Tim Staffell

Tim Staffell

Timothy 'Tim' Staffell (b. February 24, 1948 in Isleworth, Middlesex, England) is a rock singer, bass guitarist, guitarist and visual artist. He was a member of blues-rock outfit 1984 and later Smile, a band which included guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor, and which, upon Staffell's departure, hired Freddie Mercury and John Deacon to form the band Queen. Staffell and May co-wrote the song "Doin' Alright," which Queen included on their eponymous debut album. Following his tenure with Smile Staffell joined Humpy Bong and then the experimental progressive rock outfit Morgan, with whom he released the albums Nova Solis and Brown Out (later retitled The Sleeper Wakes). After Smile, he became a full-time guitarist, something he hadn't been able to pursue while he was in the same band with Brian May.

Staffell later decided to pursue a career as a modelmaker and designer,animator and commercials director, crafting models (amongst other projects) for the BBC adaptation of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and, for the inaugural series, was chief modelmaker for the children's TV show Thomas The Tank Engine.

In 2001, Staffell returned to the music scene with a new blues-funk band called aMIGO, who draw inspiration from folk, Latin and rock. To date they have released one eponymous album (in 2003), featuring re-recorded versions of the old Smile tunes "Earth" and "Doin' Alright" featuring former bandmate Brian May on guitars and vocals.

Tim is now working at Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts as head of Construction Workshop as a permanent lecturer.

External links

• Tim Staffell's aMIGO