List of Level 42 members

Last updated

Level42 indigoO2 2009 02.jpg
Level 42 - 2018174183804 2018-06-23 Rock the Ring - 1D X MK II - 0924 - B70I2085.jpg
Members of Level 42 onstage in 2009 (top) and 2018 (bottom).

Level 42 are an English jazz-funk band from the Isle of Wight. Formed in late 1979, the group were originally an instrumental outfit consisting of bassist Mark King, keyboardist Mike Lindup, guitarist Rowland "Boon" Gould and drummer Phil Gould. [1] Shortly after their formation, the band were encouraged to add vocals to their music, with both King and Lindup taking on lead vocalist duties. [2] The group's lineup remained constant throughout much of the 1980s, before the Gould brothers left in October 1987. [3] After suffering exhaustion on tour, Boon and Phil were replaced for shows at the end of the year by Paul Gendler and Neil Conti, respectively. [4] Early the next year, King and Lindup enlisted Steve Topping, soon replaced by Alan Murphy, and Gary Husband as their new permanent bandmates, [5] after deciding against continuing with supporting musicians. [6]

Contents

Topping left Level 42 due to musical differences after tour dates in early 1988. [7] He was replaced later by Alan Murphy, who debuted on Staring at the Sun later in the year. [8] On 19 October 1989, however, Murphy died of pneumonia resulting from AIDS. [9] The group took a year off before returning to record Guaranteed , on which the three official members worked with guitarists Allan Holdsworth and Dominic Miller. [10] Holdsworth also performed on tour dates in December 1990. [11] Early the following year, before the album's release, Jakko Jakszyk joined as Murphy's permanent touring replacement. [12] After more tour dates, Husband left Level 42 in March 1992. [11] Phil Gould returned in his place the following year, although only for the recording of Forever Now . [13] He was replaced for subsequent tour dates by Gavin Harrison. [14]

After breaking up at the end of their 1994 tour, Level 42 reformed in late 2001 after King secured the rights to use the band name. Joining the frontman were his brother Nathan on guitar, Sean Freeman on saxophone, and returning members Husband (drums) and Lyndon Connah (keyboards). [15] [16] In 2003, an original lineup reunion was attempted by King, Lindup and the Gould brothers (along with frequent contributor Wally Badarou), however after "about four days" of writing new material it "just fell apart". [13] Lindup collaborated with the band again in 2005 to record some keyboard parts for their new studio album Retroglide , [17] before returning on a full-time basis the next year. [18] Billy Cobham substituted for Husband at a number of shows in 2008, [19] [20] before the regular drummer was replaced by Pete Ray Biggin in 2010. [2]

In October 2013, Level 42 released their first new studio material since 2006, the Sirens EP, which introduced new band members Dan Carpenter on trumpet and Nichol Thomson on trombone. [21] The newly expanded horn section later joined the group on tour in 2014. [22]

