Kevin Godley

Last updated

Kevin Godley
Kevin Godley.jpg
Godley performing live with 10cc in 1976
Background information
Birth nameKevin Michael Godley
Born (1945-10-07) 7 October 1945 (age 78)
Prestwich, Lancashire, England [1]
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Singer
  • songwriter
  • musician
  • music video director
Instrument(s)
  • Vocals
  • drums
  • percussion
Years active1962–present
Formerly of
Website kevin-godley.com

Kevin Michael Godley (born 7 October 1945) is a British singer, songwriter, musician and music video director. He is known as the singer and drummer of the art rock band 10cc and later as part of collaboration duo Godley & Creme with Lol Creme.

Contents

Biography

Kevin Michael Godley was born on 7 October 1945 in Prestwich, Lancashire, England, to a Jewish family, and went to North Cestrian Grammar School in Altrincham. [3] He formed his first band, Group 17, which had its origins in the Jewish Lads' Brigade.

While attending art college in Manchester Godley met future creative partner Lol Creme. Godley and Creme joined the R&B combo the Sabres. [4] They became involved in a number of bands such as the Mockingbirds, Hotlegs and later 10cc. As part of the bands Godley was a songwriter, lead vocalist, played drums, percussion and keyboards. Godley and Creme recorded four studio albums with 10cc. [5] In 1977, early in the recording of the band's fifth studio album Deceptive Bends , unimpressed with the songs by bandmates Eric Stewart and Graham Gouldman and eager to work on other projects outside of the band, Godley and Creme left. [6]

After leaving 10cc the two became known as Godley & Creme, both as musicians and film directors. They were jointly nominated for a Grammy Award for 'Best Music Video, Long Form', for The Police: Synchronicity Concert in 1986. The duo broke up in 1988 after their seventh and final studio album Goodbye Blue Sky .

In 1990, Godley's charity production One World One Voice was released on CD in the UK. It was a CD that focused on environmental and ecological crises.

Both Godley and Creme briefly 'reunited' with their former 10cc bandmates Stewart and Gouldman on the band's tenth studio album ...Meanwhile (1992). However, Godley claims that their involvement with the project was very limited, as the album was dominated by studio musicians. He performed the lead vocal on "The Stars Didn't Show", the band's tribute to the late Roy Orbison. It was the only song on the album not sung by Stewart. Following ...Meanwhile, Godley and Creme went their separate ways again, having experienced difficulties together as early as 1988. [7]

Godley later again reunited with Gouldman to form the band GG/06. Together they recorded a self-titled extended play (EP), which was made available for free via their website. [8] Since then Godley has several times joined Gouldman's iteration of 10cc in concert, and was featured on the live and video album Clever Clogs (2008). [9]

More recently Godley moved into developing a music platform for the iPad, one that combines audio and video to create a global recording studio in the cloud called "WholeWorldBand". [10] The company was nominated for the SXSW Music Accelerator Award in 2013, and was one of eight finalists selected from a pool of over 500. [11]

In 2017, Godley publicly invited musicians to send him music to work on his debut solo studio album, titled Muscle Memory with the idea being that he would take the rough ideas and turn them into a finished song. [12] The album was originally supposed to be released in 2018 through campaign on pledgemusic.com, but due to its closure the release was postponed. In 2021, Kevin Godley's album Muscle Memory was completed and released by The state51 Conspiracy after the project stalled as a PledgeMusic campaign. [13]

In 2018, Godley was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Arts by Staffordshire University. [14]

In 2021, Godley joined "Group of Humans" [15] a globally distributed community of creative leaders and change architects as Creative Director. [16]

He currently lives in Dublin, Ireland, [17] and hopes to direct a film based on Orson Welles' time in Ireland. [18]

Discography

Studio albums

With GG/06

Music videos director

After splitting from his long-time working partner Creme, Godley forged a career directing music videos and films on his own.

