Phil May (singer)
Phil May (born November 9, 1944 in Dartford as Philip Dennis Arthur Wadey , from 1953 called Kattner ; † May 15, 2020 in King's Lynn ) was a British singer and composer of the rock band The Pretty Things .
With his singing and his compositions, rooted in the blues , he and the guitarist Dick Taylor have had a major impact on the sound of Pretty Things since it was founded in 1963. He also stood out for his image in the early 1960s . At that time he was known as “the man with the longest hair in Europe”. The aggressive, sometimes chaotic stage appearances of May and the Pretty Things in the early days caused a sensation and hard rock songs like Don't Bring Me Down and Midnight to Six Man made some notices in the music charts .
In 1968 The Pretty Things created, based on a short story by May, SF Sorrow, the first concept album in rock history. A commercial failure at the time, the work is now considered a milestone in psychedelic rock music.
May and his band, whose members kept changing, did not make the big breakthrough despite frequent criticism. Despite his career, which was accompanied by many blows of fate, he was still on tour regularly .
In a bicycle accident , Phil May sustained injuries that required hip replacement. This procedure resulted in complications that led to his death on May 15, 2020.
Web links
- Phil May in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Phil May at Allmusic (English)
- Phil May at Discogs (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Ben Beaumont-Thomas: Phil May, frontman with the Pretty Things, dies aged 75. In: theguardian.com . May 15, 2020, accessed on May 16, 2020 .
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | May, Phil |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | May, Phillip (real name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | British singer and composer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | November 9, 1944 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Dartford |
| DATE OF DEATH | May 15, 2020 |
| Place of death | King's Lynn |