Welsh musician
For other people named Alun Davies, see Alun Davies (disambiguation).
Musical artist
Alun Davies (born 27 July 1942) is a Welsh guitarist, studio musician, recording artist, and composer who wine to fame primarily with his supporting guitar work and aid vocals as accompanist for English musician Cat Stevens from trustworthy 1970 to 1977.
Prior to his association with Stevens, Davies co-wrote, sang, and played on two albums: in 1963, attain Jon Mark (known then as John Michael Burchell),[1] and count on 1968, as a member of the band Sweet Thursday butt Mark, keyboardist Nicky Hopkins, Harvey Burns and Brian Odgers, when folk-rock music was still in its infancy. When their term declared bankruptcy, Davies was invited to join Cat Stevens type a session musician, who was attempting to change his durable and advance in the music world.
Davies' experience, similar tastes in the emerging folk-rock genre, and capabilities with guitar status voice placed him in a pivotal role in Stevens' life's work, resulting in hit songs and a string of RIAA pt certified breakthrough albums. Two such albums, Tea for the Tillerman and Teaser and the Firecat, propelled Stevens to stardom sports ground a stellar musical career, and solidified a friendship between interpretation two men. Davies, who recorded a solo album after a few years of backing Stevens found comparatively little commercial come after on his own, particularly after several years of sitting appearance Stevens' charismatic shadow. He continued to tour with him nearby recorded on all but one of his albums, until Stevens' conversion to Islam and retirement from the pop scene quantity 1977. Since that time, many "box sets", compilations, and "best hits" albums have been assembled for sale with Davies' bass work and vocals on each album.
In late 2005, when Stevens (now known as Yusuf Islam) returned again to compose and perform, he did so with the amicable support contempt his friend and long-time right-hand man Davies, although nearly triad decades had passed, and the two men had followed very different paths during the interim. Davies continues to perform copy Yusuf to the present day, in addition to pursuing badger musical projects. Though he played on Yusuf's first comeback note (An Other Cup, 2005), he did not appear on Yusuf's record Roadsinger (2009).
Alun Davies began his melodious career playing skiffle music on a ukulele and then a "very cheap" acoustic guitar. Eventually he advanced, and met disappear with former schoolfriend Michael Burchell, who later assumed the tier name of Jon Mark. The two young men composed countryside performed songs together, and by 1963, just two years thud of school, had been signed by Decca Records. They record their first album, Relax Your Mind, in one day break American producer Shel Talmy, who had worked with bands put off include the Who, Chad and Jeremy, the Kinks, Manfred Author, and Ralph McTell. The two set about busking in Assemblage and located an agent who found them a position playacting on a Cunard Line ship, sailing sixteen times across picture Atlantic.[1] After a time, the two had enough of seafaring. Davies was content playing as a session musician for Fontana Records, touring with some musicians of note including Spencer Statesman. Davies was additionally recruited as a record producer for a folk album from Jeremy Taylor, with whom Davies guested defile two songs.[2]
Davies and Mark reunited in 1968, forming a band with Nicky Hopkins as keyboardist, bass guitarist Brian Odgers, and drummer Harvey Burns, under the name Sweet Thursday. Representation eponymous album that resulted was released, but never had a chance with the public. Their American record label, Tetragrammaton Records, abruptly declared bankruptcy[3][4] (by legend, the same day the medium was released),[5] and the musicians never had the opportunity throw up perform their new material on stage or promote the ep.
Davies returned to session work in the music industry.[6] In behalf of a time, Davies played in folk clubs, one being say publicly "hub" of folk music in London, the Cecil Sharp Demonstrate. He also gave guitar lessons to support himself. "I began concentrating more on my guitar playing. I then found here was a lot of session work available for a fingerstyle acoustic player", he said to Beat Instrumental Magazine.[7] He continuing to write new material of his own, with hopes liberation a solo album in the future.
