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Billy Bremner (musician)
Encyclopedia
William "Billy" Bremner (born 1946, Aberdeen
, Aberdeenshire
, Scotland
) is a guitarist
best known for his work in the band Rockpile
and on many of Nick Lowe
and Dave Edmunds
' albums. He has also played with The Pretenders
, Shaking Stevens, Carlene Carter
and The Coal Porters, as well as issuing three solo albums.
, who served as Lulu
's backing band and also recorded a single ("The House On The Hill"/"Most Unlovely") for Parlophone
in 1966.
In 1971 Bremner added some guitar work to March Hare, the first solo album from ex-Honeybus
member Colin Hare. He then became a member of the Neil Innes
band Fatso
, which went on to record the soundtrack for the original Rutland Weekend Television
series.
As "Bill Murray" he released two singles produced by Kris Ife; "Downtown hoedown"/"Rhyme and reason: (1977) Polydor 2058 881, and "Heart and the Stone"/"I Don't Wanna Be No Hero" (1978) State records 72.
Next, he joined Rockpile
, who only released one album under their own name, but also served as the band for most of Nick Lowe
's and Dave Edmunds
' albums in the 1970s. In addition to his guitar playing, Bremner occasionally sang lead, as he did on "Heart" and "You Ain't Nothing But Fine" on the 1980 Rockpile album Seconds of Pleasure
. He also wrote Edmunds' hit "Trouble Boys" (which Edmunds would let him sing live), but used an alias, Billy Murray, on the writing credits, so as not to be confused with the more famous Scottish footballer
, of the same name.
After Rockpile split in 1981, Bremner released two solo singles on Stiff Records
"Loud Music In Cars"/"The Price is Right" (BUY 125) and "Laughter Turns to Tears"/"Tired and Emotional" (BUY 143). Bremner then played lead guitar on The Pretenders
' 1982 hit single "Back On The Chain Gang
"/"My City Was Gone" and later provided lead guitar for their 1990 album Packed!
.
Bremner released his first solo album, Bash!, in 1984, containing songs co-written with The Records
' Will Birch
, and covers of songs by Elvis Costello
, and Chris Difford
and Glenn Tilbrook
of Squeeze. Bash! featured a tight rhythm section of Dave Kerr-Clemenson from Fast Buck on bass and Terry Williams
from Rockpile on drums on some songs; Bremner played all the guitar parts and sang the harmonies with Kerr-Clemenson.
After stints in Los Angeles, California
(where he played in the bands of Pat McLaughlin
and Rosie Flores
) and Nashville, Tennessee
Bremner moved to Sweden
in the 1990s where he met The Refreshments
, producing and playing on their album It's Gotta Be Both Rock 'n' Roll. A second solo album, A Good Week's Work, followed in 1999 and a third No Ifs, Buts, Maybes in 2006, both recorded in Sweden.
With Rockpile
With Dave Edmunds
With Nick Lowe
With The Pretenders
With Shaking Stevens
With Carlene Carter
With The Coal Porters
With Neil Innes
With Jim Lauderdale
With other artists
Aberdeen
Aberdeen is Scotland's third most populous city, one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas and the United Kingdom's 25th most populous city, with an official population estimate of ....
, Aberdeenshire
Aberdeenshire
Aberdeenshire is one of the 32 unitary council areas in Scotland and a lieutenancy area.The present day Aberdeenshire council area does not include the City of Aberdeen, now a separate council area, from which its name derives. Together, the modern council area and the city formed historic...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
) is a guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
best known for his work in the band Rockpile
Rockpile
Rockpile were a British rock and roll group of the late 1970s and early 1980s, noted for their strong rockabilly and power pop influences, and as a foundational influence on new wave...
and on many of Nick Lowe
Nick Lowe
Nicholas Drain "Nick" Lowe , is an English singer-songwriter, musician and producer.A pivotal figure in UK pub rock, punk rock and new wave, Lowe has recorded a string of well-reviewed solo albums. Along with vocals, Lowe plays guitar, bass guitar, piano and harmonica...
and Dave Edmunds
Dave Edmunds
David 'Dave' Edmunds is a Welsh singer, guitarist and record producer. Although he is primarily associated with Pub rock and New Wave, and had numerous hits in the 1970s and early 1980s, his natural leaning has always been towards 1950s style rock and roll.-Early bands:As a teenager Edmunds first...
