Philip Rambow | |
---|---|
Born | August 1949 (age 74) Montreal, Canada |
Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter, guitarist |
Years active | 1970–present |
Philip Rambow (born August 1949) is a Canadian singer, songwriter, and guitarist, who fronted The Winkies, had a solo career, and worked with Brian Eno, Mick Ronson, and Kirsty MacColl among others.
Born in Montreal, he studied at McGill University and started playing in clubs and at student functions, taking his stage name from the 13th century Troubadour of Provence, Raimbaut de Vaqueiras. He formed a band, Missing Links, before moving to New York in 1970, [1] but failed in several attempts to win a recording contract. He moved to London in 1973 after hearing that A&R man Muff Winwood liked one of his tapes. In London, he jammed with pub rock band Ducks Deluxe and met Paul Kennerley, a manager who was putting together a new band, The Winkies. [2] [3] Rambow became the band's lead singer, guitarist, and one of their main songwriters, and the band became well known for their "basic, Stonesy pub rock" performed in "outlandish glam rock stage costumes." [4]
The Winkies came to the attention of Brian Eno, who needed a band with whom to tour after leaving Roxy Music. The tour ended abruptly when Eno suffered a collapsed lung, but resulted in the Winkies winning a contract with Chrysalis Records, who released their self-titled album in 1975. On the day the album was issued, the band split up, and Rambow then returned to New York. He associated with the punk music scene at CBGBs, and formed the Philip Rambow Band. [1] He contributed a track, "Night Out", on the 1977 album Max's Kansas City Vol.2, and a version of "Why Do Lovers Break Each Other's Hearts" on a Phil Spector tribute album, Bionic Gold. [2] [4] [5]
After returning to London at the start of 1977, he formed a band with bassist Dave Cochran and drummer Laurie Jellyman, soon adding singer Maggi Ronson who introduced the band to her brother, Mick Ronson. They recorded some demos with Ronson, which went unreleased, but Rambow won a solo contract with EMI, releasing the album Shooting Gallery in 1979. Through Mick Ronson, Rambow submitted songs to Ellen Foley, who recorded two of them, including the title track, for her 1979 album Night Out . He also co-wrote Kirsty MacColl's 1981 hit "There's a Guy Works Down the Chip Shop Swears He's Elvis", and played on MacColl's album Desperate Character . The same year, Rambow released his second solo album, Jungle Law. [2] [4] [5]
In the 1980s, Rambow worked briefly as a private detective, and then in A&R for Bronze Records. By the early 1990s, he was living in Vancouver, with wife and children, working in publishing and promotion, before returning to Britain to play at a Kirsty MacColl tribute concert following her accidental death. In 2013, he appeared at the RonsonFest tribute event to Mick Ronson in London, and joined an online songwriting group, which in turn to led to him recording the album Whatever Happened To Phil Rambow?, released in 2014. He has subsequently performed with Tony Visconti in the David Bowie tribute band Holy Holy, and played in a trio with former Ducks Deluxe guitarist Martin Belmont. [2] [3] [5]
In 2020, Rambow released a new album, Canadiana, and a compilation, The Rebel Kind: Anthology 1972–2020. [5]
Michael Ronson was an English musician, songwriter, arranger, and producer. He achieved critical and commercial success working with David Bowie as the guitarist of the Spiders from Mars. He was a session musician who recorded five studio albums with Bowie followed by four with Ian Hunter, and also worked as a sideman in touring bands with Van Morrison and Bob Dylan. A classically trained musician, Ronson was known for his melodic approach to guitar playing.
Brian David Robertson is a Scottish rock guitarist, best known as a former member of Thin Lizzy and Motörhead.
Stephen Alan Lillywhite, is a British record producer. Since he began his career in 1977, Lillywhite has been credited on over 500 records, and has collaborated with a variety of musicians including new wave acts XTC, Big Country, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Simple Minds, the Psychedelic Furs, Toyah, David Byrne, Talking Heads and Kirsty MacColl, as well as U2, the Rolling Stones, the Pogues, Blue October, Steel Pulse, the La's, Peter Gabriel, Morrissey, the Killers, Dave Matthews Band, Phish, Counting Crows and Joan Armatrading. He has won six Grammy Awards, including Producer of the Year, Non-Classical in 2006. In 2012, he was made a Commander of the Order of The British Empire (CBE) for his contributions to music.
Anthony "Anto" Thistlethwaite is a British multi-instrumentalist best known as a founding member of the folk rock group, The Waterboys and later as a long-standing member of Irish rock band The Saw Doctors.
Philip Kenneth Collen is an English musician who is best known as the co-lead guitarist for the rock band Def Leppard, joining the band in 1982 during the recording of the Pyromania album. Prior to joining Def Leppard, Collen had performed with a number of bands in the burgeoning British glam metal scene. Outside of Def Leppard, with which he still records and performs live, he has been involved in a number of side projects most notably the trio Man Raze, with which he is the lead singer and sole guitarist.