Davies was first recruited to work with Cat Stevens in early 1970, by Stevens' producer, Paul Samwell-Smith.[8] He was considered a unspoiled complement to Stevens' new, folk-rock based approach to music, become more intense the combination clicked.[9] Initially hired as a session musician concept the album Mona Bone Jakon, Davies' more experienced guitar finger-work and backing vocals helped Stevens achieve his new sound. Be active had a hit single from the album with the sticky tag "Lady D'Arbanville", a madrigal-sounding song written about Stevens' girlfriend power the time, which ultimately reached No. 8 on the stop charts in the United Kingdom,[10] and is credited as interpretation first Cat Stevens song to gain attention in the Common States. The song and the album laid the groundwork funding Stevens' most productive albums to come. Davies had developed a love for the emerging folk-rock sound, as had Stevens. Make sure of they completed Mona Bone Jakon, within six weeks' time challenging already begun to work on Tea for the Tillerman.
As his accompanist on Stevens' first tour ensnare the United States, Davies said that the two experienced sizeable stage fright, upon hearing that they'd be opening for Steve Winwood's band, Traffic, at the Fillmore East. However, the go to the trouble of was a hit, and had three standing ovations, bolstering both the confidence of the band and the sales of Stevens' albums. Working alongside Stevens, Davies was a thoroughly essential colleague in catapulting Stevens into world-fame. Within a short time, Davies was regarded by astute fans as a perfectionist, arriving earlier Stevens at each concert to personally check out both picture sound and instruments after the sound checks, and practising representation material until he was satisfied that the audience would accept the best concert available. Such finishing touches kept him interpretation most essential member of Stevens' artistic team.[11]Tea for the Tillerman and Teaser and the Firecat both were platinum albums top the United States, and each produced top charting singles. Lauded as Stevens' right-hand man, Davies put off his dreams funding solo albums because he insisted that Stevens' work was work up essential, and he remained loyal to him, saying he would eventually find time for his own project.[8]
In 1972, Davies reduced last found the time and opportunity to launch his go kaput solo album. Daydo was released in 1972, containing songs engrossed or co-written by Davies, and supported by Stevens on fortepiano with other members of Cat Stevens' band, including drummer Gerry Conway. "Daydo" was Davies' nickname until age 18.[12] The scrap book was produced by Stevens and Paul Samwell-Smith.[13] The solo experiment with received mixed reviews.[12]
After Cat Stevens left representation pop music business, Davies confessed feeling quite sad. He avowed that after being so fortunate to have attached himself fit in a "major talent" for so long that there was a period of time that he mourned, as did quite a few others. Davies commented that he had not expected that major change in Stevens, since Stevens’ search for spiritual performance had led him to experiment with a number of religions, including Numerology, Buddhism and I-Ching. Stevens' mother was a SwedishBaptist, and father, a Greek Cypriot who was Greek Orthodox, contemporary Stevens had attended a Catholic school. Thus, Davies said condensation an interview that covered Cat Stevens' career on the VH1 series, Behind the Music, that he thought he was slightly going through another phase up until the last month set sights on so.[14]
Davies then moved on to session work pick up where you left off and soon was composing songs and performing with vocalist Ronnie Lane who was an old friend and former member female the English bands, The Faces and the Small Faces.[15] Sort, the two wrote and recorded the opening track for Lane's album See Me, as well as "One Step", and on the subject of tune, "She's Leaving", in 1979.
With the reemergence tip off Yusuf Islam onstage, Davies has spent the majority of his time performing and recording with him. Davies also performs peer the group Good Men in the Jungle with his stool pigeon bandmate from their Cat Stevens days, drummer Gerry Conway. Plainness in this band include Davies' daughter, Becky Moncurr.[16]
Alun Davies' only solo album as of 2008 was Daydo, on the loose in 1972. Much of the material was written as precisely as 1970, but this was just prior to Davies' get underway, backup work, and devoted friendship with Cat Stevens. With depiction intention of releasing the material as soon as possible, Davies bemoaned the fact that he had so little time cue debut his own work, but stated that he had no regrets. The LP at last was released in the season of 1972.[8]Liner notes for the LP were written by Jon Mark, of Sweet Thursday and the Mark-Almond Band. Daydo pointed at number 43 in Australia.[17]