' albums. He has also played with The Pretenders
The Pretenders
The Pretenders are an English rock band formed in Hereford, England in March 1978. The original band consisted of initiator and main songwriter Chrissie Hynde , James Honeyman-Scott , Pete Farndon , and Martin Chambers...
, Shaking Stevens, Carlene Carter
Carlene Carter
Carlene Carter is an American country singer and songwriter. She is the daughter of June Carter and her first husband, Carl Smith....
and The Coal Porters, as well as issuing three solo albums.
Early career
Bremner first became known playing with The LuvversThe Luvvers
The Luvvers were a Scottish rock group. They are best known as the backing group to Lulu on her debut chart single, "Shout" . They subsequently had a low-key career of their own before disbanding in March 1966.-Career:...
, who served as Lulu
Lulu (singer)
Lulu Kennedy-Cairns, OBE , best known by her stage name Lulu, is a Scottish singer, actress, and television personality who has been successful in the entertainment business from the 1960s through to the present day...
's backing band and also recorded a single ("The House On The Hill"/"Most Unlovely") for Parlophone
Parlophone
Parlophone is a record label that was founded in Germany in 1896 by the Carl Lindström Company as Parlophon. The British branch was formed in 1923 as "Parlophone" which developed a reputation in the 1920s as a leading jazz label. It was acquired in 1927 by the Columbia Graphophone Company which...
in 1966.
In 1971 Bremner added some guitar work to March Hare, the first solo album from ex-Honeybus
Honeybus
Honeybus were a 1960s pop group formed in April 1967, in London. They were best known for their 1968 UK Top 10 hit single, "I Can't Let Maggie Go".-Line-up:The best known line-up consisted of:...
member Colin Hare. He then became a member of the Neil Innes
Neil Innes
Neil James Innes is an English writer and performer of comic songs, best known for his collaborative work with Monty Python, and for playing in the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band and later The Rutles.-Personal life:...
band Fatso
Fatso (band)
Fatso was a band from the 1970s, who featured regular in the TV series Rutland Weekend Television. Their involvement with this show spawned The Rutles, which Innes and Halsey portrayed in one episode.Members included:-* Neil Innes* John Halsey...
, which went on to record the soundtrack for the original Rutland Weekend Television
Rutland Weekend Television
Rutland Weekend Television was a television sketch show on BBC2, written by Eric Idle with music by Neil Innes. Two series, the first consisting of six episodes, the second of seven, were broadcast, in 1975 and 1976. A Christmas special also aired on Boxing Day 1975.It was Idle's first television...
series.
As "Bill Murray" he released two singles produced by Kris Ife; "Downtown hoedown"/"Rhyme and reason: (1977) Polydor 2058 881, and "Heart and the Stone"/"I Don't Wanna Be No Hero" (1978) State records 72.
Next, he joined Rockpile
Rockpile
Rockpile were a British rock and roll group of the late 1970s and early 1980s, noted for their strong rockabilly and power pop influences, and as a foundational influence on new wave...
, who only released one album under their own name, but also served as the band for most of Nick Lowe
Nick Lowe
Nicholas Drain "Nick" Lowe , is an English singer-songwriter, musician and producer.A pivotal figure in UK pub rock, punk rock and new wave, Lowe has recorded a string of well-reviewed solo albums. Along with vocals, Lowe plays guitar, bass guitar, piano and harmonica...
's and Dave Edmunds
Dave Edmunds
David 'Dave' Edmunds is a Welsh singer, guitarist and record producer. Although he is primarily associated with Pub rock and New Wave, and had numerous hits in the 1970s and early 1980s, his natural leaning has always been towards 1950s style rock and roll.-Early bands:As a teenager Edmunds first...
