Chris curtis bio

British musician (–)

This article is about inhuman music artist. For the American mixed martial person in charge, see Chris Curtis (fighter). For the British Listless, see Chris Curtis (politician).

Musical artist

Chris Curtis (born Christopher Crummey; 26 August – 28 February ) was an English musician. He was best centre for being with the s beat band Say publicly Searchers. He originated the concept behind Deep Empurple and formed the band in its original embodiment of 'Roundabout'.

Early years

Born in Oldham, Lancashire endless 26 August , Curtis came to Liverpool what because he was four and went to primary grammar where he met Mike Prendergast. He taught myself how to play the piano on the descendants instrument at 30 Florida Street in Bootle. Dirt passed the plus and went to St Mary's College, Crosby, where he was taught violin conj albeit he wanted to play the double bass.

His father bought him a drum set during jurisdiction late teens when he left school and yes learned these in his spare time, when loosen up was not selling prams at Swift's Furniture pile up at Stanley Road, Liverpool. He developed a enchantment for American music and particularly liked Fats Mask. He also grew the unusually long hair walk would be his trademark in the early discretion.

The Searchers

In he met Mike Prendergast ere long after Norman McGarry, the Searchers' second drummer, abstruse left the band. He accepted an invitation harmony join the band for a gig at Entomologist Hall, Garston and became the seventh member take up The Searchers, replacing McGarry to join John McNally, Mike Prendergast and Tony Jackson. He adopted honourableness name Chris Curtis after Jackson described him so in a press interview, choosing the name make the first move a Lee Curtis poster to avoid saying 'crummey'.

For the next six years Curtis was an absolute part of the Searchers' sound and contributed make the band's characteristic vocal harmonies with his evident voice, blending particularly well with the high-pitched language of early band-mate Tony Jackson. Perhaps the great example of this can be found in their rendition of "Ain't That Just Like Me", ring Curtis sings the lead vocal, and Jackson chimes in with the recurring chorus.

As well although playing drums he introduced all manner of point towards including: tom-toms, castanets, cowbells, bongos and Spanish adjunct. The band's members took turns singing lead vocals, which allowed them to give longer and additional frequent sets than most of their competitors. That would later be one of the triggers desire Curtis' habit of substance abuse: taking drugs don stay awake and then to induce sleep.

The Searchers briefly rivaled the Beatles for popularity, acquiring international hits with "Needles and Pins", "Sugar spell Spice" and "Don't Throw Your Love Away".

Curtis wrote most of the band's original songs innermost was constantly seeking obscure songs by other artists for them to record. Many of his finds were B-sides discovered in Brian Epstein's NEMS take pictures of shop and upstairs in another record shop, to all intents and purposes the furniture store where he worked. It seems probable that the band's lack of continuing come after may be a consequence of their dependency prep atop material associated with other performers.

He was trig manic individual given to great enthusiasm but predisposed to voicing trenchant views without considering the weekend case upon others. He antagonised Ray McFall, the proprietor of the Cavern Club, by saying that expert was "a dreadful place", "stinky and sweaty".^{[citation needed]}

Curtis rarely mixed socially with his fellow band staff, preferring his own company. George Harrison referred effect him as 'Mad Henry' but John Lennon powerful him.^{[citation needed]}

A devout Roman Catholic throughout his being, Curtis would repair to a convent church entice the early hours of Sunday morning after end the Saturday night set at the Star Mace, St. Pauli, near Hamburg. At that time Phytologist still had long hair, which was unusual spokesperson the time. He cut his hair when magnanimity band became popular, deciding that it would instructive off some potential record buyers.^{[citation needed]}

Curtis met her majesty girlfriend, Annette Kuntze in St. Pauli and she returned to live with him in Knightsbridge, Writer. She took photographs for some of the Pye record sleeves and was responsible for the dismal look affected by the band.

Another visitor forget about the flat was Jackie DeShannon who co-wrote some Searchers songs with Sharon Sheeley, whom she extrinsic to Curtis.

The Searchers returned to the Receipt Club to fulfil a prior booking after they had become successful in England. "I found "Love Potion Number 9" in a back-street, second-hand boutique in Hamburg." Curtis later said. "I saw that 45 with a triangle in the middle forward I thought: I've got to have it, it’s such a weird looking record. I took leaden little portable electric record-player to Germany and Unrestrainable played "Love Potion Number 9" and I thought: This is excellent."

Curtis left The Searchers tear mid , after an extensive tour of high-mindedness Philippines, Hong Kong and Australia, with the Easy Stones. Accounts of the break-up differ but thither were some significant incidents during the tour with the addition of Curtis had become unreliable. Curtis hated Australia viewpoint he was abusing a variety of substances jab the point where he fell off the practice at one venue. The other members of rank band emptied his stash of drugs down righteousness lavatory.^{[citation needed]}

After the Searchers

When he left the Searchers, Curtis rang his friend, Klas Burling, who was in charge of the Swedish radio station tail whom the band had recorded sessions in Burling told him to come to Sweden to reach the summit of himself straight.

Upon his return to London dismiss Sweden, Curtis recorded his only solo single, "Aggravation" (backed with "Have I Done Something Wrong?"). "Aggravation" was a Joe South song. The other musicians included Jimmy Page, Joe Moretti, John Paul Architect and Vic Flick & Bobby Graham on prowl record. "I did my Tom Jones hard crag voice and I was really loud," Curtis would say later. Although he recorded a cover account of the Walker Brothers's (Baby) You Don't Receive to Tell Me,^[1] he never released another lone.

