Music of Africa, Africa ...
, before a long and successful association with Toyah. More recently, Hale writes and arranges school music productions, teaches keyboards and participates in songwriting workshops.
Career
Comus
Comus
In Greek mythology, Comus (; , ''Kōmos'') is the god of festivity, revels and nocturnal dalliances. Cup-bearer of the god Dionysus, he was represented as a winged youth or a child-like satyr. His mythology occurs only in later antiquity. Duri ...
recorded an album for
Virgin Records
Virgin Records is a British record label owned by Universal Music Group. They were originally founded as a British independent record label in 1972 by entrepreneurs Richard Branson, Simon Draper, Nik Powell, and musician Tom Newman (musician), ...
in 1974 entitled '' To Keep from Crying''. Hale played keyboards and marimba.
Blood Donor
Determined to pursue his own musical vision, Hale formed Blood Donor in 1977. It had the then highly unusual line-up of two synthesizer players, two percussionists and a bass player. This group battled against a backdrop of punk rock, supported J.J. Burnel, and was signed to
Arista Records
Arista Records ( ) is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the American division of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. The label was previously a division of Bertelsmann Music G ...
in 1979. Various producers were used including Steve James and
John Cale
John Davies Cale (born 9 March 1942) is a Welsh musician, composer, and record producer who was a founding member of the American rock band the Velvet Underground. Over his six-decade career, Cale has worked in various styles across rock, dr ...
Stevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris (; Judkins; born May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American and Ghanaian singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. He is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th c ...
producer
Malcolm Cecil
Malcolm Cecil (9 January 1937 – 28 March 2021) was a British jazz bassist, record producer, engineer, electronic musician and teacher. He was a founding member of a leading UK jazz quintet of the late 1950s, the Jazz Couriers, and "Rice Harvest". The latter, featuring a Vietnamese children's choir, is regularly revitalised for Hale's school productions.
Blood Donor can be seen performing "Rice Harvest" in the 1980 ATV documentary ''Toyah'', at
Toyah Willcox
Toyah Ann Willcox (born 18 May 1958) is an English singer-songwriter, actress, and television presenter. In a career spanning more than 40 years, she has had eight top 40 singles, released over 20 albums, written two books, appeared in over 40 ...
's
Battersea
Battersea is a large district in southwest London, part of the London Borough of Wandsworth, England. It is centred southwest of Charing Cross and also extends along the south bank of the Thames Tideway. It includes the Battersea Park.
Hist ...
warehouse where they frequently rehearsed.
In 2002, they reunited for a one-off 25th anniversary concert which took place at The Old Market in
Hove
Hove ( ) is a seaside resort in East Sussex, England. Alongside Brighton, it is one of the two main parts of the city of Brighton and Hove.
Originally a fishing village surrounded by open farmland, it grew rapidly in the 19th century in respon ...
, Sussex.
Hawkwind
In 1980, Hale joined
Hawkwind
Hawkwind are an English rock band known as one of the earliest space rock groups. Since their formation in November 1969, Hawkwind have gone through many incarnations and have incorporated many different styles into their music, including hard ...
, replacing
Tim Blake
Timothy Blake (born 6 February 1952, in Shepherd's Bush, London) is an English keyboardist, synthesist, vocalist, and composer, who is known for working with Gong, Hawkwind and his synthesizer and light performances as Crystal Machine, with th ...
who left during the ''
Levitation
Levitation, Levitate, or Levitating may refer to:
Concepts
*Levitation (illusion), an illusion where a magician appears to levitate a person or object
*Levitation (paranormal), the claimed paranormal phenomenon of levitation, occurring without an ...
'' tour. Together with drummer
Ginger Baker
Peter Edward "Ginger" Baker (19 August 1939 – 6 October 2019) was an English drummer. His work in the 1960s and 1970s earned him the reputation of "rock's first superstar drummer", for a style that melded jazz and Music of Africa, Africa ...
, Hale left after a well documented band bust up at
Rockfield Studios
Rockfield Studios is a residential recording studio located in the Wye Valley just outside the village of Rockfield, Monmouthshire, Wales. It was founded in 1963 by brothers Kingsley and Charles Ward.
Recording studios
Rockfield is a two-stu ...
.
Ginger Baker
Following
Hawkwind
Hawkwind are an English rock band known as one of the earliest space rock groups. Since their formation in November 1969, Hawkwind have gone through many incarnations and have incorporated many different styles into their music, including hard ...
, Ginger then asked Hale to get a band together for which he enlisted the help of old friends Billy Jenkins and Ian Trimmer, as well as Blood Donor bassist Rikki Legair. Known as Ginger Baker's Nutters the band undertook two long European tours and recorded two live albums, ''Live in Milan 1980'' and ''Ginger Baker in Concert''. The band broke up when Ginger had to leave the UK for tax reasons.
Toyah
Hale co-wrote and co-produced Toyah's first album (and EP/AP) '' Sheep Farming in Barnet'' and her first single "
Victims of the Riddle
"Victims of the Riddle" is a song by the English new wave band Toyah, fronted by Toyah Willcox, released as the band's debut single in 1979 by Safari Records. The song later featured on the band's album '' Sheep Farming in Barnet''.
Backgro ...
". In February 1981 her version of Hale's song "
It's a Mystery
''It's a Mystery'' is the fifteenth studio album by American singer-songwriter Bob Seger, released in 1995 (see 1995 in music). As with his prior album, it is credited to the Silver Bullet Band, though many of the tracks feature a wide array ...