Members

Current

ImageNameYears activeInstrumentsRelease contributions
Level 42 - 2018174182315 2018-06-23 Rock the Ring - 1D X MK II - 0849 - B70I2010.jpg
Mark King
  • 1979–1994
  • 2001–present
  • bass
  • lead and backing vocals
  • occasional percussion, keyboards, synthesisers and guitar
all Level 42 releases
Level 42 - 2018174182217 2018-06-23 Rock the Ring - 1D X MK II - 0811 - B70I1972.jpg
Mike Lindup
  • 1979–1994
  • 2006–present
  • keyboards
  • synthesisers
  • piano
  • backing and lead vocals
  • percussion
all Level 42 releases from Level 42 (1981) to Forever Now (1994), and from Level 42 at Rockpalast (2005) onwards
Level 42 - 2018174182559 2018-06-23 Rock the Ring - 1D X MK II - 0886 - B70I2047.jpg
Nathan King 2001–present
  • guitar
  • backing vocals
all Level 42 releases from Live 2001 Reading UK (2002) to Live at the Apollo (2004), and from Retroglide (2006) onwards
Level 42 - 2018174183756 2018-06-23 Rock the Ring - 1D X MK II - 0911 - B70I2072.jpg
Sean "Skip" Freeman
  • saxophone
  • backing vocals
Level 42 - 2018174182154 2018-06-23 Rock the Ring - 1D X MK II - 0756 - B70I1917.jpg
Pete Ray Biggin2010–present
  • drums
  • percussion
all Level 42 releases from 1980–2010: 30th Anniversary World Tour (2011) onwards
Level 42 - 2018174183803 2018-06-23 Rock the Ring - 1D X MK II - 0922 - B70I2083.jpg
Dan Carpenter2013–present
  • trumpet
  • backing vocals
  • occasional percussion
  • Sirens (2013)
  • Sirens Tour Live (2016)
  • Eternity (2019)
Level 42 - 2018174181541 2018-06-23 Rock the Ring - 5DS R - 0126 - 5DSR7298.jpg
Nichol Thomson
  • trombone
  • backing vocals
  • occasional percussion

Former

ImageNameYears activeInstrumentsRelease contributions
Level42-phil gould.jpg
Phil Gould
  • 1979–1987
  • 1993–1994
  • 2004
  • drums
  • percussion
  • backing vocals
  • piano
  • organ
  • all Level 42 releases from Level 42 (1981) to Live at Wembley (1987)
  • Forever Now (1994)
  • Level 42 at Rockpalast (2005)
  • The River Sessions (2005)
Rowland "Boon" Gould
  • 1979–1987
  • 2012
(died 2019)
  • guitar
  • saxophone (early)
  • all Level 42 releases from Level 42 (1981) to Live at Wembley (1987)
  • Level 42 at Rockpalast (2005)
  • The River Sessions (2005)
  • Retroglide (2006) – guest appearance on one track only
NEWS opening picture.JPG
Gary Husband
  • 1988–1993
  • 2001–2010
  • drums
  • backing vocals
  • occasional keyboards
all Level 42 releases from Staring at the Sun (1988) to Guaranteed Live (1992), from Live at Wembley (1996) to Live at the Apollo (2004), and from Retroglide (2006) to Live in Holland 2009 (2009)
Steve Topping1988guitarnone
Alan Murphy 1988–1989
(until his death)
Lyndon Connah
  • 1990 (touring)
  • 2001–2006
  • keyboards
  • backing vocals
  • Live 2001 Reading UK (2002)
  • Greatest Hits Live (2003)
  • Live at the Apollo (2004)
  • Retroglide (2006)

Touring

ImageNameYears activeInstrumentsRelease contributionsNotes
Gary Barnacle - Rochester Castle 2011..JPG
Gary Barnacle
  • 1981

  • 1988–1994
saxophoneBarnacle toured with Level 42 during the 1980s and 1990s, and featured on several studio albums. [23]
Krys Mach1984–1988
Mach took over from Barnacle in 1984, and remained part of the touring band until Barnacle's return. [23]
Annie McCaig1985–1992backing vocals Guaranteed (1991)McCaig joined the touring band after the release of World Machine , appearing on several albums and tours. [23]
Paul Gendler1987guitarnoneFollowing the Gould brothers' departures, Gendler and Conti filled in for remaining tour dates later that year. [4]
Neilconti22.png
Neil Conti drums
John Thirkell 1988–1994trumpet
  • Guaranteed (1991)
  • Forever Now (1994)
Thirkell was added to the group's touring lineup as its first trumpeter in 1988, once Barnacle had returned. [23]
AH-1975-s.jpg
Allan Holdsworth 1990 (died 2017)guitarGuaranteed (1991)After the death of Alan Murphy in 1989, Holdsworth recorded on Guaranteed and subsequent tour dates. [11]
JMJI2014.jpg
Jakko Jakszyk 1991–1994
  • guitar
  • backing vocals
Jakszyk joined after Holdsworth's short stint in the group, remaining until the band broke up in 1994. [12]
Gavin Harrison.jpg
Gavin Harrison 1994drumsnoneFollowing Phil Gould's second departure, Harrison performed drums on the 1994 Forever Now tour. [14]
Cobham-Wolpl-Schmid Billy Cobham Unterfahrt-2013-02-28-012.jpg
Billy Cobham 2008Cobham substituted for Gary Husband during 2008, when the regular drummer was unavailable. [19] [20]

