Who Do you Know That Has Made It?

[JTUK]

Made it..??? before or after?
Mostly the latter with me, but not sure what that actually says.

[M@23]

[quote name='wateroftyne' timestamp='1406499383' post='2512008']
Pal of mine playing fiddle in my band a few years ago:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hL81A7f2MWo

...and what he's up to these days:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzMLmS9cNxg

It couldn't have happened to a nicer lad.
[/quote]

AWESOME!

[blue]

I went to HighSchool in New Jersey with and played with Al Anderson (guitar) and Chuck Burgi (drums). They were both light years a head of all of us even in High School.

Interesting,not together, but both of them got their start in the UK. This was back in the early 70s Individually they they purchased one way tickets to London. Chuck got his first break with a fusion band called Brand X and Albert with Bob Marley & The Wailers ( he laid down all the rock blues guitar tracks on the Natty Dread Album). Albert is still touring with and runs The Original Wailers.

Chuck went on to play with Meat Loaf, Hall & Oats, Rainbow, Blue Oyster Cult and for the last 8 years has been on tour with Billy Joel. Chuck even played with Paul McCartney when he sat in with Billy at a big Shea Stadium show a few years ago. For me, that royalty an dit doesn't get any bigger than that.

They both took risks going to London not knowing anyone or what would happen.


Al Anderson
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzAiEWRqehA

Chuck Burgi
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0EKsL59wi5I


Blue

[clauster]

[quote name='jazzyvee' timestamp='1406495510' post='2511976']
Stephen Tin Tin Duffy was in my year at comprehensive school when knew each other but were not mates as such.
[url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Duffy"]http://en.wikipedia....i/Stephen_Duffy[/url]
[/quote]

My wife went out with him for a while as a teenager.

I have crossed paths with a couple of members of Suede - Matt Osman sat in front of me one year in Primary school and Brett Anderson and I were in the same class for something in sixth form.

[Adrenochrome]

Not really made it in terms of fame but 3 of my cousins make their living entirely in the music industry, one writing hip-hop articles, one a fulltime saxophonist, and one as a record buyer/seller and live drummer based in Germany.

I have some links with various locals who have made it at different times, mates who have been part of famous artistes' backing band for UK tours etc etc., as you'd expect from someone who's been around the local scene for a good few years.

Edited July 28, 2014 by Adrenochrome

[Stephen Houghton]

Here is a friend of ours called Bernie Smith he is a top session keys player and has played with most of the top performers, here he is with Gazza Barlow and the other photo is when he worked with Annie Lennox for a long period. My claim to fame is I'm a second cousin of John Lydon AKA Rotten out of the pistols. You couldn't meet a nicer guy!

Edited July 28, 2014 by Stephen Houghton

[BigRedX]

When I was 6 one of my best friends was someone called Nicholas Hallam who went on to be better known as "DJ The Head" in the Stereo MCs.

In my 20s I was friends with Tindersticks members Stuart Staples and David Boulter, who at the time were playing in less well-known and (IMO) far more musically interesting bands.

[Leonard Smalls]

In the 80s I used to play in a band with Keith and Jez from the Utah Saints, as well as Chris Haskett (Rollins Band) and Andy Spearpoint from the New Fast Automatic Daffodils. And bizarrely, we had Jay Rayner on keyboards!

[Jazzneck]

Nigel Harrison (AKA Tig) - Blondie.
(Mrs. Jazzneck was going out with him when I met her. She swapped one curly headed bass player for another and she's still with me 46 years later. )

Paul Hammond of Atomic Rooster fame and Mick Barnard, six months as guitarist with Genesis pre Hackett and BEL Digital Audio founder - in the original Farm line up 1969/70.

Oh, and 'Flash' Gordon Smith who played with a certain Phil Collins in Flaming Youth.

When I left Farm and settled down to get married,Tig took over the 4 string duties from me.

Funny old world, innit?

Edited July 28, 2014 by Jazzneck

[MacDaddy]

[quote name='blue' timestamp='1406479051' post='2511790']
It's always interesting to hear stories about our friends that have made it in this business, when, how they did it and what level and sector of the business they "made it" in.

Any stories?

Blue

* yeah, I'm in the pic, hidden, but I'm sitting down with my bass in front of what looks like an Ampeg SVT. I was 17. I think the pic is from 1969.lol
[/quote]

one of our number on BC is the brother of Ellie Goulding.

And blue, you are rocking that 'fro!

[bassintheface]

I think he term 'made it' or 'making it' means different things to other people.
There's clearly people on the lists above that have 'made it' in quite a big way - if they love their job of playing for Billy Joel for example.

I don't know about you guys, but I think I would consider myself to be at least on my way to 'making it' if I was earning all of my money from doing what I wanted to do in music.
I mean, playing bass in a band I was involved in writing the songs for.
If I had to do something else (but still involved in music), then I don't think I would be completely satisfied.

I'm thinking along the lines of - say your first love was playing blues guitar and that was your dream - 'making it' would be earning your money and being a successful recording / touring artist.
If you were still playing music for a living, but say in a band that didn't really get your creative juices flowing - say as a guitarist for a pop type solo artist, then would you consider yourself to have 'made it', or would that be a case of doing whatever it took to play music full time to hopefully ultimately give you the basis you need to indulge your true love of blues guitar?

I know guys that really love the bands they are in, but actually work for known bands as guitar techs and drum techs. Have they made it, I don't think so.
yes they're working in music, but it's not 'their' thing and what they really want to do.

Edited July 28, 2014 by bassintheface

[JTUK]

Making money from music is one thing... and if you make enough that is making 'it'
but in the sense of the OP I would regard making it as people that are well known
and/or in well known bands.