Michael "Woody" Woodmansey is an English rock drummer best known for his work in the early 1970s as a member of David Bowie's core backing ensemble that became known as the Spiders from Mars in conjunction with the release of Bowie's 1972 LP The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars. With the death of Bowie in January 2016, Woodmansey became the last surviving member of the Spiders.
"Black Country Rock" is a song by the English musician David Bowie, released on his 1970 album The Man Who Sold the World. The song was recorded in May 1970, with sessions taking place at Trident and Advision Studios in London. The lineup featured Bowie on lead vocals, guitarist Mick Ronson, bassist/producer Tony Visconti, drummer Mick Woodmansey and Ralph Mace on Moog synthesiser. The track was mostly composed by Ronson and Visconti, who developed it using a basic song sketch from Bowie. Labelled under the working title "Black Country Rock", Bowie used the title to write the lyrics towards the end of the sessions, resulting in a repeated two-line verse and chorus. A blues rock and hard rock number, Bowie imitates T. Rex's Marc Bolan in his vocal performance.
Slaughter on 10th Avenue is the debut album by English guitarist Mick Ronson, then-guitarist of David Bowie's backing band the Spiders from Mars. It was released in February 1974 by RCA Records.
Ian Hunter Patterson is an English singer, songwriter and musician. He is best known as the lead vocalist of the rock band Mott the Hoople, from its inception in 1969 to its dissolution in 1974, and at the time of its 2009, 2013, and 2019 reunions. Hunter was a musician and songwriter before joining Mott the Hoople, and continued in this vein after he left the band. He embarked on a solo career despite ill health and disillusionment with commercial success, and often worked in collaboration with Mick Ronson, David Bowie's sideman and arranger from The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars period.
"There's a Guy Works Down the Chip Shop Swears He's Elvis" is a song by British singer-songwriter Kirsty MacColl, which was released as the lead single from her debut studio album Desperate Character. The song was written by MacColl and Philip Rambow, and produced by Barry Farmer. It reached No. 14 in the UK Singles Chart and remained in the charts for nine weeks. In the US, the song's British chip shop reference was changed to truck stop.
Desperate Character is the first solo album of British singer-songwriter Kirsty MacColl, released in 1981. The album was re-released in March 1985 as Kirsty MacColl, with three tracks replaced with other songs. The album has been remastered and received a CD release for the first time on 8 October 2012 on the Union Square Music label and features the original twelve track listing.
The Winkies were an English pub rock group. The group primarily consisted of Philip Rambow, Michael Desmarais, Guy Humphreys, and Brian Turrington.
William Rankin is a Scottish guitarist active in the 1980s and 1990s. Best known for his work with Nazareth, he also had a successful solo career, including a US hit single "Baby Come Back". Rankin was part of multimedia group "Team Rock" prior to it going into administration in 2016.
Malcolm Morley is an English rock singer, guitarist and keyboard player who came to fame in the 1970s. Best known as a founder of Help Yourself and as a member of Man, he continues to perform to this day.
Kirsty Anna MacColl was an English singer and songwriter, daughter of folk singer Ewan MacColl. She recorded several pop hits in the 1980s and 1990s, including "There's a Guy Works Down the Chip Shop Swears He's Elvis" and cover versions of Billy Bragg's "A New England" and the Kinks' "Days". Her first single, "They Don't Know", had chart success a few years later when covered by Tracey Ullman. MacColl also sang on a number of recordings produced by her then-husband Steve Lillywhite, most notably "Fairytale of New York" by the Pogues. Her death in 2000 led to the "Justice for Kirsty" campaign.
Sean Tyla was an English rock guitarist, keyboardist, vocalist and songwriter, sometimes known as the "Godfather of Boogie". Best known for his work with Ducks Deluxe and Tyla Gang, he also played with Help Yourself, Joan Jett, and Deke Leonard, and appeared solo.
Junior's Eyes was a British group led by guitarist Mick Wayne, which recorded one album and is notable for acting as David Bowie's backing band during 1969.
Jeffrey Wootton is an English musician, guitarist and songwriter from Manchester. He has been the lead guitarist in the Gorillaz live band since 2010.
What Do Pretty Girls Do? is a live compilation album by British singer-songwriter Kirsty MacColl, released by Hux Records in 1998. The compilation features fifteen tracks recorded across four BBC Radio One sessions between 1989 and 1995.
"You Caught Me Out" is a song written by Kirsty MacColl, Pete Briquette and Simon Crowe. It was originally recorded by MacColl in 1979, with Liam Sternberg as the producer, but the intended single release later that year was shelved. In 2023, it was issued as a limited edition 7-inch single. Versions have also been recorded by Australian singer Christie Allen and British-American singer/actress Tracey Ullman.