Session

ImageNameYears activeInstrumentsRelease contributions
Wally Badarou Pop Montreal 2016.jpg
Wally Badarou
  • 1979–1994
  • 2001–present
  • synthesizers
  • backing vocals
  • keyboards
  • organ
  • piano
  • guitar
all Level 42 releases from Level 42 (1981) to Forever Now (1994)
Leroy Williams 1981–1982
  • congas
  • bongos
  • percussion
Julian Bahula's Jazz Africa, Dave Chambers alto sax..jpg
Dave Chamberstenor saxophone
Pete Wingfield 1982clavinet The Pursuit of Accidents (1982)
Pete Jacobsonsynthesizers
Prdc2.jpg
Paulinho da Costa 1983percussion Standing in the Light (1983)
Andrew Woolfolk soprano saxophone
Steve Sidwell 1988trumpet Staring at the Sun (1988)
Dominic Miller and Sting at PoriJazz 2006.jpg
Dominic Miller 1988–1991guitars
Danny Blume 1993–1994 Forever Now (1994)
Miles Bouldpercussion
Miteyvoice
Derek Watkins trumpet
Stuart Brooks
Richard Edwards trombone

Timeline

List of Level 42 members

Lineups

PeriodMembersReleases
Late 1979 – October 1987
(Classic Lineup)
October 1987 – early 1988
  • Mark King – bass, vocals, percussion
  • Mike Lindup – keyboards, synthesisers, vocals
  • Paul Gendler – guitar (touring)
  • Neil Conti – drums (touring)
none – live performances only
Early 1988
  • Mark King – bass, vocals, percussion
  • Mike Lindup – keyboards, synthesisers, vocals
  • Steve Topping – guitar
  • Gary Husband – drums, backing vocals
Early 1988 – October 1989
  • Mark King – bass, vocals, percussion
  • Mike Lindup – keyboards, synthesisers, vocals
  • Alan Murphy – guitar
  • Gary Husband – drums, backing vocals
October 1989 – late 1990
  • Mark King – bass, vocals, percussion
  • Mike Lindup – keyboards, synthesisers, vocals
  • Gary Husband – drums, backing vocals
December 1990
  • Mark King – bass, vocals, percussion
  • Mike Lindup – keyboards, synthesisers, vocals
  • Gary Husband – drums, backing vocals
  • Allan Holdsworth – guitar (touring)
none – live performances only
Early 1991 – March 1992
  • Mark King – bass, vocals, percussion
  • Mike Lindup – keyboards, synthesisers, vocals
  • Gary Husband – drums, backing vocals
  • Jakko Jakszyk – guitar, backing vocals (touring)
  • Guaranteed Live (1992)
Early 1993 – mid-1994
  • Mark King – bass, vocals, percussion
  • Mike Lindup – keyboards, synthesisers, vocals
  • Phil Gould – drums, keyboards, backing vocals
  • Jakko Jakszyk – guitar, backing vocals (touring)
Mid – late 1994
  • Mark King – bass, vocals, percussion
  • Mike Lindup – keyboards, synthesisers, vocals
  • Jakko Jakszyk – guitar, backing vocals (touring)
  • Gavin Harrison – drums (touring)
none – live performances only
Group inactive 1994–2001
Late 2001 – May 2006
  • Mark King – bass, vocals, percussion
  • Nathan King – guitar, backing vocals
  • Lyndon Connah – keyboards, backing vocals
  • Gary Husband – drums
  • Sean Freeman – saxophone, backing vocals
  • Live 2001 Reading UK (2002)
  • Greatest Hits Live (2003)
  • Live at the Apollo (2004)
  • Retroglide (2006)
May 2006 – February 2010
  • Mark King – bass, vocals, percussion
  • Mike Lindup – keyboards, synthesisers, vocals
  • Nathan King – guitar, backing vocals
  • Gary Husband – drums
  • Sean Freeman – saxophone, backing vocals
  • Retroglide Tour (2007)
  • Live in Holland 2009 (2009)
February 2010 – late 2013
  • Mark King – bass, vocals, percussion
  • Mike Lindup – keyboards, synthesisers, vocals
  • Nathan King – guitar, backing vocals
  • Pete Ray Biggin – drums, percussion
  • Sean Freeman – saxophone, backing vocals
  • 1980–2010: 30th Anniversary World Tour (2011)
  • Live from Metropolis Studios (2013)
Late 2013 – present
  • Mark King – bass, vocals, percussion
  • Mike Lindup – keyboards, synthesisers, vocals
  • Nathan King – guitar, backing vocals
  • Pete Ray Biggin – drums, percussion
  • Sean Freeman – saxophone, backing vocals
  • Dan Carpenter – trumpet, backing vocals
  • Nichol Thomson – trombone, backing vocals
  • Sirens (2013)
  • Sirens Tour Live (2015)
  • Eternity (2019)
  • Living It Up (2023)