So, people I know aren't always people I have played with...
I've played with ... ( but not in those bands )
Richard Coughlin. Caravan
Jeff Britton Wings
Rick Dawson... It Bites
Steve Washington Texas, Take That, Nik Kershaw
Clive Jenner Groove Armada
Noel McCalla Artist Manfred Mann
Geoff Richardson Caravan
Hazel Dean Artist
Steve Large Squeeze
Dan Pearce Shuffler, X factor ( he played drums )
Ben Mills X Factor
Gary Barnacle L42, Tina Turner
Pete Barnacle Yngwie Malmsteen
Steve Cameron Hot Chocolate
Katie Bradley Hope she is an up and coming blues star.

[dmccombe7]

Went to school and same bars as Doogie White vocalist ex-Rainbow and various other rock bands. Down to Earth and keeps in touch with some of his old band mates to this day.
Also Davie Pentland backing vocalist / guitarist for Hue & Cry many moons ago.
Then there were the River Detectives who i briefly met a few times with Davy Pentland who was a pal of theirs.
Do these count ?

Dave

[Painy]

Let me see...
My step mum managed the Who's fan club back in the 70s and is still in touch with Roger Daltrey.
I knew Paul Samson (of NWOBHM band Samson - Bruce Dickinson's band before Maiden) when he was alive and Samson's old bass player, Chris Aylmer, played with one of my old bands before I joined but I got to know him pretty well too.
Did once have a guy turn up to audition for an old band who claimed to be Dave D of Dave D, Dozey, Beakey , Mick & Titch but seeing as he said he was the drummer and Dave D was actually the singer I'm inclined to think that he was just lying.

Edited July 28, 2014 by Painy

[Roger2611]

I am vaguely related to Jo Whiley (My dad married her auntie) I am friends with Alvin Stardust's guitarist Glyn Davies and I am friends with Gary Numan's bassist Tim Muddiman

[Count Bassy]

Bloke in our village used to be the guitarist in a band called "The Alliance", and was pro for 14 years.

The Alliance toured extensively supporting Black Sabbath until Black Sabbath stole their singer - Tony Martin.

Played a few gigs with him and he's brilliant, but also very modest - no ego issues at all. Earns his living selling canal boats these days.

[MacDaddy]

There's a bloke works down the chipshop swears he's Elvis.

[Big_Stu]

[quote name='Painy' timestamp='1406568689' post='2512565']Did once have a guy turn up to audition for an old band who claimed to be Dave D of Dave D, Dozey, Beakey , Mick & Titch but seeing as he said he was the drummer and Dave D was actually the singer I'm inclined to think that he was just lying.
[/quote]

Or Dave Clark with a bad memory.

[4-string-thing]

I'm pretty friendly with an ex pro drummer, who used to help my old band out when we were without a drummer (which seemed to happen quite often) He played drums with Cliff Richard, Barbara Streisand and Cilla Black, amongst others, and played on 2 Christmas Number 1's!

[the boy]

[quote name='molan' timestamp='1406501773' post='2512022']
My old flat mate had a couple of top 20 singles in his own right but gave up playing and became manager (or co manager) of Wham, Lisa Stansfeild, Yazz, De La Soul, Snow Patrol, The Verve, Richard Ashcroft, La Roux, Soup Dragons, Badly Drawn Boy, Klaxons, London Grammar, Boy George and lots of others.

Got some writer and producer credits on some #1 singles and albums as well. Even managed some sort of co-producer credit on the Bodyguard soundtrack which sold zillions!

Actually another flat mate was Billy Idol but Generation X were already making money so I guess he was already famous rather than making it after I knew him (although he must have been bigger solo than in Gen X).

Around the same time I used to go clubbing with George O'Dowd - when he dropped the 'O'Dowd' and added a 'Boy' he did rather well for himself
[/quote]
Now we are talkin.....

[bluesparky]

My mate is the drummer from Editors, Ed Lay. His pre-Editors band used to support my band back in the day in Ipswich.
It's always amusing bumping into him out on the touring / festival circuit and it tickled us both when i work for the band doing a string of festivals & shows.

There is JTQ's Andrew McKinney, who I'm sure several people on here know too.

Another chap who I knew from a couple of bands / groups I played in and with back in the day in Ipswich is Zac 'O Neil. Far from the jazz-funk band I played in with him, he went on to play for Extreme Noise Terror and I think he now plays for a couple of metal bands called Criminal and also Agonsyt. I've seen him for a few years though.
This has made me feel old and gobsmacked at how fast time has flown.

[Bilbo]

I was in a band with these two guys (at the same time):

Grant Nicholas (Feeder)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grant_nicholas

Brian Sperber (producer/engineer Moby, Whitney Houston, Ric Ocasek, Blues Traveler)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Sperber

Lots of other peripheral contacts but these were guys I spent a lot of time with and gigged properly with.

[Spike Vincent]

In terms of "made it" as in world tours and number 1 hit singles, guitarist in several of my early bands was a chap by the name of Ian Dench, later of EMF and now songwriter to the likes of Beyonce.

[Painy]

[quote name='Big_Stu' timestamp='1406577039' post='2512698']


Or Dave Clark with a bad memory.
[/quote]

Lol. That thought had actually already occurred to me!

[blue]

[quote name='MacDaddy' timestamp='1406550292' post='2512307']
one of our number on BC is the brother of Ellie Goulding.

And blue, you are rocking that 'fro!
[/quote]

Too funny (I look just like my oldest son), those were the days.BTW, sadly I have been away from "the hood" for decades. The pic made me remember where I come from.

I wish you guys could see my bass in that pic (1957 pre-CBS Fender Precision)

blue

Edited July 30, 2014 by blue