Ollie Halsall
Encyclopedia
Peter John 'Ollie' Halsall (14 March 1949 - 29 May 1992) was a left-handed
guitarist and is best known for his role in The Rutles
, the bands Patto
, Timebox
and Boxer
, and for his contribution to the music of Kevin Ayers
. He is also notable as one of the few players of the vibraphone
in rock music
. He was known as Ollie because of his distinctive way of pronouncing his surname with a dropped 'h'. The Ollie Halsall Archive
was established in 1985, with the aim of documenting and promoting the work of a unique musician.
Halsall (ex Pete and the Pawnees, The Gunslingers, The Music Students, all 1964, The Rhythm and Blues Incorporated, 1965), came to London in October 1966 to play vibraphone with the pop rock
outfit Timebox
(which included bassist Clive Griffiths and keyboardist 'Professor' Chris Holmes
. Halsall took up guitar, they enlisted Mike Patto
on vocals and drummer 'Admiral' John Halsey
.
In 1970, following the departure of Holmes, Timebox
evolved into the band Patto. They played a blend of progressive
Jazz rock featuring Halsall's guitar work.
In 1973, Halsall left to join Jon Hiseman
's Tempest
. After less than a year, he quit and did numerous sessions including a track for Kevin Ayers
which this led to a permanent position in Ayers' band The Soporifics.
In 1975, Patto staged a brief reunion comprising just three benefit gigs. The reuniting of Halsall and Patto sparked the formation of Boxer
during 1975. Boxer never reached its true potential, as Mike Patto
died in 1979 during the mid term of their contractual obligations to the Virgin
record label and are best remembered for their debut album Below The Belt
and its controversial sleeve design.
Probably the best known recording of Halsall is his work on the album The Rutles
(1978), on which he plays many of the instruments and provides backing and lead vocals, most notably on the tracks "Doubleback Alley", "With a Girl Like You" and "Get Up and Go". Eric Idle
was cast in his place in the accompanying film and Halsall only featured as a very minor cameo role as Leppo, the fifth Rutle who became lost in Hamburg
.
During 1976 Halsall had rejoined Ayers with whom he stayed for the next sixteen years. In 1989, he replaced ill Enrique Sierra of Radio Futura
, a Spanish
rock band.
A finished solo album remains unreleased - produced by Robert Fripp
.
Halsall died from a heroin overdose on 29 May 1992 at 13 Calle de la Amargura, Madrid
, Spain
.
with Kevin Ayers
Other Albums
Left-handed
Left-handedness is the preference for the left hand over the right for everyday activities such as writing. In ancient times it was seen as a sign of the devil, and was abhorred in many cultures...
guitarist and is best known for his role in The Rutles
The Rutles
The Rutles are a band that are known for their visual and aural pastiches and parodies of The Beatles. Originally created by Eric Idle and Neil Innes as a fictional band to be featured as part of various 1970s television programming, the group recorded, toured, and released two UK chart hits in...
, the bands Patto
Patto
Patto was a progressive jazz-rock band formed in England in 1970 by vocalist Mike Patto with a lineup taken from Timebox consisting of vocalist Patto, drummer John Halsey, guitarist and vibraphone player Ollie Halsall and bassist Clive Griffiths....
, Timebox
Timebox (band)
Timebox, formed in October 1965, in Southport, Lancashire, was a 1960s psychedelic pop band, that developed from a complicated ancestry.-Career:...
and Boxer
Boxer (band)
Boxer was a rock band formed by keyboardist Mike Patto and guitarist Ollie Halsall in 1975. They signed to Virgin and three albums followed , Below the Belt , Absolutely and Bloodletting , which also featured Bobby Tench and Boz Burrell...
, and for his contribution to the music of Kevin Ayers
Kevin Ayers
Kevin Ayers is an English singer-songwriter and was a major influential force in the English psychedelic movement...
. He is also notable as one of the few players of the vibraphone
Vibraphone
The vibraphone, sometimes called the vibraharp or simply the vibes, is a musical instrument in the struck idiophone subfamily of the percussion family....
in rock music
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
. He was known as Ollie because of his distinctive way of pronouncing his surname with a dropped 'h'. The Ollie Halsall Archive
Archive
An archive is a collection of historical records, or the physical place they are located. Archives contain primary source documents that have accumulated over the course of an individual or organization's lifetime, and are kept to show the function of an organization...
was established in 1985, with the aim of documenting and promoting the work of a unique musician.
