List of Camel band members

(left to right) Colin Bass, Denis Clement and Andrew Latimer (Ton Scherpenzeel not shown)

(left to right) Denis Clement, Colin Bass, Andrew Latimer and Ton Scherpenzeel (Jason Hart not shown)

Two line-ups of Camel performing in 2003 2015

Camel are an English progressive rock band from Guildford, Surrey. Formed in October 1971, the group originally featured guitarist, flautist and vocalist Andrew Latimer, bassist and vocalist Doug Ferguson, keyboardist and vocalist Peter Bardens, and drummer Andy Ward. The band's current lineup includes Latimer, bassist, keyboardist and vocalist Colin Bass (from 1979 to 1981, and since 1984), drummer Denis Clement (since 2000), and keyboardist and saxophonist Peter Jones (since 2016).

History

1971–1984

Camel were formed in October 1971 by Andrew Latimer, Doug Ferguson, Peter Bardens and Andy Ward. ^[1] During the tour in promotion of the band's fourth studio album Moonmadness , the group's lineup became a quintet with the addition of former King Crimson saxophonist and flautist Mel Collins. ^[2] In early 1977, Ferguson was replaced by former Caravan bassist Richard Sinclair. ^[2] Bardens followed the next July, with his place taken by two former bandmates of Sinclair in Caravan – Jan Schelhaas and Dave Sinclair, Richard's cousin. ^[3] Both Sinclairs left after the Breathless tour. ^[2]

In early 1979, Camel returned with bassist Colin Bass and former Happy the Man keyboardist/flautist Kit Watkins in place of the Sinclair cousins. ^[2] Mel Collins also stepped back from the band as a full-time member, although continued to collaborate with them on occasion. ^[4] Neither of the band's keyboardists contributed to 1981's Nude , which featured Duncan Mackay, although they returned for the subsequent tour. ^[5] After the tour ended in mid-1981, Ward attempted to commit suicide after increasing drug and alcohol abuse, which led to the group all but disbanding that summer. ^{[6] [7]}

As the only remaining member of Camel by early 1982, Andrew Latimer recorded The Single Factor with Alan Parsons Project members Chris Rainbow (keyboards, vocals) and David Paton (bass, vocals), while drums were covered by various guest contributors. ^[7] Kit Watkins rejoined the trio for the subsequent touring cycle, which also featured second guitarist Andy Dalby and drummer Stuart Tosh. ^[8] In January 1983, Ward – still a contracted member of the band – officially left Camel. ^[6] He was replaced by Paul Burgess, while Watkins was replaced by Kayak's Ton Scherpenzeel. ^[6]

1984–1999

After the release of Stationary Traveller , Colin Bass returned to Camel and Richie Close joined on keyboards for the resulting tour, which spawned the live release Pressure Points: Live in Concert . ^[9] Following the conclusion of the touring cycle, Camel remained dormant for much of the rest of the decade – Latimer and his former bandmates were involved in legal disputes with their former management company, in 1985 the group parted ways with Decca Records, and in 1988 the group's frontman decided to move to the United States, start his own label and build his own studio. ^[9]

In September 1991, Camel released their first studio album in seven years, Dust and Dreams , which featured a lineup of Andrew Latimer, Colin Bass, Ton Scherpenzeel and Paul Burgess, in addition to several guests. ^[10] The band started touring again the following year, with Scherpenzeel replaced by Mickey Simmonds. ^[6] On 5 March 1993, Latimer's father Stan died, leading the band to take another hiatus and delay the release of the live album Never Let Go . ^[11] As of spring 1994, Latimer had begun writing a new album, and the group's lineup still included Bass, Simmonds and Burgess. ^[12]

Recording for the album, Harbour of Tears , commenced in March 1995 with Latimer, Bass and Simmonds joined by session contributor John Xepoleas. ^[13] After the album's release in January, the group were due to embark on another tour, however shortly before its commencement Simmonds announced that he was leaving the band to spend more time with his family, forcing the remaining members to postpone the tour. ^[14] Simmonds and Burgess were eventually replaced by Fish members Foss Patterson and Dave Stewart, respectively, and the tour took place during 1997. ^[15]

Since 1999

Andrew Latimer, Colin Bass and Dave Stewart released Rajaz in 1999, which featured keyboards performed remotely and sent to the band by Ton Scherpenzeel. ^[9] For the tour in promotion of the release the following year, Guy LeBlanc took over the vacant keyboardist position in March 2000. ^[16] However, just two weeks after his arrival, Stewart announced that he would be leaving the group; his position was briefly taken by former Jethro Tull drummer Clive Bunker, before LeBlanc brought in former bandmate Denis Clement just ten days before the start of the tour in August. ^[16]

