Pip Pyle
Phillip "Pip" Pyle (4 April 1950 - 28 August 2006) was an English-born
drummer from Sawbridgeworth, Hertfordshire,
who later resided in France. He is best known for his work in the progressive
rock bands Hatfield and the North and National
Health.
Biography
Pyle joined Phil Miller, a friend from kindergarten,
and Phil's brother Steve in forming
Bruno's Blues Band, which rapidly evolved into Delivery.
However, Pyle left the band in 1970 after arguing with singer Carol
Grimes. He briefly played in blues band Chicken
Shack and Khan.
In 1971, drummer Robert Wyatt asked Pyle to
play instead of him on one track of Daevid Allen's solo album Banana
Moon. From this, Pyle joined Allen in Gong.
While only in the band for 8 months, Pyle plays on both Camembert
Électrique and Continental Circus. Pyle
was replaced by Laurie Allan, but rejoined
Gong for a period in the 1990s.
In 1972, Pyle worked with Paul Jones (who had
been singing with Manfred Mann), before founding Hatfield
and the North with the Miller brothers in 1972. Steve Miller was soon
replaced in the band and the line-up eventually settled on Pyle, Phil
Miller, Richard Sinclair and Dave Stewart. Hatfield
and the North was released in 1974, while a second album, The
Rotters' Club, followed the next year. As well as drumming,
Pyle wrote many of the band's lyrics.
Following Hatfield, Pyle joined Miller and Stewart in National
Health as well as playing in other projects, including Soft
Heap with Hugh Hopper, Elton Dean
and Alan
Gowen. He also played on Neil's Heavy Concept Album
(1984), a spin-off from the television series The Young Ones
with which Stewart was involved.
In 1984, Pyle met Sophia Domancich and the two had a
relationship for many years. Pyle also started his own band, Pip Pyle's
Equip'Out, including Domancich. Equip'Out released Equip'Out,
Up! and Instants. He released
one solo album, Seven Year Itch, in 1998 with
guests including Miller, Sinclair, Stewart, Dean (Saxello),
Hopper (bass), Jakko Jakszyk, Barbara
Gaskin, John Greaves (vocals), François
Ovide, Fred T. Baker (bass), Paul Rogers
(double bass), Lydia Domancich (piano, Sophia's
sister) and Didier Malherbe (alto sax). Pyle
also played in Miller's band In Cahoots from 1982 to 2001,
appearing on Cutting Both Ways, Split
Seconds, Live 86-89, Live in
Japan, Recent Discoveries, Parallel
and Out of the Blue.
His last projects were his group Bash!, featuring the French
guitarist Patrice Meyer, Fred
Baker on bass and Alex Maguire on keyboards, and a
Hatfield and the North reunion (also with Maguire). Bash! released the
live album Belle Illusion (Cuneiform
Records), but only played five live shows in total, finding it
difficult to attract interest from venues.
In 2005 Pyle joined Phil Miller and Richard Sinclair in a
Hatfield and the North reformation, with Alex Maguire handling the
keyboards. On January 29th, all three were reunited for the first time
in 15 years when Pyle sat in with the Richard Sinclair Band for a few
old numbers ("Above And Below", "Share It", "Halfway Between Heaven And
Earth" and "Didn't Matter Anyway") during a gig at Whitstable's
Horsebrdige Arts Centre. The rejuvenated Hatfield made its official
live debut on March 18th, 2005 at the Mean Fiddler in London, and a
brief tour of Europe followed in June. More international touring
followed in 2005-06, including dates in Japan, Mexico, the USA and
Europe. On August 26th Pyle played his last gig in Groningen, The
Netherlands. He died in a Paris hotel early in the morning of August
28th shortly after returning to France.
Pip had six children, Sam, Alice, Jo Jo, Kizzy, Jack and his
youngest, Tom (born 2002).
Chronology
- 1966 - 1971 Delivery
- 1971 - 1971 Gong
- 1972 - 1975 Hatfield and the North
- 1975 - 1976 The Weightwatchers (with Elton Dean
and Keith Tippett)
- 1977 - 1983 National Health
- 1977 - 1988 Soft Heap
- 1982 - 2002 In Cahoots
- 1984 - 1995 Pip Pyle's Equip'Out
- 1992 - 1996 Gong reformed
- 1991 - 1996 Short Wave
- 1998 - 2006 Absolute Zero
- 2002 - 2006 Pip Pyle's Bash!
- 2005 - 2006 Hatfield and the North reformed
Sources/External links