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Level 42</span> English jazz-funk band

Level 42 are an English jazz-funk band formed on the Isle of Wight in 1979. They had a number of UK and worldwide hits during the 1980s and 1990s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark King (musician)</span> British bassist and singer

Mark Raymond King is an English musician. He is the lead singer and bassist of the jazz-funk band Level 42. King is known for his slap style of playing the bass guitar, with MusicRadar describing him as "the guy who put the slap in pop during the 80s". King received a BASCA Gold Badge Award in October 2015 in recognition of his contribution to British music. He won the "Outer Limits" award at the 2017 Progressive Music Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">U.K. (band)</span> British progressive rock supergroup

U.K. were a British progressive rock supergroup originally active from 1977 to 1980. The band was founded by bass guitarist John Wetton and drummer Bill Bruford, formerly the rhythm section of King Crimson. The band was rounded out by violinist/keyboardist Eddie Jobson, and guitarist Allan Holdsworth. Bruford and Holdsworth left in 1978, and Bruford was replaced by drummer Terry Bozzio. Jobson, Wetton and Bozzio reformed U.K. for a world tour in 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phil Gould (musician)</span> British musician

Philip Gabriel Gould is a British drummer, songwriter and singer from the Isle of Wight in southern England. He founded the band Level 42 with Mark King.

<i>Running in the Family</i> 1987 studio album by Level 42

Running in the Family is the seventh studio album by British band Level 42, released in 1987. It features the UK hit singles: "Lessons in Love", "Running in the Family", "To Be with You Again", "It's Over" and "Children Say". All five singles peaked in the Top 10 in the Netherlands. "Lessons in Love" peaked at No. 1 in Germany, South Africa, Switzerland and Denmark. This was the last Level 42 album of the 1980s to feature brothers Phil (drums) and Rowland 'Boon' Gould (guitar) who had cited dissatisfaction with the musical direction of the band and exhaustion as departure reasons.

<i>Level 42</i> (album) 1981 studio album by Level 42

Level 42 is the debut album released in August 1981 by the British group Level 42.