" reached no. 4 in the UK Singles Chart. He then joined Toyah's band for more touring and TV work including '' Warrior Rock: Toyah On Tour'', a double album recorded at the culmination of a 25-date UK tour, during two nights at the
Hammersmith Odeon
The Hammersmith Apollo, currently called the Eventim Apollo for sponsorship reasons, and formerly and still commonly known as the Hammersmith Odeon, is a live entertainment performance venue, originally built as a cinema called the Gaumont Pa ...
in July 1982.
Toyah Willcox
Toyah Ann Willcox (born 18 May 1958) is an English singer-songwriter, actress, and television presenter. In a career spanning more than 40 years, she has had eight top 40 singles, released over 20 albums, written two books, appeared in over 40 ...
had this to say in 2011 – "So when it comes down to Warrior Rock, I know it's one of the best live albums ever made! And I'm confident about that and two fingers to everyone else about it really!".
Space Cadets
Hale, along with former Blood Donor colleagues John Bentley and Gordon Coxon released one experimental self-titled 'acid-jazz' album in 1988.
Jasper Fish
Nicknamed Jasper Fish by
Ginger Baker
Peter Edward "Ginger" Baker (19 August 1939 – 6 October 2019) was an English drummer. His work in the 1960s and 1970s earned him the reputation of "rock's first superstar drummer", for a style that melded jazz and Music of Africa, Africa ...
(a reference to Hale originating from a fishing city), he recorded two albums in the guise of Jasper Fish and the Alice Band. Alice is the name of Hale's daughter. They supported
Jools Holland
Julian Miles Holland (born 24 January 1958) is an English pianist, bandleader, singer, composer and television presenter. He was an original member of the band Squeeze and has worked with many artists including Marc Almond, Jayne County, To ...
in 1998, and were described as 'very much in the
Canterbury
Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, in the county of Kent, England; it was a county borough until 1974. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour. The city has a mild oceanic climat ...
style of the '70s'.
Mind Your Head
Project with Squeeze bass player and former Space Cadet John Bentley. Performed showcase at Ropetackle, Shoreham, 2 May 2008.
Musical director and music tutor
In the present day, Hale writes and arranges many children's musical productions in the Kent and London area and teaches keyboards and songwriting at Charles Darwin School. He has participated with members of Squeeze's
Chris Difford
Christopher Henry Difford (born 4 November 1954) is an English musician. He is a founding member and songwriter of the rock group Squeeze.
Early life
Difford was born in Greenwich, London, on 4 November 1954, the youngest of three sons. His m ...
Victims of the Riddle
"Victims of the Riddle" is a song by the English new wave band Toyah, fronted by Toyah Willcox, released as the band's debut single in 1979 by Safari Records. The song later featured on the band's album '' Sheep Farming in Barnet''.
Backgro ...
Comus
In Greek mythology, Comus (; , ''Kōmos'') is the god of festivity, revels and nocturnal dalliances. Cup-bearer of the god Dionysus, he was represented as a winged youth or a child-like satyr. His mythology occurs only in later antiquity. Duri ...
, '' To Keep from Crying'' (Virgin 1974)
* Blood Donor , ''The Chappell Tapes'' (Realvision)
*
Hawkwind
Hawkwind are an English rock band known as one of the earliest space rock groups. Since their formation in November 1969, Hawkwind have gone through many incarnations and have incorporated many different styles into their music, including hard ...
, ''
Levitation
Levitation, Levitate, or Levitating may refer to:
Concepts
*Levitation (illusion), an illusion where a magician appears to levitate a person or object
*Levitation (paranormal), the claimed paranormal phenomenon of levitation, occurring without an ...
'' (Bronze 1980)
*
Hawkwind
Hawkwind are an English rock band known as one of the earliest space rock groups. Since their formation in November 1969, Hawkwind have gone through many incarnations and have incorporated many different styles into their music, including hard ...
Anthem
An anthem is a musical composition of celebration, usually used as a symbol for a distinct group, particularly the national anthems of countries. Originally, and in music theory and religious contexts, it also refers more particularly to sho ...
Mayhem
Mayhem most commonly refers to:
* Mayhem (crime), a type of crime
Mayhem may also refer to:
People
* Monica Mayhem (born 1978), Australian pornographic actress
* Jason "Mayhem" Miller, American mixed martial arts fighter
* Mayhem Miller (dr ...
'' (Safari VOOR 77 1985)
* Jasper Fish , ''Around the Room in Eighty Days'' (GEMS 1998)
* Jasper Fish , ''Night of the Long Knives'' (GEMS 1999)
* Alice Hale , ''In the Real World''
* Ian M Hale , ''Successor''
Live albums
*
Ginger Baker
Peter Edward "Ginger" Baker (19 August 1939 – 6 October 2019) was an English drummer. His work in the 1960s and 1970s earned him the reputation of "rock's first superstar drummer", for a style that melded jazz and Music of Africa, Africa ...
Ginger Baker
Peter Edward "Ginger" Baker (19 August 1939 – 6 October 2019) was an English drummer. His work in the 1960s and 1970s earned him the reputation of "rock's first superstar drummer", for a style that melded jazz and Music of Africa, Africa ...
Toyah! Toyah! Toyah!
''Toyah! Toyah! Toyah!'' is a live album by the English new wave band Toyah, fronted by Toyah Willcox, released in 1980 by Safari Records.
Background
The album was recorded on 17 June 1980 at the Lafayette Club in Wolverhampton, using the ...
'' (K-Tel NE 1268 1984)
*
Hawkwind
Hawkwind are an English rock band known as one of the earliest space rock groups. Since their formation in November 1969, Hawkwind have gone through many incarnations and have incorporated many different styles into their music, including hard ...