Robin Mark Le Mesurier Halliley (22 March 1953 – 22 December 2021) was a British guitarist, known for his long collaborations with

Rod Stewart Sir Roderick David Stewart (born 10 January 1945) is a British singer and songwriter. Known for his distinctive raspy singing voice, Stewart is among the List of best-selling music artists, best-selling music artists of all time, having sold ...

and

Johnny Hallyday Jean-Philippe Léo Smet (; 15 June 1943 – 5 December 2017), better known by his stage name Johnny Hallyday, was a French rock and roll and Pop music, pop singer and actor, credited with having brought rock and roll to France. During a career ...

, as well as for the wide-ranging nature of his musical performance, including membership of such bands as

The Wombles ''The Wombles'' are fictional pointy-nosed, furry creatures created by Elisabeth Beresford and originally appearing in a series of children's novels from 1968. They live in burrows, where they aim to help the environment by collecting and recycl ...

Life

Le Mesurier was the son of two of Britain's best-loved comedy actors, Hattie Jacques and

John Le Mesurier John Le Mesurier (, born John Elton Le Mesurier Halliley; 5 April 191215 November 1983) was an English actor. He is probably best remembered for his comedic role as Sergeant Arthur Wilson in the BBC television situation com ...

. Le Mesurier gained a strong following during and after his appearance on Living TV's reality show ''Rehab'' (2009), in which he opened up about his battle with

alcoholism Alcoholism is the continued drinking of alcohol despite it causing problems. Some definitions require evidence of dependence and withdrawal. Problematic use of alcohol has been mentioned in the earliest historical records. The World He ...

Education

Le Mesurier was educated at Sussex House School, where he described himself as being "completely out of place", and then Westminster City grammar school. This was also an unhappy experience and Le Mesurier would be teased about his famous mother. As a teenager he was offered a place at the

Royal College of Music The Royal College of Music (RCM) is a conservatoire established by royal charter in 1882, located in South Kensington, London, UK. It offers training from the undergraduate to the doctoral level in all aspects of Western Music including pe ...

but turned it down.

Music

In his prime, Le Mesurier was a fan of

The Faces Faces are an English rock band formed in London in 1969. They were formed by members of Small Faces after lead singer and guitarist Steve Marriott left to form Humble Pie. The remaining Small Faces; Ian McLagan (keyboards), Ronnie Lane (bass, ...

and of guitar stars

Eric Clapton Eric Patrick Clapton (born 1945) is an English Rock music, rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in ''Rolling Stone''s l ...

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 ...

John Lee Hooker John Lee Hooker (August 22, 1912 or 1917 – June 21, 2001) was an American blues singer, songwriter, and guitarist. The son of a sharecropper, he rose to prominence performing an electric guitar-style adaptation of Delta blues that he develo ...

Muddy Waters McKinley Morganfield (April 4, 1913April 30, 1983), better known as Muddy Waters, was an American blues singer-songwriter and musician who was an important figure in the post-World War II blues scene, and is often cited as the "father of moder ...

, and

Jeff Beck Geoffrey Arnold Beck (24 June 1944 – 10 January 2023) was an English musician. He rose to prominence as the guitarist of the rock band the Yardbirds, and afterwards founded and fronted the Jeff Beck Group and Beck, Bogert & Appice. In 1975, ...

. His first official band was The Reign (whose first single was written by the Yardbirds members

Keith Relf William Keith Relf (22 March 194312 May 1976) was an English musician, best known as the lead vocalist and harmonica player for rock band the Yardbirds. He then formed the band Renaissance with his sister Jane Relf, the Yardbirds ex-drummer ...

and

Jim McCarty James Stanley McCarty (born 25 July 1943) is an English musician, best known as the drummer for the Yardbirds and Renaissance. Following Chris Dreja's departure from the Yardbirds in 2013, McCarty became the only founding member to still tou ...

). The band lasted until 1973, then Le Mesurier became the guitarist of

Mike Batt Michael Philip Batt (born 6 February 1949) is an English singer-songwriter, musician, arranger, record producer, director, and conductor. He served as the Deputy Chairman of the British Phonographic Industry. Batt created the novelty pop band T ...

's novelty pop band that played his music for the British children's TV show ''

''. At the beginning of his collaboration with Rod Stewart, Le Mesurier was mainly a guitar technician and

session musician A session musician (also known as studio musician or backing musician) is a musician hired to perform in a recording session or a live performance. The term sideman is also used in the case of live performances, such as accompanying a reco ...