' albums in the 1970s. In addition to his guitar playing, Bremner occasionally sang lead, as he did on "Heart" and "You Ain't Nothing But Fine" on the 1980 Rockpile album Seconds of Pleasure
Seconds of Pleasure
Seconds of Pleasure was a 1980 album by Rockpile, a band consisting of guitarists/vocalists Dave Edmunds and Billy Bremner, bassist/vocalist Nick Lowe, and drummer Terry Williams...
. He also wrote Edmunds' hit "Trouble Boys" (which Edmunds would let him sing live), but used an alias, Billy Murray, on the writing credits, so as not to be confused with the more famous Scottish footballer
Billy Bremner
William John "Billy" Bremner was a Scottish professional footballer, most noted for his captaincy of the Leeds United team of the 1960s and 1970s. He has since been voted Leeds United's greatest player of all time and has a statue outside the South East corner of Elland Road...
, of the same name.
After Rockpile split in 1981, Bremner released two solo singles on Stiff Records
Stiff Records
Stiff Records is a record label created in London in 1976, by entrepreneurs Dave Robinson and Andrew Jakeman , and active until 1985. It was reactivated in 2007....
"Loud Music In Cars"/"The Price is Right" (BUY 125) and "Laughter Turns to Tears"/"Tired and Emotional" (BUY 143). Bremner then played lead guitar on The Pretenders
The Pretenders
The Pretenders are an English rock band formed in Hereford, England in March 1978. The original band consisted of initiator and main songwriter Chrissie Hynde , James Honeyman-Scott , Pete Farndon , and Martin Chambers...
' 1982 hit single "Back On The Chain Gang
Back on the Chain Gang
"Back on the Chain Gang" is a song by the English-American band The Pretenders, released as single by Sire Records in November 1982. The song was also released on The King of Comedy soundtrack album in March 1983 and later included on The Pretenders' next album Learning to Crawl in January 1984...
"/"My City Was Gone" and later provided lead guitar for their 1990 album Packed!
Packed!
Packed! is the fifth album by rock group The Pretenders, released in 1990. For this album, the only real member of the group is Chrissie Hynde; no other person is pictured anywhere within the album package, and a rotating cast of session musicians is used to back Hynde throughout, effectively...
.
Bremner released his first solo album, Bash!, in 1984, containing songs co-written with The Records
The Records
The Records were an English power pop band in the late 1970s. Allmusic notes that they are often referred to as the "British Big Star". They are best remembered for the hit single and cult favourite "Starry Eyes".-History:...
' Will Birch
Will Birch
Will Birch is an English music journalist, songwriter, record producer and drummer.-Career:Birch played drums in various bands in the Southend area before helping to form The Kursaal Flyers in 1973...
, and covers of songs by Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello , born Declan Patrick MacManus, is an English singer-songwriter. He came to prominence as an early participant in London's pub rock scene in the mid-1970s and later became associated with the punk/New Wave genre. Steeped in word play, the vocabulary of Costello's lyrics is broader...
, and Chris Difford
Chris Difford
Chris Difford is a singer, musician, songwriter, and record producer....
and Glenn Tilbrook
Glenn Tilbrook
Glenn Martin Tilbrook is the lead singer and guitarist of the English band Squeeze, a band formed in the mid 1970s who broke through in the new wave era at the decade's end. He generally wrote the melody for Squeeze, while his writing partner, Chris Difford, wrote the lyrics...
of Squeeze. Bash! featured a tight rhythm section of Dave Kerr-Clemenson from Fast Buck on bass and Terry Williams
Terry Williams (drummer)
Terrence "Terry" Williams is a Welsh rock drummer, whose resume includes work for Dire Straits, B. B. King, and Bob Dylan....
from Rockpile on drums on some songs; Bremner played all the guitar parts and sang the harmonies with Kerr-Clemenson.