In 2003, the band embarked on a 'farewell' tour. Due to a family emergency, LeBlanc was unavailable for the tour's duration; he was replaced by Tom Brislin for the North American leg in June, and later by Scherpenzeel for the European leg in October. ^[17] Ten years later, after Latimer recovered from several years of illness, Camel returned on the Retirement Sucks Tour with special guest keyboardist Jan Schelhaas. ^[18] In October, Schelhaas was replaced by Renaissance keyboardist Jason Hart, as the group planned to continue touring in 2014 which would present scheduling conflicts. ^[19]

LeBlanc was forced to sit out Camel tours starting in February 2014 due to ill health, with Scherpenzeel returning again in his place. ^[20] LeBlanc eventually died of kidney cancer on 27 April 2015. ^[21] In February 2016, Peter Jones took over on keyboards. ^[22]

Members

Current

Image	Name	Years active	Instruments	Release contributions
	Andrew Latimer	1971–present	guitar flute recorder keyboards synthesisers bass vocals	all Camel releases
	Colin Bass	1979–1981 1984–present	bass keyboards acoustic guitar vocals	I Can See Your House from Here (1979) Nude (1981) Dust and Dreams (1991) Never Let Go (1993) all Camel releases from Harbour of Tears (1996) onwards, except Gods of Light '73–'75 (2000) and Moondances (2007)
	Denis Clement	2000–present	drums percussion bass keyboards recorder	all Camel releases from The Paris Collection (2001) onwards, except Moondances (2007)
	Peter Jones	2016–present	keyboards synthesisers saxophones vocals	Ichigo Ichie (Live In Japan 2016) (2017) Live at the Royal Albert Hall (2019)

Former

Image	Name	Years active	Instruments	Release contributions
	Andy Ward	1971–1983 (inactive 1981–83)	drums percussion	all Camel releases from Camel (1973) to Nude (1981) On the Road 1972 (1992) On the Road 1981 (1997) Gods of Light '73–'75 (2000) Moondances (2007)
	Peter Bardens	1971–1978 (died 2002)	keyboards synthesisers mellotron piano vocals	all Camel releases from Camel (1973) to Breathless (1978) The Single Factor (1982) – guest appearance on one track only Pressure Points: Live in Concert (1984) On the Road 1972 (1992) Gods of Light '73–'75 (2000) Moondances (2007)
	Doug Ferguson	1971–1977	bass vocals	all Camel releases from Camel (1973) to Moonmadness (1976) A Live Record (1978) On the Road 1972 (1992) Gods of Light '73–'75 (2000) Moondances (2007)
	Mel Collins	1976–1979	saxophones flute oboe clarinet piccolo	all Camel releases from Rain Dances (1977) to Nude (1981) Stationary Traveller (1984) – guest appearance on one track only Pressure Points: Live in Concert (1984) Moondances (2007)
	Richard Sinclair	1977–1979	bass vocals	Rain Dances (1977) A Live Record (1978) Breathless (1978) Moondances (2007)
	Jan Schelhaas	1978–1981 (touring 2013)	keyboards synthesisers	Breathless (1978) – one track only I Can See Your House from Here (1979) Nude (1981) – one track only On the Road 1981 (1997)
	Dave Sinclair	1978–1979		Breathless (1978) – two tracks only
	Kit Watkins	1979–1980 1981 1982	keyboards synthesisers piano flute clarinet	I Can See Your House from Here (1979) On the Road 1982 (1994) On the Road 1981 (1997)
	Chris Rainbow	1982–1984 (died 2015)	keyboards vocals	The Single Factor (1982) Stationary Traveller (1984) Pressure Points: Live in Concert (1984) On the Road 1982 (1994)
	David Paton	1982–1984	bass vocals	all Camel releases from The Single Factor (1982) to Dust (1991) – guest appearance on one track only On the Road 1982 (1994) Harbour of Tears (1996) – guest appearance on one track only
	Andy Dalby	1982–1983	guitar	On the Road 1982 (1994)
	Paul Burgess	1983–1994	drums percussion	Stationary Traveller (1984) Pressure Points: Live in Concert (1984) Dust (1991) Never Let Go (1993)
	Ton Scherpenzeel	1983–1991 (session 1999, touring 2003, 2014–16)	keyboards synthesisers piano accordion	Stationary Traveller (1984) Pressure Points: Live in Concert (1984) Dust (1991) Rajaz (1999)
	Richie Close	1984 (died 1991)	keyboards	Pressure Points: Live in Concert (1984)
	Mickey Simmonds	1992–1996		Never Let Go (1993) Harbour of Tears (1996)
	Dave Stewart	1996–1999	drums percussion	Coming of Age (1998) Rajaz (1999)
	Foss Patterson	1996–1997	keyboards vocals	Coming of Age (1998)
	Guy LeBlanc	2000–2015 (until his death; inactive 2014–15)	keyboards synthesisers piano vocals	The Paris Collection (2001) A Nod and a Wink (2002) The Snow Goose (2013) In from the Cold (2014)
	Clive Bunker	2000	drums percussion	none – studio rehearsals only
	Jason Hart	2013–2016	keyboards synthesisers acoustic guitar vocals	In from the Cold (2014)

