Roxy Music | Artist
Roxy Music is an English Art-Rock band formed 1970 in London by Bryan Ferry (vocals, piano), Graham Simpson (bass), Phil Manzanera (guitar), Andy Mackay (sax, oboe), Brian Eno (electronics) and Paul Thompson (drums). Ferry started the band after he lost his job teaching ceramics at a girl's school, for holding impromptu record listening sessions. He advertised for a keyboardist to collaborate with him and Graham Simpson, a bassist he knew from his Newcastle art-college band, the Gas Board, and Andy Mackay replied. Mackay was not a keyboardist but a saxophonist and oboist, though he did have a EMS VCS 3 synthesizer. Mackay had already met Brian Eno during university days, as both were interested in avant-garde and electronic music. Although Eno was a non-musician, he could operate a synthesizer and owned a Revox reel-to-reel tape machine, so Mackay convinced him to join the band as a technical adviser. Before long Eno was an official member of the group. Davy O'List, formerly of The Nice, was briefly the band's guitarist before Phil Manzanera, who was initially employed as the group's roadie. When Eno left in 1973 after the second Roxy album he was replaced by former Curved Air violinist Eddie Jobson. Roxy Music became a successful act in Europe and Australia during the 1970s. This success began with their self-titled debut album in 1972. The band pioneered more musically sophisticated elements of glam rock while significantly influencing early English punk music and provided a model for many new wave acts while innovating elements of electronic composition. The group also conveyed their distinctive brand of visual and musical sophistication with their focus on glamorous fashions. The band's recorded work is consistently excellent, particularly the first five albums: Roxy Music (1972), For Your Pleasure (1973), Stranded (1973), Country Life (1974), Siren (1975) and Avalon (1982). Also recommended are the live albums Viva! Roxy Music (1976), Live (2003), and the 1995 compilation The Thrill of it All. As a point of interest, In early 1970 Bryan Ferry auditioned as lead vocalist for King Crimson, who were seeking a replacement for Greg Lake. While Robert Fripp and Peter Sinfield decided Ferry's voice was unsuitable for King Crimson's material, they were impressed with his talent and helped the fledgling Roxy Music to obtain a recording contract with E.G. Records.
Artist Website: roxymusic.co.uk
Featured Albums: Roxy Music
Related Artists: Bryan Ferry, Brian Eno, Phil Manzanera, Andy Mackay
Video Clips: Virginia Plain, Remake/Remodel, Do The Strand