<i>Forever Now</i> (Level 42 album) 1994 studio album by Level 42

Forever Now is the 10th studio album released by British pop musical group Level 42, released in March 1994. There were two releases of the album with different track-listings and cover art. The first release in 1994 on RCA Records has 11 tracks. In 1996, the album was re-issued by the label Resurgence, with 15 tracks including six additional tracks, but without the songs "Tired Of Waiting" and "All Over You". Also, some of the songs on this version varied in length from those on the RCA release, and the track "Billy's Gone" was completely remixed. The Resurgence album was re-released in 2009 by the label Edsel, as a double CD, bringing "Tired Of Waiting" and "All Over You" back to the track-listing again, and also adding extended remixes of "All Over You", "Forever Now", "Learn To Say No" and "Love In A Peaceful World". The sleeve notes for the reissue state that the Resurgence version of the album contained the original intended track- listing.

<i>Retroglide</i> (album) 2006 studio album by Level 42

Retroglide is the eleventh and most recent studio album by the British rock/pop/fusion group Level 42. It was released 12 years after their previous album and reached the UK Top 80. It is a mix of electronica with Level 42's traditional blend of funk and pop. The album is notable for featuring songs written by Boon Gould, the band's original guitarist and bassist/vocalist Mark King.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gary Husband</span> British jazz/rock musician

Gary Husband is an English jazz and rock drummer, pianist, keyboard player and bandleader. He is also a composer, arranger and producer.

<i>Guaranteed</i> (Level 42 album) 1991 studio album by Level 42

Guaranteed is the ninth studio album by the British musical group Level 42, released in 1991, their first album of the 1990s. The album was released by RCA records and it was the first Level 42 studio album released by a label other than Polydor.

<i>True Colours</i> (Level 42 album) 1984 studio album by Level 42

True Colours is the fifth studio album by the English jazz-funk band Level 42, released on 5 October 1984 by Polydor Records. Beyond the band's native United Kingdom, the album was released in 10-plus other countries, including Japan, Germany and the United States of America. The album peaked at #14 in the UK Albums Chart.

<i>Staring at the Sun</i> (Level 42 album) 1988 studio album by Level 42

Staring at the Sun is the eighth studio album by British jazz/funk band Level 42, released in 1988. The album includes the singles "Heaven in My Hands", "Take a Look" and "Tracie".

<i>Level Best</i> 1989 greatest hits album by Level 42

Level Best is a compilation album featuring the most successful singles by the English band Level 42. It was released at the end of 1989, marking a decade since the band's beginnings.

<i>The Very Best of Level 42</i> 1998 greatest hits album by Level 42

The Very Best of Level 42 is a compilation released by the UK band Level 42. It features a chronological track listing of the band's hit single releases from 1981 to 1994.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guaranteed (Level 42 song)</span> 1991 single by Level 42

"Guaranteed" is a song by English musical group Level 42. It was released in 1991 on the album of the same name. It was the group's first single of the 1990s, and came two years after the group's previous single, "Take Care of Yourself".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heaven in My Hands</span> 1988 single by Level 42

"Heaven in My Hands" is a 1988 song by the British group Level 42.

"Tracie" is a song by British band Level 42, written by Gary Husband and Mark King, and recounts King's times with his childhood sweetheart, Tracie Wilson. It appeared on the band's 1988 album Staring at the Sun, and features keyboardist Mike Lindup playing harmonica.

<i>The Definitive Collection</i> (Level 42 album) 2006 greatest hits album by Level 42

The Definitive Collection, released in June 2006, is a greatest hits albums by the British musical group Level 42. The album peaked at #20 on the UK album charts.

<i>Past Lives – The Best of the RCA Years</i> 2007 greatest hits album by Level 42

Past Lives – The Best of the RCA Years is a compilation released in 2007 by the British musical group Level 42. The compilation has the greatest songs of the period 1991–1996, in which the band was with the label RCA/BMG. All songs were released on the studio albums Guaranteed (1991) and Forever Now (1994).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Take Care of Yourself</span> 1989 single by Level 42