Touring

Image	Name	Years active	Instruments	Details
	Stuart Tosh	1982	drums backing vocals	Tosh replaced Andy Ward for tour dates in 1982 while he was still a member, appearing on the album On the Road 1982. [8]
	Tom Brislin	2003	keyboards vocals	Brislin substituted for Guy LeBlanc, who was unavailable due to a family emergency, on a North American tour in June 2003. [17]

Session

Image	Name	Years active	Instruments	Release contributions
	David Bedford	1975	orchestral arrangements	The Snow Goose (1975)
	Martin Drover	1977	trumpet flugelhorn	Rain Dances (1977)
	Malcolm Griffiths		trombone
	Brian Eno		Minimoog electric piano piano
	Fiona Hibbert		harp
	Phil Collins	1979	percussion	I Can See Your House from Here (1979)
	Rupert Hine		backing vocals
	Simon Jeffes		orchestral arrangements
	Duncan Mackay	1980 1982	keyboards Prophet synthesizer	Nude (1981) The Single Factor (1982)
	Chris Green	1980	cello	Nude (1981)
	Gasper Lawal		percussion
	Herbie Flowers		tuba
	Haydn Bendall	1982 1984	Yamaha CS80 synthesizer Fairlight synthesizer PPG synthesizer	The Single Factor (1982) Stationary Traveller (1984)
	Anthony Phillips	1982	organ grand piano Polymoog ARP 2600 marimba acoustic guitar 12-string guitar	The Single Factor (1982)
	Francis Monkman		Synclavier
	Jack Emblow		accordion
	Tristan Fry		glockenspiel
	Graham Jarvis		drums
	Dave Mattacks
	Simon Phillips
	Christopher Bock	1991		Dust and Dreams (1991)
	Don Harriss		keyboards
	Kim Venaas		harmonica timpani
	James SK Wān	1991 1994–1995	bamboo flute	Dust and Dreams (1991) Harbour of Tears (1996)
	Mae McKenna		vocals
	John Burton		French Horn
	Neil Panton		oboe soprano sax harmonium
	John Xepoleas	1994–1995	drums	Harbour of Tears (1996)
	Barry Phillips		cello
	Karen Bentley		violin
	Anita Stoneham
	Terry Carleton	2002	percussion, drums	A Nod and a Wink (2002)