After stints in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
(where he played in the bands of Pat McLaughlin
Pat McLaughlin
Pat McLaughlin is a singer/songwriter based in Nashville, TN.He was raised in Waterloo, Iowa, but moved to San Francisco, California in the early 1970s. There McLaughlin began to write songs, playing alone at open mic nights and in the streets near the bay. After a brief stint in Boston, he moved...
and Rosie Flores
Rosie Flores
Rosie Flores is a rockabilly and country music artist of Mexican American heritage. Her music blends rockabilly, honky tonk, jazz, and Western swing along with traditional influences from her Tex-Mex heritage...
) and Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
Bremner moved to Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
in the 1990s where he met The Refreshments
The Refreshments (Swedish band)
The Refreshments are a Swedish rock group formed in 1990 in Gävle. With their impressive string of recordings, the band have the reputation of being Sweden's most hard-working ensemble....
, producing and playing on their album It's Gotta Be Both Rock 'n' Roll. A second solo album, A Good Week's Work, followed in 1999 and a third No Ifs, Buts, Maybes in 2006, both recorded in Sweden.
Album discography
Solo- Bash! 1984
- Good Week's Work 1998
- No Ifs, Buts, Maybes 2006
With Rockpile
Rockpile
Rockpile were a British rock and roll group of the late 1970s and early 1980s, noted for their strong rockabilly and power pop influences, and as a foundational influence on new wave...
- Seconds of PleasureSeconds of PleasureSeconds of Pleasure was a 1980 album by Rockpile, a band consisting of guitarists/vocalists Dave Edmunds and Billy Bremner, bassist/vocalist Nick Lowe, and drummer Terry Williams...
1980 - Provoked Beyond Endurance 1991
- They Call It Rock
With Dave Edmunds
Dave Edmunds
David 'Dave' Edmunds is a Welsh singer, guitarist and record producer. Although he is primarily associated with Pub rock and New Wave, and had numerous hits in the 1970s and early 1980s, his natural leaning has always been towards 1950s style rock and roll.-Early bands:As a teenager Edmunds first...
- Subtle as a Flying MalletSubtle as a Flying MalletSubtle as a Flying Mallet was the second solo album by Dave Edmunds, principally focused on sound-alike remakes of late 1950s and early 1960s hits. All of the vocals are by Edmunds, and many of the songs are true solo efforts in that Edmunds also plays all the instruments...
1975 - Tracks on Wax 4Tracks on Wax 4Tracks on Wax 4 is a 1978 album by Dave Edmunds. The record was the first Edmunds solo effort to feature all four members of the band Rockpile: Edmunds, Billy Bremner , Nick Lowe, and Terry Williams.The album's eighth song, "Thread Your Needle", is sometimes incorrectly attributed as having...
1978 - Repeat When NecessaryRepeat When NecessaryRepeat When Necessary is an album by Welsh rock musician Dave Edmunds. Produced by Edmunds, it was released in 1979 by Swan Song Records...
1979 - Twangin...Twangin...Twangin'... is a 1981 album by Dave Edmunds, and his final recording for Swan Song Records before moving to the Columbia label. The album would also be the last Edmunds solo effort to feature the band he co-led at the time, Rockpile....
1981 - Pile of Rock: Live 2001
With Nick Lowe
Nick Lowe
Nicholas Drain "Nick" Lowe , is an English singer-songwriter, musician and producer.A pivotal figure in UK pub rock, punk rock and new wave, Lowe has recorded a string of well-reviewed solo albums. Along with vocals, Lowe plays guitar, bass guitar, piano and harmonica...
- Jesus of CoolJesus of CoolJesus of Cool is the 1978 solo debut album by British singer-songwriter Nick Lowe who left Brinsley Schwarz in 1974. Produced by Lowe, it was released in March 1978 by Radar Records in the UK...
(UK) Pure Pop for Now People (US) 1978 - Labour of LustLabour of LustLabour of Lust is an album by British singer-songwriter Nick Lowe. Also produced by Lowe, it was released in 1979 by Radar Records in the UK and Columbia Records in the US. It was recorded and released at the same time as Dave Edmunds' Repeat When Necessary and features the same Rockpile personnel...