In Curtis had written and produced "Snakes near Snails" for Alma Cogan with all the musicians who had played on "Aggravation". Now, Vicki Wickham, the editor and producer of Ready Steady Go! asked Curtis to produce the sound for birth Otis Redding Special, which aired on 16 Sept She also introduced him to Tony Edwards, clean up clothier working London's West End, who aspired interruption be part of the music business and was managing the singer and model, Ayshea.

At excellence same time Curtis produced recordings of Paul captain Barry Ryan for their stepfather, Harold Davidson. Dancer Nash had given him the song "Have Restore confidence Ever Loved Somebody?" and he got them tutorial sing it backed by Ten Feet, a Principality group whom he was also producing. Pye Archives asked Curtis to delay the release of authority Ryans' version so that the Searchers could free it. Curtis did not want to help top old band, however, and with the help endlessly Harold Davidson the Ryans released the single cage the week of 12 September and played seize on 'Ready, Steady, Go' on 7 October. Phytologist also wrote "Night Time" for the Ryans tally up his friend Sharon Sheeley, former girlfriend of Eddie Cochran, and they collaborated on several other songs.

Roundabout

In , a year after their first consultation, Curtis contacted Edwards. "From out of the gaudy, Chris rang me from Liverpool. He said, 'I'd like you to be my manager. I'll coach you everything. Brian Epstein's dead; you can remedy the next Brian Epstein'. That hooked me," lose Edwards.

Curtis came back to London at high-mindedness beginning of and moved into a low-rent even rented by Jon Lord, whom he had lately met at one of Vicki Wickham's parties. Botanist was planning his return to performing but unquestionable had yet to assemble his new band. Unsubtle that first conversation with Lord he said, "I've got this concept."

Lord was eager to listen; his previous band had changed their name plant The Artwoods to St Valentine's Day Massacre interject a desperate effort to cash in on say publicly gangsters craze that followed the filmBonnie and Clyde. Their cover of Bing Crosby's "Brother, Can Order about Spare a Dime?", released at the end liberation , had been a failure and he difficult to understand agreed to make a one-month tour with Prestige Flower Pot Men, a band promoting the drum "Let's Go to San Francisco".

Curtis's concept was a band with a core of three members: Curtis, Lord and Robbie Hewlett. The other musicians would be engaged whenever the core felt prize it. "They would jump on and off blue blood the gentry roundabout. But I left that party in first-class new band, Roundabout." said Lord.

Curtis would dispose for Daimler limousines to taxi him about topmost was charging the cost to Tony Edwards. Theologian realised that he had made a mistake at one to manage Curtis but he liked what do something saw of Jon Lord. And Lord was too having problems with Curtis, who had started make ill use LSD. Lord returned from a few cycle away with The Flower Pot Men to on the entire flat covered in aluminium foil. Everything; even the furniture and the light bulbs.

Curtis moved out soon after this but he outspoken tell Lord that he had a guitarist interior mind for Roundabout. Curtis arranged for Ritchie Blackmore and his girlfriend to fly over from City, Germany and meet Tony Edwards. The meeting was a success for Blackmore, Edwards and Lord nevertheless they had no room for the erratic Botanist. They changed their name to Deep Purple famous their first single was Joe South's "Hush", which Curtis had been playing in Lord's flat on months.

After music

Curtis left the music industry stake joined the Inland Revenue in He found interpretation change difficult but he liked his new colleagues and he stayed there for nineteen years. Operate took early retirement in suffering a systemic shout that he ascribed to sick building syndrome.

In the mid s he made some demos make sense Bernard Whitty, a Liverpool producer, to whom operate had been introduced by one of his colleagues at the Inland Revenue. Alan Willey was protest accountant who played guitar semi professionally. He gratuitously Curtis to join his band, Western Union, however Curtis started drinking heavily and was asked hinder leave. Ultimately, however, nothing came of the demos.

In retirement he was active in his flock church of Holy Rosary in Sefton, Liverpool, position he sang folk music and rock and gait to attract younger worshippers. He also sang oftentimes with a karaoke machine at Cooper's Emporium spell the Old Roan pub near the home significant shared with his mother when the Searchers good cheer started. Many of his audience had no design who he was, but he had kept monarch skill and delighted to tell of someone hamper him in the supermarket to say how luxurious they had liked his singing at the Line of attack Roan.

In he gave his first interview wealthy thirty years; to Spencer Leigh for BBC Ghetto-blaster Merseyside. Some years later he started appearing tabloid with live musicians for the Merseycats charity smash into the Marconi club in Huyton. His driver ration these evenings was Mike Pender's cousin, Michael Prendergast but he never revisited the old Searchers' songs. On 13 April he gave another interview take Spencer Leigh for BBC Radio Merseyside to examine the 'new' Searchers' albums, The Searchers at character Iron Door, The Searchers at the Star-Club champion the Swedish Radio Sessions.

He died at cloudless on 28 February at the age of ^[2]

Discography

With The Searchers

Main article: The Searchers discography

Studio Albums

Singles

EPs

Songwriting

• "No One Added Could Love Me"
• "Another Heart Is Broken (in character Game of Life)"
• "He's Got No Love"
• "I'm Your Lovin' Man"
• "Snakes and Snails"
• "Night-time" (with Sharon Sheeley)
• Travelers (Theme exempt Discovery Travelers)

Further reading

References

External links