Timeline

Lineups

Period	Members	Releases
October 1971 – summer 1976	Andrew Latimer – guitar, flute, vocals Doug Ferguson – bass, vocals Peter Bardens – keyboards, synthesisers, vocals Andy Ward – drums, percussion, vibraphone	Camel (1973) Mirage (1974) Live at Dingwalls Dance Hall (1974) The Snow Goose (1975) Moonmadness (1976) A Live Record (1978) – all but four tracks On the Road 1972 (1992) Gods of Light '73–'75 (2000)
Summer 1976 – early 1977	Andrew Latimer – guitar, flute, vocals Doug Ferguson – bass, vocals Peter Bardens – keyboards, synthesisers, vocals Andy Ward – drums, percussion Mel Collins – saxophones, flute, clarinet	none
Early 1977 – July 1978	Andrew Latimer – guitar, flute, keyboards, vocals Richard Sinclair – bass, vocals Peter Bardens – keyboards, synthesisers, vocals Andy Ward – drums, percussion Mel Collins – saxophones, flute, clarinet	Rain Dances (1977) A Live Record (1978) – remaining four tracks Breathless (1978)
July 1978 – March 1979	Andrew Latimer – guitar, flute, keyboards, vocals Richard Sinclair – bass, vocals Jan Schelhaas – keyboards, synthesisers Dave Sinclair – keyboards, synthesisers Andy Ward – drums, percussion Mel Collins – saxophones, flute, clarinet	none
June 1979 – summer 1980	Andrew Latimer – guitar, flute, keyboards, vocals Colin Bass – bass, vocals Jan Schelhaas – keyboards, synthesisers Kit Watkins – keyboards, flute, clarinet Andy Ward – drums, percussion	I Can See Your House from Here (1979)
Summer – autumn 1980	Andrew Latimer – guitar, flute, keyboards, vocals Colin Bass – bass, vocals Jan Schelhaas – keyboards, synthesisers Andy Ward – drums, percussion	Nude (1981)
January – mid-1981	Andrew Latimer – guitar, flute, keyboards, vocals Colin Bass – bass, vocals Jan Schelhaas – keyboards, synthesisers Kit Watkins – keyboards, flute, clarinet Andy Ward – drums, percussion	On the Road 1981 (1997)
Early 1982	Andrew Latimer – guitar, bass, keyboards, vocals David Paton – bass, vocals Chris Rainbow – keyboards, vocals	The Single Factor (1982)
Spring – autumn 1982	Andrew Latimer – guitar, flute, keyboards, vocals Andy Dalby – guitar David Paton – bass, vocals Chris Rainbow – keyboards, vocals Kit Watkins – keyboards, flute, clarinet Stuart Tosh – drums, vocals (touring only)	On the Road 1982 (1994)
Late 1983	Andrew Latimer – guitar, flute, keyboards, vocals David Paton – bass, vocals Chris Rainbow – keyboards, vocals Ton Scherpenzeel – keyboards, synthesisers Paul Burgess – drums, percussion	Stationary Traveller (1984)
Early – summer 1984	Andrew Latimer – guitar, flute, keyboards, vocals Colin Bass – bass, acoustic guitar, vocals Chris Rainbow – keyboards, vocals Ton Scherpenzeel – keyboards, synthesisers Richie Close – keyboards Paul Burgess – drums, percussion	Pressure Points: Live in Concert (1984)
Summer 1984 – summer 1991	Andrew Latimer – guitar, flute, keyboards, vocals Colin Bass – bass, acoustic guitar, vocals Ton Scherpenzeel – keyboards, synthesisers Paul Burgess – drums, percussion	Dust and Dreams (1991)
Early 1992 – March 1993	Andrew Latimer – guitar, flute, keyboards, vocals Colin Bass – bass, acoustic guitar, vocals Mickey Simmonds – keyboards Paul Burgess – drums, percussion	Never Let Go (1993)
March – May 1995	Andrew Latimer – guitar, flute, keyboards, vocals Colin Bass – bass, acoustic guitar, vocals Mickey Simmonds – keyboards John Xepoleas – drums (session only)	Harbour of Tears (1996)
Summer 1996 – summer 1997	Andrew Latimer – guitar, flute, keyboards, vocals Colin Bass – bass, acoustic guitar, vocals Foss Patterson – keyboards, vocals Dave Stewart – drums, percussion	Coming of Age (1998)
Summer 1997 – March 2000	Andrew Latimer – guitar, flute, keyboards, vocals Colin Bass – bass, acoustic guitar, vocals Dave Stewart – drums, percussion Ton Scherpenzeel – keyboards (session only)	Rajaz (1999)
March – April 2000	Andrew Latimer – guitar, flute, keyboards, vocals Colin Bass – bass, acoustic guitar, vocals Guy LeBlanc – keyboards, synthesisers, vocals Dave Stewart – drums, percussion	none
August 2000	Andrew Latimer – guitar, flute, keyboards, vocals Colin Bass – bass, acoustic guitar, vocals Guy LeBlanc – keyboards, synthesisers, vocals Clive Bunker – drums, percussion
August 2000 – early 2003	Andrew Latimer – guitar, flute, keyboards, vocals Colin Bass – bass, acoustic guitar, vocals Guy LeBlanc – keyboards, synthesisers, vocals Denis Clement – drums, percussion, keyboards	The Paris Collection (2001) A Nod and a Wink (2002) The Snow Goose (2013) In from the Cold (2014)
June 2003 (North American farewell tour lineup)	Andrew Latimer – guitar, flute, keyboards, vocals Colin Bass – bass, acoustic guitar, vocals Denis Clement – drums, percussion, keyboards Tom Brislin – keyboards, vocals (substitute)	The Opening Farewell (2010)
October 2003 (European farewell tour lineup)	Andrew Latimer – guitar, flute, keyboards, vocals Colin Bass – bass, acoustic guitar, vocals Denis Clement – drums, percussion, keyboards Ton Scherpenzeel – keyboards (substitute)	none
Band on hiatus 2003–2013
March – October 2013	Andrew Latimer – guitar, flute, keyboards, vocals Colin Bass – bass, acoustic guitar, vocals Denis Clement – drums, percussion, keyboards Guy LeBlanc – keyboards, synthesisers, vocals Jan Schelhaas – keyboards (touring only)	The Snow Goose (2013)
October 2013 – February 2014	Andrew Latimer – guitar, flute, keyboards, vocals Colin Bass – bass, acoustic guitar, vocals Denis Clement – drums, percussion, keyboards Guy LeBlanc – keyboards, synthesisers, vocals Jason Hart – keyboards, acoustic guitar, vocals	In from the Cold (2014)
February 2014 – February 2016	Andrew Latimer – guitar, flute, keyboards, vocals Colin Bass – bass, acoustic guitar, vocals Denis Clement – drums, percussion, keyboards Jason Hart – keyboards, acoustic guitar, vocals Ton Scherpenzeel – keyboards (substitute)	none
February 2016 – present	Andrew Latimer – guitar, flute, keyboards, vocals Colin Bass – bass, acoustic guitar, vocals Denis Clement – drums, percussion, keyboards Peter Jones – keyboards, saxophones, vocals	Ichigo Ichie (Live In Japan 2016) (2017) Live at the Royal Albert Hall (2019)

