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Bez | |
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 Bez performing in December 2007 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Mark Berry |
| Born | 18 April 1964 Bolton, Lancashire, England |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
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| Instruments |
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| Years active | 1980–present |
Mark Berry (born 18 April 1964), better known as Bez, is an English percussionist, dancer, DJ and media personality. He is best known as a member of the rock bands Happy Mondays and Black Grape.
Mark Berry was born on 18 April 1964 in Bolton, Lancashire, [1] the son of parents from the Norris Green district of Liverpool. [2] His father was a detective inspector. [3] He grew up in Little Hulton and Walkden, before moving to live with his grandparents in Wigan at the age of 16. [4]
Bez is best known as the maraca player, dancer, and de facto mascot of rock band Happy Mondays, having been invited by lead singer Shaun Ryder shortly after the band was formed.[ citation needed ] He is chiefly remembered for his bizarre style of dancing and use of maracas. The band's second single, "Freaky Dancin'", was rumoured to be a tribute to Bez. However, Ryder stated that this was not the case in his autobiography Twistin' My Melon.
After the Happy Mondays broke up, Bez became a member of Ryder's next group Black Grape, but he left them in 1997. That year, he had a feature on the BBC Two television programme The Sunday Show called Science with Bez. When both men faced large tax bills, Bez and Ryder reformed the Happy Mondays in 1998, but it was short-lived. A book about his experiences in both bands, Freaky Dancin' ( ISBN 0-330-48197-5), was published by Pan MacMillan in 1998. In the opening chapter, Bez detailed an incident during a Happy Mondays gig at Manchester's Haçienda nightclub in 1986. In the middle of the set, he fell off the stage and cut his forehead. In the book, he writes, "The doc tells me to take it easy and put my feet up. I thought, 'I'm not fucking havin' that.' I got some of [lead guitarist] Moose's acid, dripped it in the cut and ran back out with me shakers. Fuckin' raz!" [5]
He appeared on Celebrity Big Brother in 2005, in order to pay off his outstanding tax bills, and was voted as the winner of the series. He used some of his winnings to improve the engine of his London black cab; the television show Pimp My Ride UK customised it to make it suit him. After the cab was "pimped", it had twenty speakers, eight amps, two DVD players, fifteen TV screens and a camera on the grille linked to one of the screens, the sign saying TAXI on the top was changed to PIMP, and it had purple paint on the outside.
The New Musical Express (NME) carried a series of articles about famous members of bands whose musical contribution to their bandmates' success was negligible. The newspaper used the name "Bez" as a generic label for Chas Smash of Madness, Andrew Ridgeley of Wham!, Andy Fletcher of Depeche Mode, Paul Morley of Art of Noise, Linda McCartney of Wings, and Paul Rutherford of Frankie Goes to Hollywood.[ citation needed ]
In 2006, Bez was promoting a compilation album titled Bez's Madchester Anthems: Sorted Tunes from Back in the Day . The Happy Mondays again reformed: the third incarnation of the group had Bez touring with them. On 2 July 2007, they released their first studio album in 15 years entitled Uncle Dysfunktional . On 4 September 2007, Bez went head-to-head with royal correspondent James Whitaker on ITV television programme Don't Call Me Stupid and beat him. Bez and James taught each other about their respective specialist subjects: the Manchester music scene and royal etiquette, and then they were quizzed on what they had learnt. This was followed by a general knowledge round. Despite not knowing that the Queen has two birthdays, Bez won. His prize, as selected by James, was a bottle of expensive red wine and a decanter so he didn't have to drink any "poor person's supermarket plonk".
Bez took part in Series 4 of Adrenaline Junkie (aired on 1 October 2008 on ITV2), the tasks involved taking on the world's biggest bungee down the front of the dam which featured in GoldenEye , building an ice hotel in the mountains, and undertook a jump from one cable car to another. On 29 January 2012, Ryder announced on the radio station XFM that the band would return with the original and definitive line-up of himself, his brother Paul Ryder on bass, Bez, Gary Whelan on drums, Rowetta as backing vocalist, Mark Day on guitar and Paul Davis on keyboards. They appeared on ITV's This Morning, and were interviewed by Phillip Schofield. The band announced in September 2012 that they were writing their first album with the original line-up in more than 20 years.