Career
Ollie may not have been the best guitarist in the world, but he was certainly among the top two. John Halsey, 1997
Halsall (ex Pete and the Pawnees, The Gunslingers, The Music Students, all 1964, The Rhythm and Blues Incorporated, 1965), came to London in October 1966 to play vibraphone with the pop rock
Pop rock
Pop rock is a music genre which mixes a catchy pop style and light lyrics in its guitar-based rock songs. There are varying definitions of the term, ranging from a slower and mellower form of rock music to a subgenre of pop music...
outfit Timebox
Timebox (band)
Timebox, formed in October 1965, in Southport, Lancashire, was a 1960s psychedelic pop band, that developed from a complicated ancestry.-Career:...
(which included bassist Clive Griffiths and keyboardist 'Professor' Chris Holmes
Chris Holmes (musician)
Chris Holmes is a musician who was born June 23, 1958 in Glendale, California and grew up in La Canada, California...
. Halsall took up guitar, they enlisted Mike Patto
Mike Patto
Mike Patto , is primarily notable as lead singer for Spooky Tooth and Boxer.-History:...
on vocals and drummer 'Admiral' John Halsey
John Halsey (musician)
John Halsey is a rock drummer, best known for his appearance as "Barry" in The Rutles, leading to his playing with Neil Innes's band Fatso and appearing in the film All You Need is Cash ....
.
In 1970, following the departure of Holmes, Timebox
Timebox (band)
Timebox, formed in October 1965, in Southport, Lancashire, was a 1960s psychedelic pop band, that developed from a complicated ancestry.-Career:...
evolved into the band Patto. They played a blend of progressive
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
Jazz rock featuring Halsall's guitar work.
In 1973, Halsall left to join Jon Hiseman
Jon Hiseman
Jon Hiseman is an English drummer, recording engineer, record producer and music publisher.-Career:...
's Tempest
Tempest (UK band)
Tempest was a British progressive rock band active from 1973 and 1974. Its core members were Jon Hiseman on drums and Mark Clarke on bass. They released two studio albums before breaking up.-Band biography:...
. After less than a year, he quit and did numerous sessions including a track for Kevin Ayers
Kevin Ayers
Kevin Ayers is an English singer-songwriter and was a major influential force in the English psychedelic movement...
which this led to a permanent position in Ayers' band The Soporifics.
In 1975, Patto staged a brief reunion comprising just three benefit gigs. The reuniting of Halsall and Patto sparked the formation of Boxer
Boxer (band)
Boxer was a rock band formed by keyboardist Mike Patto and guitarist Ollie Halsall in 1975. They signed to Virgin and three albums followed , Below the Belt , Absolutely and Bloodletting , which also featured Bobby Tench and Boz Burrell...
during 1975. Boxer never reached its true potential, as Mike Patto
Mike Patto
Mike Patto , is primarily notable as lead singer for Spooky Tooth and Boxer.-History:...
died in 1979 during the mid term of their contractual obligations to the Virgin
Virgin Records
Virgin Records is a British record label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, Simon Draper, and Nik Powell in 1972. The company grew to be a worldwide music phenomenon, with platinum performers such as Roy Orbison, Devo, Genesis, Keith Richards, Janet Jackson, Culture Club, Lenny...
record label and are best remembered for their debut album Below The Belt
Boxer (band)
Boxer was a rock band formed by keyboardist Mike Patto and guitarist Ollie Halsall in 1975. They signed to Virgin and three albums followed , Below the Belt , Absolutely and Bloodletting , which also featured Bobby Tench and Boz Burrell...
and its controversial sleeve design.
Probably the best known recording of Halsall is his work on the album The Rutles
The Rutles (soundtrack)
The Rutles is a soundtrack album to the 1978 telemovie All You Need Is Cash. The album contains over 14 of the tongue-in-cheek, pastiches of Beatles' songs that were featured in the film....
