Refugee were a

progressive rock Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog) is a broad genre of rock music that primarily developed in the United Kingdom through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early-to-mid-1970s. Initially termed " progressive pop", the ...

band formed in 1973 vocalist and bassist Lee Jackson and drummer Brian Davison (both ex-

Nice Nice ( ; ) is a city in and the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative city limits, with a population of nearly one million Patrick Moraz Patrick Philippe Moraz (born 24 June 1948) is a Swiss musician, film composer and songwriter, best known for his tenures as keyboardist in the rock bands Yes and the Moody Blues. Born into a musical family, Moraz learned music at a young age an ...

. They released one album, ''

Refugee A refugee, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), is a person "forced to flee their own country and seek safety in another country. They are unable to return to their own country because of feared persecution as ...

'' (1974), and made several live tours. Refugee were preparing material for a second album when Moraz left the group in August 1974 to join

Yes Yes or YES may refer to: * An affirmative particle in the English language; see yes and no Education * YES Prep Public Schools, Houston, Texas, US * Young Eisner Scholars, in Los Angeles, New York City, Chicago, and Appalachia, US * Young Ep ...

and the group subsequently dissolved.

History

After

Keith Emerson Keith Noel Emerson (2 November 194411 March 2016) was an English keyboardist, songwriter, composer and record producer. He played keyboards in a number of bands before finding his first commercial success with the Nice in the late 1960s. He be ...

left The Nice to form

Emerson, Lake & Palmer Emerson, Lake & Palmer (informally known as ELP) were an English progressive rock Supergroup (music), supergroup formed in London in 1970. The band consisted of Keith Emerson (keyboards) of The Nice, Greg Lake (vocals, bass, guitars, producer) ...

, Lee Jackson formed Jackson Heights, while Brian Davison formed Brian Davison's Every Which Way. After their fourth and final album ''Bump 'n' Grind'' (1973), Jackson Heights were looking for another keyboard player on tour, so Lee Jackson approached Patrick Moraz to ask him if he would be interested in joining. Moraz proposed forming a new band instead, and specifically with drummer Brian Davison, who had been in The Nice with Jackson. They took on Fred Munt as their manager, and Munt's wife Gail Colson came up with the band name Refugee. The music press characterized Refugee as an attempted revival of The Nice. The three signed to Charisma Records, and developed a tight sound by practising up to eight hours each day. After a few months of this, Refugee played their first concert, at

The Roundhouse The Roundhouse is a performing arts and concert venue at the Grade II* listed former railway engine shed in Chalk Farm, London, England. The building was erected in 1846–1847 by the London & North Western Railway as a roundhouse, a circ ...

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 ...

on 2 December 1973. Refugee recorded their only studio album, ''

'' (1974), at Island Studios in London. The music was composed by Moraz, with lyrics from Jackson. Refugee supported the album with a tour. Refugee began preparing material for a second album, and at least one song that would have been included on the album, "One Left Handed Peter Pan", was played in their later concerts. The group dissolved in August 1974, when Moraz accepted an offer to join

, as the replacement for the departing

Rick Wakeman Richard Christopher Wakeman (born 18 May 1949) is an English keyboardist and composer best known as a member of the progressive rock band Yes across five tenures between 1971 and 2004, and for his prolific solo career. AllMusic describes Wakema ...

. At their final concert, held at The Roundhouse (like their debut) on 11 August 1974, Jackson announced that this would be their final performance since Moraz was leaving. Davison went on to work with

Gong A gongFrom Indonesian language, Indonesian and ; ; zh, c=鑼, p=luó; ; ; ; ; is a percussion instrument originating from Southeast Asia, and used widely in Southeast Asian and East Asian musical traditions. Gongs are made of metal and ...

. A live album, '' Live in Concert Newcastle City Hall 1974'', was released in 2007. In 2019 a Refugee three-disc

boxed set A boxed set or (its US name) box set is a set of items (for example, a compilation of books, musical recordings, films or television programs) traditionally packaged in a box, hence 'boxed', and offered for sale as a single unit. Music Artists ...

was released, compiling the band's studio album, the live album, and a

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

live recording.

Discography

*''

'' (1974) *'' Live in Concert Newcastle City Hall 1974'' (2007)

References

;Footnotes ;Bibliography * {{DEFAULTSORT:Refugee English progressive rock groups Musical groups established in 1974