Bez was announced as the headliner on the DJ stage at upcoming festival Party in the Pines on 3 May 2014. In September 2018, he took part in a special episode of Bargain Hunt where he and Rowetta competed against Jarvis Cocker and Candida Doyle from Pulp. Bez and Rowetta won the episode by earning a profit of £8, but it was later discovered that Firouzeh Razavi, at that time Bez's girlfriend, had bought two of their items. As it was against the rules of the programme for friends and family of the teams to buy items the teams were selling, Cocker and Doyle were made the winners and Bez had to hand over £8 from his own pocket. [6]
Berry lives in Urmston, Greater Manchester. He is a fan of Manchester United. He is a beekeeper and beer brewer in his spare time, and has lived on land-shares in Herefordshire and Wales. [7] At some point, he lived next door to Ryder in Padfield, Derbyshire.
Bez was declared bankrupt in 2005 [8] [9] and 2008. [10]
In August 2010, Bez was convicted of physically assaulting his ex-girlfriend Monica Ward, with whom he has a son, by throttling and threatening to kill her. [11] He was sentenced to four weeks in prison after having first received a community service sentence but refusing to co-operate. [12] He was arrested at London's Euston Station in November 2010 for breaching a restraining order granted to Ward following the assault, and escorted to appear before magistrates in Manchester. [13] Bez also has two older sons. [14]
In November 2014, Bez became a patron of homeless organisation Coffee4Craig. The organisation started in 2013 when married couple Risha and Hendrix Lancaster lost Risha's brother, Craig White, to a heroin overdose while sleeping rough. He is very active in his support, even inviting them to join him on the onstage bed in London during a Black Grape gig and frequently discussing the issue of homelessness. [15]
Bez stood as a candidate for the Salford and Eccles constituency in the 2015 UK General Election. [16] The incumbent Member of Parliament (MP), Hazel Blears, announced her intention to stand down at the election. [17] Bez ran on a platform of "free energy, free food and free anything". [16] He received 703 votes (1.6% of the total turnout) which placed him in sixth position in the constituency. [18] The seat was won by the new Labour Party candidate, Rebecca Long-Bailey, who received 21,364 votes (49.4% of the total).
In January 2021, during the third lockdown of the COVID-19 pandemic, Bez began operating as an online fitness instructor producing content on YouTube under the title "Buzzin’ with Bez". [19]
Bez married his partner, fitness instructor Firouzeh Razavi, on 3 September 2022. The two had been in a relationship since 2014. Bez had made a Wooden Stonehenge for a Game of Thrones-style wedding. [20] [21]
In the film 24 Hour Party People , Bez is played by Chris Coghill.[ citation needed ]
In August 2021, it was announced that Bez would be a competitor on BBC's Celebrity MasterChef and in October 2021 that he would be a competitor on the fourteenth series of Dancing on Ice in 2022. [22] [23]
Happy Mondays are an English rock band formed in Salford in 1980. The original line-up consisted of brothers Shaun Ryder (vocals) and Paul Ryder (bass), Gaz Whelan (drums), Paul Davis (keyboard), and Mark Day (guitar). Mark "Bez" Berry later joined the band onstage as a dancer and maracas player. Rowetta began working with the band as guest second vocalist in 1990. They were originally signed to Tony Wilson's Factory Records label.
Shaun William George Ryder is an English singer, songwriter and poet. As lead singer of Happy Mondays, he was a leading figure in the Madchester cultural scene during the late 1980s and early 1990s. In 1993, he formed Black Grape with former Happy Mondays dancer Bez. He was the runner-up on the tenth series of I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!. Ryder collaborated with Gorillaz on "Dare", which peaked at number one on the UK Singles Chart in September 2005, becoming the band's only UK number one single. Ryder is known for his distinctive sprechgesang and lyricism.
