Bob Catley
Robert Adrian Catley , (born September 11, 1947 in Aldershot , England ) is a British singer who was mainly known as the singer of the band Magnum , but also through numerous solo and side projects.
youth
After the family moved to the Birmingham area , Catley attended a high school (comparable to the grammar school in Germany) in order to begin training at the post office. However, he was motivated by like-minded friends to pursue a musical career. During his school days, he had already participated in several bands. "Paradox", Catley's first professional band, released two singles, but they didn't gain any meaning.
Magnum (1972–1995, from 2001)
Together with guitarist Tony Clarkin , Catley founded the band Magnum, which became known in the British club scene from 1972, but was initially not very successful commercially. Magnum's breakthrough came in 1976 as the opening act for Judas Priest on their "Sin After Sin" tour, although the band had neither an album nor a record deal at the time . In the 1980s Magnum established itself as an important band in the genre of "melodic hard rock".
Hard Rain (1995-2001)
After Magnum broke up in 1995, Catley and Tony Clarkin formed the band Hard Rain , which released the albums Hard Rain and When The Good Times Come . At the same time, Catley began to strive for other projects. He worked with Gary Hughes from the band Ten and released the solo album The Tower, written with his help . Eventually he announced his withdrawal from Hard Rain.
Solo albums
While the first three albums maintain the typical Magnum style (melodic, sometimes anthemic hard rock), the following two are of a harder pace. In 2008, Immortal returned to the original style.
The Tower (1998)
The album, the title of which was written by Gary Hughes, was based heavily on the sound of earlier Magnum records: “I dug out all my classic old Magnum records and they inspired me to write in this style for Bob. (I dug up all of my classic old Magnum albums, and they inspired me to write for Bob in that style.) ”. The Tower was recorded at Startrack Studios in Manchester and produced by Hughes. Hughes also played bass and keyboard on it . From Catley's appearance at The Gods Festival, the live album Live at The Gods (released January 1999) was compiled, which contained both material from The Tower and Magnum titles. The Tower and Live at The Gods were released as double CD on the Japanese market . The album received mostly positive reviews from the critics.
Legends (1999)
In the summer of 1999, the album Legends was recorded, the title of which already suggests the content. The plays, rewritten by Hughes, deal with legendary characters and events (Homer, Dracula, Phantom of the Opera, etc.). The keyboard tracks were also played by Hughes again. Like its predecessor, Legends was first presented to the public at The Gods Festival. An extensive tour followed in 2000, on which Cately was supported as a guest musician by Kip Winger, among others .
Middle Earth (2001)
The theme of the Lord of the Rings - Epic oriented album Middle Earth was released in 2001. This album was written again from Hughes, as musicians were members of Hughes' own band Ten and Tracy Hitchings, singer of Landmarq involved. This was followed by an acoustic tour with Kip Winger and a tour with Ten.
When Empires Burn (2003)
In 2003 the album When Empires Burn was released , written and produced by Catley's longtime keyboardist Paul Hodson. The overall sound is harder than its predecessor and approaches classic heavy metal . This album was also followed by a European tour, on which Catley was supported by the British band "Lost Weekend".
Spirit of Man (2006)
The "Lost Weekend" members Dave Thompson and Paul Uttley wrote the 2006 album Spirit of Man , on which Catley was involved for the first time as a producer (in collaboration with Vince O'Regan). With this album, Catley followed the development of When Empires Burn to a harder style.
Immortal (2008)
In 2008, with Immortal, the sixth studio album Catley's, which was produced by Dennis Ward and has strong parallels to earlier Magnum albums in its overall concept, was released; This is not least due to the cover designed by Rodney Matthews , which is clearly reminiscent of the earlier Magnum covers.
other projects
- Jabberwocky (1999) - with Clive Nolan and Oliver Wakeman
- Hound Of The Baskervilles (2002) - with Clive Nolan and Oliver Wakeman
- The Metal Opera Part II (2002) - Avantasia , project by Tobias Sammet from Edguy
- Once and Future King Part I (2003) - with Gary Hughes from Ten
- Once and Future King Part II (2003) - with Gary Hughes from Ten
- The Scarecrow (2008) - Avantasia, project by Tobias Sammet from Edguy
- 01011001 (2008) - Ayreon , project by Arjen Anthony Lucassen
- The Wicked Symphony (2010) - Avantasia, project by Tobias Sammet from Edguy
- Angel of Babylon (2010) - Avantasia, project by Tobias Sammet from Edguy
- The Mystery Of Time (2013) - Avantasia, project by Tobias Sammet from Edguy
- Ghostlights (2016) - Avantasia project by Tobias Sammet from Edguy
- Moonglow (2019) - Avantasia project by Tobias Sammet from Edguy
Individual evidence
Web links
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Catley, Bob |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Catley, Robert Adrian |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | British singer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | September 11, 1947 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Aldershot , England |