AS TOLD TO BC PIRES
My name is Richard Bailey and I play drums!
One of the musicians I played with was Jeff Beck, who just died. A lot of people still know me today from Jeff’s biggest album.
I don’t go to work. I go to play.
My dad, the athlete, McDonald Bailey was from Trinidad. My mum, Doris, was English. And I happen to be born in Guyana, where Dad was working at the time. But I grew up in Trinidad. I don’t really remember or have any connection with Guyana. Dad’s still in the Guinness Book of Records with I think 14 AA records in a row.
My brother, Robert, is also a musician. He was a founder-member of the band, Osibisa. Andre Tanker was also my brother-in-law. His widow, Christine, is my sister. My cousin, Selwyn Taradath was a founder-member of Phase II. My father had a good ear but he could only play one piano tune: Sweet Georgia Brown. My 26-year-old daughter, Tanya, is a singer herself.
I live in London, England. When I was 12, my family moved to London and, for music and work, it’s a good place to be.
I’ve been playing drums since I can remember, from a child. I actually left school to play drums at age 15. I told my father, “O’levels won’t make me play a better beat”. But I wasn’t doing my work, so I wouldn’t have got the O’levels anyhow.
My parents were supportive. Obviously, they pushed me to go to school but they didn’t insist. They knew where I was going and didn’t stop me. Well, they couldn’t – but it was nice that they didn’t.
I’ve played Madison Square Garden with Steve Winwood and Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers. The biggest name was Bob Marley, I suppose. I toured England and America with him when I was 16. We were in Johnny Nash’s band and Bob and Johnny were writing, so we all travelled and played together.
I played 16 years in a row for Phase II Pan Groove at Panorama. My own band, the Breakfast Band, was also a big part of my life. Our biggest hit was LA 14. Our keyboard player, James Lascelles, was a member of the British Royal Family, something like 26th in line for the throne. And for 16 years, I was with (English acid jazz funk band) Incognito. And I still tour with (Eric Clapton, Traffic and Blind Faith keyboardist/guitarist/singer Steve Winwood).
[caption id="attachment_997248" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Richard Bailey - Mark Lyndersay[/caption]
People loved my playing on Jeff Beck’s Blow by Blow, the first big album I did. I was 18 going on 19. But that was totally free playing. I played whatever I wanted, rearranged how I liked and it was very sweet. That was me being me. If I did what I did on Blow by Blow now, the producer would say, “No, no, keep it straight!”
Jeff asked me to go on tour with Blow by Blow and I said no. I wanted to start getting myself together. And I didn’t know it was going to be the biggest album, used in US music schools to teach fusion drumming. Mistake? B
