Jon Davie
Encyclopedia
Jon Davie, bass guitar
player with British folk rock
bands including Gryphon
and Home Service
. Was also, using the name John Thomas, a member of The Banned
, a British punk
/ New Wave
outfit in the late 1970s.
Born in Hampton, Middx, on September 6th, 1954, Jon’s professional career began when he joined Gryphon at the end of 1975, and played on the last studio album recorded by the band – ‘Treason’. He joined at the same time as Graeme Taylor and Malcolm Bennett left the group as part of a significant re-shuffle of personnel. Jon remained in touch with Graeme during the next 3 years or so and, following the split-up of Gryphon, was introduced to Graeme’s fellow Albion Band alumnus Ric Sanders (now long-established member of Fairport Convention) who was looking to form a new jazz-influenced band with fellow ex-member of Soft Machine, John Etheridge. This led to the formation of 2nd Vision who recorded the album ‘First Steps’ for Chrysalis records in 1980. Jon was touring Europe with Dave Bristow (kbds) and Mickey Barker (dms) as part of a jazz trio employed by Yamaha to showcase their instruments when Graeme once again appeared on the scene and asked Jon if he’d care to join Home Service. As a fan the Albion Band that included John Tams and Michael Gregory, the offer was eagerly accepted. This led to an extended period of live work, both touring and as a member of what became almost a ‘house band’ at London’s National Theatre, appearing in productions of ‘Dispatches’, ‘The Mysteries’ and ‘Don Quixote’. Jon has performed and recorded with a diverse range of other artists including: Billy Connolly, Ivan Graziani, Andy Cronshaw, June Tabor, Martin Simpson, Gordon Giltrap, John Harle, Desmond Dekker, Michael Nyman, John B. Spencer, Rolf Harris, Mauricio Venegas (as a member of Quimantu) and John Williams. Current projects include recording a new Gryphon album, live work with singer/composer/producer Sandy McLelland, completion of an album with Dave Lambert (Strawbs), Graeme and violinist Tom Leary under the band name ‘Zeus’, and work on recently recovered live recordings of The Home Service. At the time of writing, several festival appearances are planned for The Home Service during the summer of 2011 and Jon will also be making a one-off appearance with Quimantu in Brescia, Italy.
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
player with British folk rock
Folk rock
Folk rock is a musical genre combining elements of folk music and rock music. In its earliest and narrowest sense, the term referred to a genre that arose in the United States and the UK around the mid-1960s...
bands including Gryphon
Gryphon (band)
Gryphon were a British progressive rock band of the 1970s, best known for their unusual Medieval sound and instrumentation.-Career:Multi-instrumentalist Richard Harvey and his fellow Royal College of Music graduate Brian Gulland, a woodwind player, began the group as an all-acoustic ensemble that...
and Home Service
Home Service
Home Service are a British folk rock group, formed in late 1980 from a nucleus of musicians who had been playing in Ashley Hutchings' Albion Band. Their career is generally agreed to have peaked with the album Alright Jack, which is usually considered one of the finest products of the electric folk...
. Was also, using the name John Thomas, a member of The Banned
The Banned
The Banned are a fictional band in the BBC soap opera EastEnders. The storyline aired in 1986 and although it was considered to be a failure on-screen, it nevertheless became a successful part of the serial's extensive merchandising industry that year, as it spawned two Hit singles in the UK Music...
, a British punk
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
/ New Wave
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
outfit in the late 1970s.
Born in Hampton, Middx, on September 6th, 1954, Jon’s professional career began when he joined Gryphon at the end of 1975, and played on the last studio album recorded by the band – ‘Treason’. He joined at the same time as Graeme Taylor and Malcolm Bennett left the group as part of a significant re-shuffle of personnel. Jon remained in touch with Graeme during the next 3 years or so and, following the split-up of Gryphon, was introduced to Graeme’s fellow Albion Band alumnus Ric Sanders (now long-established member of Fairport Convention) who was looking to form a new jazz-influenced band with fellow ex-member of Soft Machine, John Etheridge. This led to the formation of 2nd Vision who recorded the album ‘First Steps’ for Chrysalis records in 1980. Jon was touring Europe with Dave Bristow (kbds) and Mickey Barker (dms) as part of a jazz trio employed by Yamaha to showcase their instruments when Graeme once again appeared on the scene and asked Jon if he’d care to join Home Service. As a fan the Albion Band that included John Tams and Michael Gregory, the offer was eagerly accepted. This led to an extended period of live work, both touring and as a member of what became almost a ‘house band’ at London’s National Theatre, appearing in productions of ‘Dispatches’, ‘The Mysteries’ and ‘Don Quixote’. Jon has performed and recorded with a diverse range of other artists including: Billy Connolly, Ivan Graziani, Andy Cronshaw, June Tabor, Martin Simpson, Gordon Giltrap, John Harle, Desmond Dekker, Michael Nyman, John B. Spencer, Rolf Harris, Mauricio Venegas (as a member of Quimantu) and John Williams. Current projects include recording a new Gryphon album, live work with singer/composer/producer Sandy McLelland, completion of an album with Dave Lambert (Strawbs), Graeme and violinist Tom Leary under the band name ‘Zeus’, and work on recently recovered live recordings of The Home Service. At the time of writing, several festival appearances are planned for The Home Service during the summer of 2011 and Jon will also be making a one-off appearance with Quimantu in Brescia, Italy.