Andy Nye was trained in classical piano from the age of eight, attending the Watford School of Music as a teenager and performing his first paid gig at the age of 14, playing the clarinet and alto saxophone in his grandfather's danceband.
On leaving school in 1977, he joined Mainland, a band managed by Deep Purple's former co-manager Rob Cooksey, leading to his first studio experience under the auspices of Deep Purple producer Martin Birch.
After an 81 date tour with Leo Sayer in 1979, culminating in 5 nights at The Hammersmith Odeon, the band disintegrated[1] and Nye was requisitioned to play keyboards with rising star Sheena Easton on her 1980 debut world tour, accompanying her live in the U.S. on Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson on three separate occasions.
In 1981, Nye switched to touring with UK songstress Barbara Dickson, recording the live Here We Go album in the process.[2]
In 1982, he was approached by Rob Cooksey and asked to perform on a session basis with the Michael Schenker Group (MSG) whom Cooksey was managing at that time. He was inducted as a permanent member after they headlined the Reading Festival in the summer of that year.[3]
In 1984, whilst headlining the Rock in Japan series of festivals, which included Whitesnake, The Scorpions and Bon Jovi on the same bill,[4] Nye was approached by David Coverdale and asked to perform with Whitesnake, after the departure of keyboardist Jon Lord. He refused when discovering he'd be required to perform offstage. After a period of volatility within MSG, Schenker eventually disbanded the group later that year. Nye, who had previously signed a publishing deal with The Who's management company, Trinifold, joined forces with the Who's bass guitarist John Entwistle on a project called The Rock,[5] with Barriemore Barlow (Jethro Tull) on drums, later to be replaced by Zak Starkey (the Who, Oasis).
In 1986, Nye began writing and recording with Leo Lyons (Ten Years After) as The Kick, resulting in the release of the album Heartland.[6]
At the same time, he had started a writing partnership with John Payne, working on songs for the upcoming ELO Part II project, Payne having been chosen to replace Jeff Lynne as vocalist. But Payne departed the project before recording began and he and Nye went on to form the Passion as a vehicle for their songs, enlisting the services of drummer Clive Burr (Iron Maiden), bass guitarist Mel Gabbitas and ex-Mike Oldfield guitarist Ant Glynne.
Payne was asked to join Asia in 1991, whilst Nye had been writing and producing material for the Zombies' Colin Blunstone, a move which resulted in many of the duo's songs being subsequently recorded by Asia on various albums.
Nye wrote, performed and recorded with After Hours[7] before returning to his original position of hired hand and touring the world with Toyah Willcox, Princess Stephanie of Monaco and various other artists.
In 1995, he set up his own music agency, becoming Wishbone Ash's UK agent in 2000,[8] a position he holds to the present.[9]
In 1997, he formed PLATINUM, a fully live, international ABBA tribute show,[10] with Nye performing the role of Benny Andersson.
In 2009, Voiceprint released an album of the remaining Nye/Payne material entitled The Passion.
In 2015, Nye's contribution as an agent to keeping Wishbone Ash a viable performing entity after more than forty years was acknowledged by founding member Andy Powell in his autobiography Eyes Wide Open.[11]
December 2019 saw the publication of Nye’s debut novel, Master Piece, a work of humorous, speculative fiction. Described in reviews as “Douglas Adams crossed with Terry Pratchett with a bit of Dan Brown action”, it became an Amazon #1 Best Seller in 2020 and was followed in 2021 by the release of his second book, Master Plan, which also acquired that status.
Discography
Mainland - "Who Do You Love" (1978, Single)
Mainland - "By Your Side" (1979, Single)
Mainland - "No Money" (1979, Single)
Mainland - Exposure (1979)
Dave Prowse and Tony Blackburn - "Green Cross Code" (1980)
Les Payne - "Who Will Be The Winner" (1982, Single)
Michael Schenker is a German guitarist. He played in the rock band UFO and leads the Michael Schenker Group (MSG). He was an early member of the hard rock band Scorpions, a band co-founded by his elder brother Rudolf Schenker. In the mid-1970s, Schenker joined UFO, playing lead and rhythm guitar. He left the band in 1978 to briefly rejoin Scorpions for the recording of Lovedrive, and then to form MSG. He has rejoined UFO three times, producing an album each time. Schenker continues to perform and record. He has been called "a legendary figure in the history of metal guitar."
Cozy Powell was an English drummer who made his name with major rock bands and artists such as The Jeff Beck Group, Rainbow, Michael Schenker Group, Gary Moore, Graham Bonnet, Brian May, Whitesnake, Emerson, Lake & Powell, and Black Sabbath.