1989

1990

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2008

2010

2011

2016

2018

2019

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">10cc</span> British art rock band

10cc are a British rock band formed in Stockport in 1972. The group initially consisted of four musicians – Graham Gouldman, Eric Stewart, Kevin Godley and Lol Creme – who had written and recorded together since 1968. The group featured two songwriting teams. Many regard Stewart and Gouldman as the predominantly pop songwriters, and Godley and Creme as the more experimental half of 10cc. Some have described Godley and Creme’s songwriting as featuring art and cinematically inspired writing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Godley & Creme</span> English rock duo

Godley & Creme were an English rock duo formally established in Manchester in 1977 by Kevin Godley and Lol Creme. The pair began releasing music as a duo after their departure from the rock band 10cc. In 1979, they directed their first music video for their single "An Englishman in New York". After this, they became involved in the production of videos for artists such as Ultravox, the Police, Yes, Duran Duran, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Huey Lewis and the News and Wang Chung, as well as directing the groundbreaking video for their 1985 single "Cry". The duo split at the end of the 1980s. Both have since been involved in music videos, TV commercials, and sporadic music projects.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eric Stewart</span> English musician (born 1945)

Eric Michael Stewart is an English singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and record producer, best known as a founding member of the rock groups the Mindbenders with whom he played from 1963 to 1968, and likewise of 10cc from 1972 to 1995. Stewart co-owned Strawberry Studios in Stockport, England, from 1968 to the early 1980s, where he recorded albums with 10cc and artists including Neil Sedaka and Paul McCartney. Stewart collaborated with McCartney extensively in the 1980s, playing on or co-writing songs for McCartney's solo albums Tug of War (1982), Pipes of Peace (1983), Give My Regards to Broad Street (1984), and Press to Play (1986). Since 1980, Stewart has released four solo studio albums.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lol Creme</span> British musician (born 1947)

Laurence Neil "Lol" Creme is a British musician and music video director, best known for his work in 10cc. He sings and plays guitar, bass and keyboards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Graham Gouldman</span> English musician (born 1946)

Graham Keith Gouldman is an English singer, musician and songwriter, best known as the co-lead singer and bassist of the art rock band 10cc. He has been the band's only constant member since its formation in 1972. Before 10cc, Gouldman worked as a freelance songwriter and penned many hits for major rock and pop groups, including the Yardbirds, the Hollies, Herman's Hermits and Ohio Express.

<i>Sheet Music</i> (10cc album) 1974 studio album by 10cc

Sheet Music is the second album by the English rock band 10cc. It was released in 1974 on UK records, and yielded the hit singles "The Wall Street Shuffle" and "Silly Love". The album reached No. 9 in the UK and No. 81 in the United States.

<i>Deceptive Bends</i> 1977 studio album by 10cc

Deceptive Bends is the fifth studio album by rock band 10cc, released in 1977. It was the first album released by the band after the departure of founding members Kevin Godley and Lol Creme and produced the hit single "The Things We Do for Love".

<i>...Meanwhile</i> 1992 studio album by 10cc

...Meanwhile is the tenth studio album by the British rock band 10cc, released in 1992. It was the band's first in nine years and marked the brief comeback of the original 10cc members Kevin Godley and Lol Creme.

<i>The History Mix Volume 1</i> 1985 studio album by Godley & Creme

The History Mix Volume 1 is the sixth studio album by English duo Godley & Creme, released in June 1985 by Polydor Records. The album was a remix of songs spanning the career of Godley & Creme and their earlier bands, 10cc, Doctor Father and Hotlegs.

<i>Thinks: School Stinks</i> 1971 studio album by Hotlegs

Thinks: School Stinks is the only studio album by English pop band Hotlegs. The album, featuring the band's hit single "Neanderthal Man", was recorded at Strawberry Studios in Stockport near Manchester and engineered by the studio's co-owners, Eric Stewart and Peter Tattersall.

<i>Strawberry Bubblegum: A Collection of Pre-10CC Strawberry Studio Recordings 1969–1972</i> 2003 compilation album by 10cc

Strawberry Bubblegum: A Collection of Pre-10CC Strawberry Studio Recordings 1969–1972 is a compilation of songs recorded at Strawberry Studios in Stockport, England, by the four musicians – Graham Gouldman, Eric Stewart, Kevin Godley and Lol Creme – who in 1972 would form the British pop band 10cc, along with occasional guest vocalists.