Black Grape are an English rock band formed in Salford in 1993, featuring former members of Happy Mondays and Ruthless Rap Assassins. Their musical style fuses funk and electronic rock with electronic programming and samples.
Squirrel and G-Man Twenty Four Hour Party People Plastic Face Carnt Smile is the debut studio album by the English rock band Happy Mondays, which was released in mid-April 1987 by Factory Records. After finalising their line-up, the band began playing local venues in Manchester, toured with New Order, and released an EP and a single in 1985. Happy Mondays' debut album was recorded at Fire House in London in December 1986 with producer John Cale. Halfway through the two weeks of sessions, they scrapped all their recordings and began again. Cale and engineer Dave Young did not understand the band members' vision of the album, and found them difficult to work with. Deemed a punk-funk and post-punk album, most of its songs were lyrically akin to stories on The Twilight Zone.
Bummed is the second studio album by English rock band Happy Mondays, released on 21 November 1988 on Factory Records. During 1987 and early 1988, the band discovered house music and the rave drug ecstasy. Factory producer Martin Hannett was subsequently enlisted to produce the band's next album. Sessions were held at The Slaughterhouse recording studio in Driffield over three weeks. The period was noted for heavy drug use by the band and Hannett, with their manager later calling it the first "ecstasy-fuelled" album. Hannett moved recording to Strawberry Studios, where extra instrumentation was added. Bummed is a Madchester-style psychedelic funk album, where much of the lyrical content was influenced by the 1970 film Performance, with dialogue from the film sampled throughout.
Pills 'n' Thrills and Bellyaches is the third studio album by the English rock band Happy Mondays, released on 5 November 1990 by Factory Records. Disc jockey (DJ) Paul Oakenfold and collaborator Steve Osborne were previously enlisted by the band for remixes. The success of these led to the pair producing "Step On", a cover of the John Kongos song, for Happy Mondays. The band went on a tour of the United States, and by the end of which, had started recording their next album with Oakenfold and Osborne at Capitol Studios in Los Angeles, California. They returned to the United Kingdom, where further recording took place at Eden Studios in London until September 1990. Described as a Madchester album, Pills 'n' Thrills and Bellyaches saw substantial input from Oakenfold and Osborne, with the former making loops while the latter handled song arrangements.
Yes Please! is the fourth studio album by British rock band Happy Mondays, released on 22 September 1992 through Factory Records. Following the non-album single "Judge Fudge", Factory allotted the band a budget of £150,000 for their next album. After settling on producers Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth, both members of Talking Heads and Tom Tom Club, Happy Mondays decamped to Blue Wave Studio in Saint Philip, Barbados, in February 1992. The sessions were plagued by a variety of issues, such as frontman Shaun Ryder developing a crack habit and dancer Bez breaking his arm three times. With little finished material and a lack of lyrics, the band returned to the United Kingdom; Ryder was admitted into a detox centre. Recording continued for two weeks in May 1992 at Comfort's Place Studio in Lingfield, Surrey, where Ryder did his vocals. Yes Please! is a soul funk album with a bleak sound that earned it a comparison to Unknown Pleasures (1979) by Joy Division.
XFM Manchester was an Independent Local Radio station broadcasting alternative and indie music to Manchester in North West England.
Rowetta Idah, also known as Rowetta or Rowetta Satchell, is a British singer. She is best known for her work with the Happy Mondays, recording and touring with the band from 1990 and recently reforming with the original lineup. Her 1989 track "Reach Out" with Sweet Mercy has been sampled by Steve Angello, Laidback Luke, Todd Terry, and the Black Eyed Peas. She was also the last woman standing and was the sixth contestant eliminated in the first series of The X Factor in 2004.