Simon Phillips is an English jazz, fusion and rock drummer, songwriter, and record producer, based in the United States. He worked with rock bands during the 1970s and 1980s, and was the drummer for the band Toto from 1992 to 2014.
John Timothy Payne is an English musician, best known as the lead singer and bassist of Asia from 1991 to 2006, then from June 2007, with Asia featuring John Payne. He also is now in Dukes of the Orient but continues to tour with The Rock Pack and also Asia Featuring John Payne.
The Michael Schenker Group is an English hard rock band, formed in London in 1979 by former Scorpions and UFO guitarist Michael Schenker. In 1986, Schenker and vocalist Robin McAuley formed the McAuley Schenker Group, which lasted until 1993. Afterwards, in 1996, the Michael Schenker Group was reformed. After the release of their second live album, 1984's Rock Will Never Die, its members began to have serious discussions that caused a two-year hiatus, and Michael ended the band in 1986.
Gary John Barden is an English singer-songwriter, best known for his work with the Michael Schenker Group.
Russell Glyn Ballard is an English musician.
MSG is the second album by the hard rock band Michael Schenker Group, released in 1981. Producer Ron Nevison's high production values resulted in the recording of this album going over budget, a crippling debt that dogged the band for the rest of their short career. MSG saw Schenker reunited with his former UFO bandmate Paul Raymond, and was the last album to feature Gary Barden until 1983's Built to Destroy.
McAuley Schenker Group was a multi-national rock band based in Los Angeles featuring core members Robin McAuley (vocals) and Michael Schenker (guitar), a successor to Schenker's earlier band Michael Schenker Group. McAuley was initially contacted to replace singer Gary Barden in MSG. However, the strong partnership immediately formed between McAuley and Schenker led to the change of the name from Michael Schenker Group to McAuley Schenker Group, retaining the same initials of the previous band MSG.
Robin McAuley is an Irish singer. He is best known as the vocalist for the rock band McAuley Schenker Group from 1986 to 1993, which saw the band release three studio albums: Perfect Timing, Save Yourself, M.S.G., the live album Unplugged Live, and the Japan-only EP Nightmare: The Acoustic M.S.G. He has made further appearances with Schenker in 2012, and also in 2016 with Michael Schenker Fest alongside original MSG singers Gary Barden and Graham Bonnet, and Doogie White of Michael Schenker's Temple of Rock.
Archiva is a two-volume collection of out-takes and previously unreleased tracks by British progressive rock band Asia. The volume one, designated as Archiva 1, was released on 3 September 1996 by Resurgence.
One of the Boys is the third solo studio album by the Who's lead vocalist, Roger Daltrey. It was released in 1977, on Polydor in the UK, and MCA in the US. The sessions were recorded at the Who's Ramport Studios during the winter of 1976, and Daltrey allowed students from the local Battersea technical school to film them as an educational project. This also marked the first time that Daltrey had written or co-written a song since "Here for More" in 1970, and Lisztomania in 1975. Daltrey's original choice for producers were Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, but they declined.
Assault Attack is the third studio album by the Michael Schenker Group, and the only album to feature former Rainbow vocalist Graham Bonnet. The album was recorded in France at the Château d'Hérouville and was produced by Martin Birch.
Windsong International Records was an independent record label in the United Kingdom active in the early 1990s. It specialised in releasing recordings made for or by BBC Radio One for broadcast on the In Concert radio programme.
Christopher John Glen, known simply as Chris Glen, is a Scottish rock musician. He is best known for playing with The Sensational Alex Harvey Band from 1972 to 1977, and The Michael Schenker Group from 1980 to 1984, 2008 to 2010, and 2016 to 2020. He also performed with Michael Schenker Fest, featuring original MSG band members.
Built to Destroy is the fourth studio album by the hard rock band The Michael Schenker Group. Gary Barden returned to the group on vocals, following the departure of Graham Bonnet amidst tensions with Michael Schenker. This was the band's final studio album prior to their disbanding and Schenker moving on to form the McAuley Schenker Group with vocalist Robin McAuley. New material released under the Michael Schenker Group name would not appear for over a decade.
Rock Will Never Die is a Michael Schenker Group live album released in 1984 and recorded at Hammersmith Odeon in London, over two nights in October 1983. The concert was also released in VHS with the same title. This is the last album recorded with Gary Barden before he rejoined the band in 2008.
Edward McKenna was a Scottish drummer who played with The Sensational Alex Harvey Band, Rory Gallagher, The Greg Lake Band, and The Michael Schenker Group. He also toured with Ian Gillan for a short period of time in 1990, alongside fellow former SAHB member, bassist Chris Glen. He lectured in Applied Arts at North Glasgow College from 1996 to 2011.
John Trotter is an English and Australian drummer.
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