. In 1976 he signed with a record company with which Rod Stewart was associated. He toured the United States with

Air Supply Air Supply is an Australian soft rock duo formed in Melbourne, Australia, in 1975, consisting of Englishman Graham Russell (vocals, guitar) and Australian Russell Hitchcock (vocals). With record sales of 100 million worldwide, they had a suc ...

in 1977 as the opening act for

. After a period with Lion, eventually renamed The Difference, he was invited in 1980 to join the Rod Stewart group. In 1994, he recorded two tracks on French singer

's first English-language record '' Rough Town''. He became Hallyday's musical director, besides founding the group Farm Dogs with

Bernie Taupin Bernard John Taupin (born 22 May 1950) is an English lyricist and visual artist. He is best known for his songwriting partnership with Elton John, recognised as one of the most successful partnerships of its kind in history. Taupin co-wrote th ...

and

Jim Cregan James Cregan (born 9 March 1946) is an English rock guitarist and bassist, best known for his associations with Family, Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel, and Rod Stewart. Cregan is a former husband of the singer Linda Lewis and worked with her a ...

. In September 2015, Le Mesurier joined Rod Stewart and

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

Ronnie Wood Ronald David Wood (born 1 June 1947) is an English rock musician, best known as a member of the Rolling Stones since 1975, and a member of Faces and the Jeff Beck Group. Wood began his career in 1964, playing lead guitar with several Brit ...

for the Faces reunion.

TV series

Le Mesurier appeared in a double episode in the TV series ''Sport Crime'' playing himself. The plot is about a campaign in which rock stars voluntarily submit to anti-doping rules the same as sportsmen. ''Sport Crime'' is the first ever series based on sports investigation. Showrunner Daniela Scalia states that the main character "Dabs is a former rugbyman who is a rock fanatic, having Rolling Stones, Faces, Rod and Bowie as main life references. Hence the connection, Luca (Dabs) is the ultimate Rod encyclopedia, from Brentford to the Faces reunion… (which include Robin)”.

Personal life and death

Le Mesurier died of lung cancer on 22 December 2021, at the age of 68.

Discography

Reign

*1970: "Line of Least Resistance" / "Natural Lovin' Man" (single)

Limey

*1976: ''Limey'' *1977: ''Silver Eagle''

Lion

*1980: ''Running All Night''

With Ron Wood

*1981: '' 1234''

With Rod Stewart

*1981: ''

Tonight I'm Yours ''Tonight I'm Yours'' is the eleventh studio album by Rod Stewart, released in 1981. It features hints of classic rock, pop and new wave. The album had three hit singles, with the title track " Tonight I'm Yours (Don't Hurt Me)" (US ''Billboard ...

'' *1982: '' Absolutely Live'' *1983: '' Body Wishes'' *1984: ''

Camouflage Camouflage is the use of any combination of materials, coloration, or illumination for concealment, either by making animals or objects hard to see, or by disguising them as something else. Examples include the leopard's spotted coat, the b ...

'' *1986: '' Every Beat of My Heart''

Farm Dogs

*1996: ''Last Stand in Open Country'' *1998: ''Immigrant Sons''

With Johnny Hallyday

*1994: '' Rough Town'' *1994: ''À La Cigale'' (inédit, sortie en 2003) *1996: ''Lorada Tour'' *1996: ''Destination Vegas'' *1996: ''Live at the Aladdin Theatre'' (inédit, sortie en 2003) *1998: ''Stade de France 98 Johnny allume le feu'' *1999: ''Sang pour sang'' *2000: ''100% Johnny: Live à la tour Eiffel'' *2000: ''Olympia 2000'' *2000: ''Good Rockin' Tonight The Legacy of Sun Records'' *2003: ''Parc des Princes 2003'' *2006: ''Flashback tour: Palais des sports 2006'' *2007: ''Le Cœur d'un homme'' *2007: ''La Cigale: 12-17 décembre 2006'' *2009: ''Tour 66: Stade de France 2009'' *2013: ''On Stage'' *2013: ''Born Rocker Tour'' *2014: ''Rester vivant'' *2016: ''Rester Vivant Tour''

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Le Mesurier, Robin 1953 births 2021 deaths English male guitarists English rock guitarists Musicians from London People from Kensington British people of Channel Islands descent People educated at Sussex House School