1979 - Nick the KnifeNick the KnifeNick the Knife is a 1982 album by Nick Lowe. The album was Lowe's third solo LP, and his first since the 1981 breakup of his band Rockpile. However, the record still has several Rockpile ties, as Lowe's former bandmates Billy Bremner and Terry Williams play on the album...
1982 - 16 All Time Lowes 1984
- Quiet Please... The New Best of Nick LoweQuiet Please... The New Best of Nick LoweQuiet Please... The New Best of Nick Lowe is a 49 track career spanning collection of songs written by British songwriter Nick Lowe. As well as his solo work, it also features many of his collaborations with the likes of Rockpile, Brinsley Schwarz, Paul Carrack and Little Village. The compilation...
2009 - Nick Lowe & His Cowboy OutfitNick Lowe & His Cowboy Outfit (album)Nick Lowe and His Cowboy Outfit is a 1984 album by British singer-songwriter Nick Lowe. The record marked the official debut of Lowe's new band, the Cowboy Outfit .Nick Lowe and His Cowboy Outfit incorporates more of a roots rock feel than Lowe's previous albums, including nods to...
1984
With The Pretenders
The Pretenders
The Pretenders are an English rock band formed in Hereford, England in March 1978. The original band consisted of initiator and main songwriter Chrissie Hynde , James Honeyman-Scott , Pete Farndon , and Martin Chambers...
- Learning to CrawlLearning to CrawlLearning to Crawl is the Pretenders' third album, released in 1984 after a two-year hiatus, during which time James Honeyman-Scott and Pete Farndon both died of drug overdoses....
1984 - Packed!Packed!Packed! is the fifth album by rock group The Pretenders, released in 1990. For this album, the only real member of the group is Chrissie Hynde; no other person is pictured anywhere within the album package, and a rotating cast of session musicians is used to back Hynde throughout, effectively...
1990 - Pirate Radio 2006
With Shaking Stevens
- Give Me Your Heart Tonight 1982
- Hits and More 2003
- Collectable 2004
- Collection 2005
With Carlene Carter
Carlene Carter
Carlene Carter is an American country singer and songwriter. She is the daughter of June Carter and her first husband, Carl Smith....
- Musical ShapesMusical ShapesMusical Shapes is the third album by Carlene Carter. The only song to make the Billboard country singles chart was "Baby Ride Easy," a duet with Dave Edmunds of the British rock band Rockpile.-Track listing:...
1980 - Blue NunBlue Nun (album)Blue Nun is the fourth album by Carlene Carter. It features two duets with British rocker Paul Carrack: "Oh How Happy" and "Do Me Lover."-Track listing:All tracks composed by Carlene Carter; except where indicated...
1981
With The Coal Porters
- Land of Hope and Crosby 1994
- London 1995
- Rebels Without Applause 1996
With Neil Innes
Neil Innes
Neil James Innes is an English writer and performer of comic songs, best known for his collaborative work with Monty Python, and for playing in the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band and later The Rutles.-Personal life:...
- Taking OffTaking Off (Neil Innes album)Taking Off is the second solo album by Neil Innes and was released in 1977.In 2005 the album was released on CD, paired with The Innes Book of Records.-Tracklisting:All songs written by Neil Innes# "Crystal Balls" - 2:57# "Catch Phrase" - 2:48...
1977 - The Rutland Weekend SongbookThe Rutland Weekend SongbookThe Rutland Weekend Songbook, sometimes referred to as Rutland Times, is a 1976 album by Eric Idle and Neil Innes featuring songs from the BBC comedy series Rutland Weekend Television....
1976
With Jim Lauderdale
Jim Lauderdale
Jim Lauderdale is a musician & singer-songwriter who performs bluegrass and country music. He has recorded since 1986 and has released nineteen studio albums. Artists who have recorded his material include George Strait and Patty Loveless.-Biography:...