References

1. "The Goose That Laid The Golden Egg". Record Collector . Retrieved 15 March 2020.
2. "Camel Timeline 1964-1981". Camel . Retrieved 15 March 2020.
3. Larkin, Colin (27 May 2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. London, England: Omnibus Press. p. 3029. ISBN   978-0857125958 . Retrieved 15 March 2020.
4. Eder, Bruce. "Mel Collins: Biography & History". AllMusic . Retrieved 15 March 2020.
5. Strik, Henri. "Camel - Reissues 1978-1984". Background Magazine. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
6. Jones, Tim. "Has Anyone Seen My Camel?". Record Collector . Retrieved 15 March 2020.
7. Rathbone, Oregano (6 May 2019). "'The Single Factor': A Camel Classic That Wears Its Years Lightly". uDiscoverMusic. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
8. Connolly, Dave. "On the Road 1982 - Camel: Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic . Retrieved 15 March 2020.
9. "Camel Timeline 1982-2002". Camel . Retrieved 15 March 2020.
10. Connolly, Dave. "Dust and Dreams - Camel: Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic . Retrieved 15 March 2020.
11. Stroud, Harriet (1993). "On a Personal Note". The Nature of the Beast. Vol. 1, no. 1. Camel Productions . Retrieved 15 March 2020.
12. Stroud, Harriet; Ford, Paris (1994). "New Camel Album: Keeping a Promise". The Nature of the Beast. Vol. 2, no. 1. Camel Productions . Retrieved 15 March 2020.
13. Stroud, Harriet; Ford, Paris (1995). "Harbour of Tears: Camel's new studio album, 15th January 1996". The Nature of the Beast. Camel Productions . Retrieved 15 March 2020.
14. Stroud, Harriet; Ford, Paris (1996). "To Tour or Not to Tour?". The Nature of the Beast. Camel Productions . Retrieved 15 March 2020.
15. Melton, Jeff. "Camel '97: A Conversation with Andy Latimer". magenta.co.il. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
16. "Camel Timeline 2000-2002". Camel . Retrieved 15 March 2020.
17. "30-ish Anniversary Farewell Tour". Camel Productions. Archived from the original on 8 June 2003. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
18. Kielty, Martin (21 March 2013). "Camel Return To Stage". Prog. Archived from the original on 29 April 2013. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
19. "Rehearsal Snaps For Tour 2013". Camel Productions. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
20. Ewing, Jerry (18 February 2014). "Camel Forced To Change Keyboard Player For Tour". Prog. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
21. Giles, Jeff (29 April 2015). "Camel Keyboard Player Guy LeBlanc Dies At 54". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
22. Munro, Scott (8 February 2016). "Camel call up Tiger Moth Tales man Jones". Prog. Retrieved 15 March 2020.

External links

• Camel Productions official website