It's Great When You're Straight...Yeah is the debut studio album by the English rock band Black Grape, released on 7 August 1995 through Radioactive Records. Following the breakup of Happy Mondays, frontman Shaun Ryder formed Black Grape with vocalist Paul "Kermit" Leveridge and dancer Bez. They were put in contact with management company Nicholl and Dime, who secured the band a recording contract with Radioactive Records. After demos and the band finalizing their line-up, Ryder met with producers Stephen Lironi and Danny Saber. Black Grape recorded their debut studio album in late 1994 and early 1995 at Rockfield Studios in Wales, Chapel Studios in Lincolnshire, and Boundary Row in London. It's Great When You're Straight...Yeah is a dance-pop and pop funk album, with the word “straight” in its title referring to being sober from drugs.
Paul Anthony Ryder was an English musician. He was a bass player and a founding member of the Manchester band Happy Mondays with his brother Shaun Ryder.
"He's Gonna Step on You Again" is a song originally performed by John Kongos, co-written by Kongos and Christos Demetriou, and first released in 1971 by Fly Records. It entered the UK Singles Chart on 22 May 1971 and spent 14 weeks there, peaking at No. 4. Covers of the song have been chart successes several times, including for Happy Mondays in 1990.
Karl Power is a prankster from Droylsden, Greater Manchester, England, known for appearing uninvited at sporting events as an impostor. He appeared in the Manchester United team photo before an away UEFA Champions League knockout stage match against Bayern Munich in 2001.
Uncle Dysfunktional is the fifth studio album by English rock band Happy Mondays. It was released by Sequel Records on 2 July 2007. After the band reunited in 2004, they toured into 2005; by 2006, a new album was recorded with producer Sunny Levine. Initial sessions were held at The Studiosound in Rochdale and Make It Nice Studio in Leicester with Dave Parkinson, before moving to Moolah Rogue Studios in Stockport with Levine. Uncle Dysfunktional is an electro-funk record, with influences from country and hip hop.
Paul Popplewell is a British actor who has appeared in BAFTA, BIFA, Emmy, RTS, Sundance and Cannes Palme d'Or winning and nominated Film and TV productions. Paul is known for his role as Simon in the BBC Two TV film drama Criminal (1994). He has also appeared in Happy Mondays' Paul Ryder in 24 Hour Party People (2001), Tyrannosaur (2011), and Black Mirror's "Fifteen Million Merits" (2011). He also played Paul Pegg in Casualty (2021–2023).
KAV is a British musician from Leicester, England, now based in Los Angeles. Sandhu played guitar with British band Happy Mondays for four years after helping reform the band with frontman Shaun Ryder in 2004. He launched his solo project under moniker "KAV" in 2008 with long-time friend and drummer Jim (James) Portas. His solo material has been compared by the media to Iggy and the Stooges, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Primal Scream, Kasabian, the Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan. He uses a full band for live performances, which sometimes features guest musicians from various bands.
Pop Voodoo is the third studio album of the British band Black Grape that was released on 4 August 2017 through UMC. After a one-off show in 2010, Black Grape reunited in April 2015 to play a show; a this time, Alan McGee was the band's manager. Following a tour of the United Kingdom and a collaboration with Paul Oakenfold, Black Grape worked on ideas for new songs. In September 2016, the band travelled to Spain, initially as a writing trip, during which they recorded sessions for their next album. Pop Voodoo was recorded at Martin "Youth" Glover's residential studio in Sierra Nevada, Spain, and in London. Pop Voodoo is a funk, pop and trip hop album on which Youth, alongside session musicians, plays many instruments.
Happy Mondays – Excess All Areas: A Biography is a 2014 book about the history of British rock band Happy Mondays, authored by British writer Simon Spence. It was based on interviews conducted in 2013 and 2014 with members of the band and their associates. It covers their main period of activity, from their formation in the early 1980s until their break up in the early 1990s, as well as detailing the history of Factory Records and its founder Tony Wilson. The book received mainly positive reviews from music publications, several of which praised Spence's research. Paperback and an expanded ebook versions were released in 2015 and 2018, respectively.
Twisting My Melon: The Autobiography is a 2011 autobiography by the English singer, songwriter and poet Shaun Ryder, about his time fronting rock bands Happy Mondays and Black Grape. The book received mainly positive reviews from music publications, several of which considered it an entertaining read.
This is a timeline of music in Greater Manchester
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