- Persimmons 1996
- Other Sessions 2000
With other artists
- Anne FeeneyAnne FeeneyAnne Feeney is a political activist, folk musician and singer-songwriter.- Life and career :Anne Feeney was born in Charleroi, Pennsylvania to Annabelle Runner and Edward J. Feeney. She has a sister, Kathleen, born May 3, 1953. The family moved to the nearby Brookline neighborhood of the city of...
- Look to the Left 1989 - Anne Sofie von Otter & Elvis CostelloElvis CostelloElvis Costello , born Declan Patrick MacManus, is an English singer-songwriter. He came to prominence as an early participant in London's pub rock scene in the mid-1970s and later became associated with the punk/New Wave genre. Steeped in word play, the vocabulary of Costello's lyrics is broader...
- For the Stars 2001 - Any TroubleAny TroubleAny Trouble are a British rock band, originating from Crewe, England, best known for the early 1980s recordings.-Early days:Founding members were Clive Gregson, Chris Parks and Tom Jackson. Soon after, Mel Harley and Phil Barnes completed the line up. After Tom Jackson left, the band was fronted by...
- Wrong End of the Race 1984 - Bob Young - In Quo Country 1980
- Deke LeonardDeke LeonardRoger "Deke" Leonard is a rock musician, "serving a life sentence in the music business." Best known as a member of the progressive rock band Man, which he joined and left several times, and for fronting his own rock and roll band Iceberg, which he formed and disbanded several times, he is also...
- Before Your Very Eyes 1981 - Don Morrell - After All These Years 1999
- Elvis Costello & the Attractions - Trust 1981
- ForeignerForeigner (band)Foreigner is a British-American rock band, originally formed in 1976 by veteran English musicians Mick Jones and ex-King Crimson member Ian McDonald along with American vocalist Lou Gramm...
- Mr. Moonlight 1995 - George Ducas - George Ducas 1995
- Howard Werth - Six of One and a Half Dozen of the Other 1996
- John Gorman - Go Man Gorman 1977
- Kelly WillisKelly WillisKelly Willis is an American country music singer-songwriter, whose music has been described as contemporary country, alternative country and new traditionalist.-Early life:...
- Kelly Willis 1993 - Kieran KaneKieran KaneKieran Kane is an American country music artist, as well as the owner of Dead Reckoning Records, an independent record label. Between 1986 and 1990, he and Jamie O'Hara comprised The O'Kanes, a duo which charted seven singles on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles charts, including the Number...
- Find My Way Home 1993 - Mickey JuppMickey JuppMichael 'Mickey' Jupp is an English musician and songwriter, mainly associated with the Southend music scene....
- Juppanese 1978 - Pat McLaughlinPat McLaughlinPat McLaughlin is a singer/songwriter based in Nashville, TN.He was raised in Waterloo, Iowa, but moved to San Francisco, California in the early 1970s. There McLaughlin began to write songs, playing alone at open mic nights and in the streets near the bay. After a brief stint in Boston, he moved...
- Pat McLaughlin 1988 - Paul KennerleyPaul KennerleyPaul Kennerley is an English singer-songwriter, musician and record producer working in the American contemporary country music industry. His works include the concept albums, White Mansions and The Legend of Jesse James...
- Misery with a Beat 1998 - Phil Everly - Phil Everly 1983
- Rosie FloresRosie FloresRosie Flores is a rockabilly and country music artist of Mexican American heritage. Her music blends rockabilly, honky tonk, jazz, and Western swing along with traditional influences from her Tex-Mex heritage...
- Honky Tonk Reprise 1996 - Snake Farm - What Kind of Dreams Are These 1989
- The RefreshmentsThe Refreshments (Swedish band)The Refreshments are a Swedish rock group formed in 1990 in Gävle. With their impressive string of recordings, the band have the reputation of being Sweden's most hard-working ensemble....
- It's Gotta Be Both Rock 'n' Roll 2006 - Totta NäslundTotta NäslundErik Torsten "Totta" Näslund was a Swedish rock and blues musician, with leftist political views.- Biography :...
- Totta, Vol. 3: En Dare Som Jag 2008