"Take Care of Yourself" is a song released by the British pop/jazz-funk group Level 42 in 1989. The song was released on the compilation Level Best. It was the last song recorded with guitarist Alan Murphy, who died on October 19, 1989, three days after the single was issued. The music video is a retrospective of rock styles from the 60s through to the 80s, and features state-of-the-art animation. In some ways it is reminiscent of the video "We Close Our Eyes" by Go West. Lindup, Husband and King appear several times dressed as hippies, punks and heavy metal musicians. Murphy did not appear in this video, but does appear in a video alongside King, Lindup and Husband recorded for RTL Veronique a few days before his death: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YsW9sFx3VU0&ab_channel=eightiesandmore

References

  1. Willistein, Paul (3 May 1986). "The Smooth Soul Of Level 42". The Morning Call . Retrieved 12 April 2019.
  2. 1 2 Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Level 42: Biography & History". AllMusic . Retrieved 12 April 2019.
  3. "Music News!" (PDF). The Hard Report. No. 52. Medford Lakes, New Jersey: The Hard Report, Inc. 30 October 1987. p. 41. Retrieved 12 April 2019.
  4. 1 2 "Rock Over London" (PDF). Music & Media . Vol. 4, no. 44. London, England: Billboard Publications, Inc. 7 November 1987. p. 6. Retrieved 12 April 2019.
  5. "Timeline: 1980s". Gary Husband . Retrieved 12 April 2019.
  6. Rotsteeg, Marjolein (24 September 1988). "Level 42 – Something New Under The Sun" (PDF). Music & Media . Vol. 5, no. 39. London, England: Billboard Publications, Inc. p. 13. Retrieved 12 April 2019.
  7. "Steve Topping Biography". Overdown. 2003. Retrieved 12 April 2019.
  8. Cooper, William. "Staring at the Sun - Level 42: Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic . Retrieved 12 April 2019.
  9. Sexton, Paul (19 October 2014). "Remembering Alan Murphy". uDiscoverMusic. Retrieved 12 April 2019.
  10. "See: Level 42" (PDF). Radio & Records . No. 846. Los Angeles, California: Radio & Records, Inc. 29 June 1990. p. 39. Retrieved 12 April 2019.
  11. 1 2 3 "Timeline: 1990s". Gary Husband . Retrieved 12 April 2019.
  12. 1 2 "Level 42 Guaranteed" (PDF). Radio & Records . No. 886. Los Angeles, California: Radio & Records, Inc. 19 April 1991. p. 35. Retrieved 12 April 2019.
  13. 1 2 "Next-Level Thinking: Level 42 interview". Classic Pop. 5 November 2011. Retrieved 12 April 2019.
  14. 1 2 "Gavin Harrison Biography". DrumLessons.com. Retrieved 12 April 2019.
  15. "Music: Level 42, Opera House, Saturday". Manchester Evening News . 19 April 2010. Retrieved 12 April 2019.
  16. "Band History". Forevernow.com. Retrieved 12 April 2019.
  17. Thorburn, Stephanie (19 September 2005). "A Force Majeure: Gary Husband Interview (#79)". Abstract Logix. Archived from the original on 6 December 2006. Retrieved 12 April 2019.
  18. "Level 42". Classique Entertainment. Retrieved 12 April 2019.
  19. 1 2 "Billy Cobham meets Level 42 at Ronnie Scott's – and Mark King talks to Jazzwise". Jazzwise . 5 March 2015. Archived from the original on 8 April 2016. Retrieved 12 April 2019.
  20. 1 2 Darach, Kate (20 June 2018). "Next Level: Interview with Mark King of Level 42". Brighton & Hove News. Retrieved 12 April 2019.
  21. "Woohoo!!! Level 42 – Sirens EP Now Available!". Level 42. 31 October 2013. Retrieved 12 April 2019.
  22. "Level 42 Sirens Tour 2014". Mike Lindup. 18 August 2014. Retrieved 12 April 2019.
  23. 1 2 3 4 "Gary Barnacle, John Thirkell, Krys Mach & Annie McCaig". Forevernow.com. Retrieved 12 April 2019.