<i>You Didnt Like It Because You Didnt Think of It</i> 1976 compilation album by Hotlegs

You Didn't Like It Because You Didn't Think of It is a compilation album by British pop group Hotlegs.

<i>Greatest Hits ... And More</i> 2006 greatest hits album by 10cc

Greatest Hits ... And More is a 2006 compilation and video albums of songs by English pop group 10cc as well as pre-10cc and post-10cc work by its founding members, Graham Gouldman, Eric Stewart and Kevin Godley and Lol Creme, performing as Godley & Creme.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neanderthal Man (song)</span> 1970 single by Hotlegs

"Neanderthal Man" is a song by Hotlegs, an English pop band that was later relaunched as 10cc. The song, initially created only as a studio exercise to test drum sounds on new recording equipment, sold over two million copies and reached No. 2 in the UK and No. 22 in the US. It reached No. 1 in Italy and Germany and was also a Top 20 hit in Australia, Canada, France, Ireland and Japan.

<i>Solitaire</i> (Neil Sedaka album) 1972 album by Neil Sedaka

Solitaire is a 1972 album by American singer-songwriter Neil Sedaka.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Dean and I</span> 1973 single by 10cc

"The Dean and I" is a song by the art rock/pop band 10cc, from their 1973 eponymous debut album, written by Lol Creme and Kevin Godley. The song was released as the fourth single from the album in August 1973 and peaked at #10 on the UK Singles Chart. The single reached the top of the Irish Singles Chart on 20 September 1973.

<i>Changing Faces – The Very Best of 10cc and Godley & Creme</i> 1987 greatest hits album by 10cc

Changing Faces – The Very Best of 10cc and Godley & Creme is a compilation album that included the hits of 10cc and Godley & Creme, the first album to include both bands.

<i>100cc</i> 1975 compilation album by 10cc

100cc is a compilation album by the English rock band 10cc.

<i>Clever Clogs</i> 2008 live album by 10cc

Clever Clogs is a live and video album by 10cc released in 2008.

<i>Frabjous Days: The Secret World of Godley & Creme 1967–1969</i> 2022 studio album and compilation album by Godley & Creme

Frabjous Days: The Secret World of Godley & Creme 1967–1969 is an album by Godley & Creme, released on Grapefruit Records in 2022.

References

  1. "Kevin Godley | Songs". AllMusic. 7 October 1945. Retrieved 9 August 2014.
  2. "Godley & Creme reviews, music, news - sputnikmusic". www.sputnikmusic.com.
  3. Episode 95-Kevin Godley. Sodajerker Podcast
  4. Kevin Godley.com, History Retrieved 30 December 2020
  5. George Tremlett (1976). The 10cc Story. Futura. ISBN   0-86007-378-5.
  6. Buskin, Richard (June 2005). "Classic Tracks: 10cc – 'I'm Not in Love'". Sound on Sound. Cambridge, England: SOS Publications: 62–69. Retrieved 21 September 2015
  7. Lol Creme interview, Uncut, December 14, 1997. Archived 20 August 2008 at the Wayback Machine.
  8. "GG/06". kevin-godley.com. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
  9. "The Official 10cc Fan Club/Latest News". The10ccfanclub.com. Retrieved 10 August 2010.
  10. "WholeWorldBand". WholeWorldBand. Retrieved 9 August 2014.
  11. "WholeWorldBand: SXSW Accelerator award finalist | Music | News". Hot Press . Retrieved 9 August 2014.
  12. "Muscle Memory". kevin-godley.com. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
  13. "Out This Week / On 29 January 2021 – SuperDeluxeEdition". 25 January 2021.
  14. Guttridge, Richard (6 June 2018). "10cc star to be honoured by Staffordshire University". Express & Star . Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  15. "Meet the Humans".
  16. https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-godley-7808a011/.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  17. O'Rourke, Frances. "First encounters: Kevin Godley and Sulinna Ong". The Irish Times . Retrieved 2 January 2019.
  18. "Muscle Memory:Kevin Godley Talks". wearecult.rocks. 10 August 2020. Retrieved 3 September 2020.
  19. 1 2 "Hog Fever". kevin-godley.com. Retrieved 29 March 2020.