(1978), on which he plays many of the instruments and provides backing and lead vocals, most notably on the tracks "Doubleback Alley", "With a Girl Like You" and "Get Up and Go". Eric Idle
Eric Idle
Eric Idle is an English comedian, actor, author, singer, writer, and comedic composer. He was as a member of the British comedy group Monty Python, a member of the The Rutles on Saturday Night Live and author of the play, Spamalot....
was cast in his place in the accompanying film and Halsall only featured as a very minor cameo role as Leppo, the fifth Rutle who became lost in Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
.
During 1976 Halsall had rejoined Ayers with whom he stayed for the next sixteen years. In 1989, he replaced ill Enrique Sierra of Radio Futura
Radio Futura
Radio Futura was a Spanish pop rock group. They rose to become one of the most popular bands in Spain during the 1980s and early 1990s. In 1989 they were voted the best Spanish act of the 80s.-The beginnings:...
, a Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
rock band.
A finished solo album remains unreleased - produced by Robert Fripp
Robert Fripp
Robert Fripp is an English guitarist, composer and record producer. He was ranked 42nd on Rolling Stone magazine's 2003 list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time" and #47 on Gibson.com’s "Top 50 Guitarists of All Time". Among rock guitarists, Fripp is a master of crosspicking, a technique...
.
Halsall died from a heroin overdose on 29 May 1992 at 13 Calle de la Amargura, Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
.
Discography
with Mike PattoMike Patto
Mike Patto , is primarily notable as lead singer for Spooky Tooth and Boxer.-History:...
- 1967-69 The Deram Anthology (as TimeboxTimebox (band)Timebox, formed in October 1965, in Southport, Lancashire, was a 1960s psychedelic pop band, that developed from a complicated ancestry.-Career:...
) - 1970 Patto (as PattoPattoPatto was a progressive jazz-rock band formed in England in 1970 by vocalist Mike Patto with a lineup taken from Timebox consisting of vocalist Patto, drummer John Halsey, guitarist and vibraphone player Ollie Halsall and bassist Clive Griffiths....
) - 1971 Hold Your Fire (as Patto)
- 1972 Roll Em, Smoke Em, Put Another Line Out (as Patto)
- 1975 Below the Belt (as BoxerBoxer (band)Boxer was a rock band formed by keyboardist Mike Patto and guitarist Ollie Halsall in 1975. They signed to Virgin and three albums followed , Below the Belt , Absolutely and Bloodletting , which also featured Bobby Tench and Boz Burrell...
) - 1979 Bloodletting (as Boxer)
with Kevin Ayers
Kevin Ayers
Kevin Ayers is an English singer-songwriter and was a major influential force in the English psychedelic movement...
- 1974 The Confessions of Dr. Dream and Other Stories
- 1974 June 1, 1974 (with NicoNicoNico was a German singer, lyricist, composer, musician, fashion model, and actress, who initially rose to fame as a Warhol Superstar in the 1960s...
, John CaleJohn CaleJohn Davies Cale, OBE is a Welsh musician, composer, singer-songwriter and record producer who was a founding member of the experimental rock band The Velvet Underground....
and Brian EnoBrian EnoBrian Peter George St. John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno , commonly known as Brian Eno or simply as Eno , is an English musician, composer, record producer, singer and visual artist, known as one of the principal innovators of ambient music.Eno studied at Colchester Institute art school in Essex,...
) - 1975 Sweet Deceiver
- 1976 Yes We Have No Mañanas (So Get Your Mañanas Today)
- 1978 Rainbow Takeaway
- 1980 That's What You Get Babe
- 1983 Diamond Jack and the Queen of Pain
- 1984 Deià...Vu
- 1986 As Close As You Think
- 1988 Falling Up
- 1992 Still Life with Guitar
Other Albums
- 1972 Tempest (as TempestTempest (UK band)Tempest was a British progressive rock band active from 1973 and 1974. Its core members were Jon Hiseman on drums and Mark Clarke on bass. They released two studio albums before breaking up.-Band biography:...
) - 1973 Living in Fear (as Tempest)
- 1996 The Rutles Archaeology (as The RutlesThe RutlesThe Rutles are a band that are known for their visual and aural pastiches and parodies of The Beatles. Originally created by Eric Idle and Neil Innes as a fictional band to be featured as part of various 1970s television programming, the group recorded, toured, and released two UK chart hits in...
)