Vincent Crane

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Vincent Crane (born May 21, 1943 , † February 14, 1989 ; actually Vincent Cheesman ) was a British rock musician ( piano , keyboard ).

biography

Vincent Cheesman did not begin to play the piano until the age of 15, but made it to Trinity College of Music in London in 1961 and graduated three years later with two degrees (LTCL and GTCL). Although he had learned a lot in a short time, he was always aware that in terms of playing technique he could never keep up with those pianists who had started piano lessons at an early age. But he knew he had a talent for composing songs and began to focus on it. During his studies he played in various local jazz bands, such as The Word Engine (with Paul A. Green, Red Reece, Phil Seamen , Pete Brown , John Surman and Bob Downes ). In 1963 he formed his own band called Vincent Cheesman Trio , which debuted at the Marquee Club in 1964 . There have been a lot of changes in the line-up and he didn't feel like he could achieve anything. Without a specific destination, he went to Paris and bought an organ there for little money. This inspired him to found a very blues-oriented jazz band. But at the time the audience preferred soul and so Cheesman himself later described the project as a "complete disaster". At the same time, he changed his name from Cheesman to Crane.

In 1966, Crane joined Arthur Brown to create The Crazy World of Arthur Brown . In 1967 they appeared in all the popular clubs, and in 1968 they went on a tour of America . The single Fire became a number 1 hit, the album The Crazy World of Arthur Brown was a huge success. In the same year they were top act at the Reading Festival. In 1969 they went back to America and played at Fillmore East and Madison Square Garden . After the third US tour, also in 1969, there was tension in the group.

In 1969 Vincent Crane formed the band Atomic Rooster with Carl Palmer . They opened up for Deep Purple at the Lyceum in London . In 1970, Palmer left the band to join Emerson, Lake and Palmer . The Atomic Rooster hits Tomorrow Night and Devil's Answer were released . That year Crane also played as a guest musician with Rory Gallagher .

In 1972 Atomic Rooster had their first American tour, where they played at the Fillmore East . Several tours through Europe and America followed before Crane broke up the band in 1975. In 1976, Crane's first marriage to Pat was divorced, and in 1977 he married his second wife, Jean. During this time, Crane worked a lot for theater and radio productions. He also resumed his previous collaboration with Paul A. Green and Arthur Brown .

In 1980 there was a revival of Atomic Rooster. New recordings were released and the band went on tour again. In 1984, Crane Atomic broke up Rooster for the second time. He participated in the Kathmandu project with Peter Green , Ray Dorset and Jeff Whittaker . In 1985, Crane played with Dexys Midnight Runners and toured with them in the UK and France . In 1987, the Midnight Runners broke up, and Crane tried a fresh start with Atomic Rooster. However, he fell ill and the planned Germany tour had to be canceled.

Vincent Crane died on Valentine's Day 1989 from an overdose of pain pills.

swell

  1. ↑ a b c d e biography in the booklet for Atomic Rooster: Heavy Soul
  2. ↑ a b Interview with Jerry Gilbert for Sounds
  3. ↑ Interview for Zigzag magazine, 1969

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personal data
SURNAME Crane, Vincent
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Cheesman, Vincent (real name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British rock musician (piano, keyboard)
DATE OF BIRTH May 21, 1943
DATE OF DEATH February 14, 1989