Peter Bardens
- FaceOff - עימות חזיתי
- Jun 19
- 3 min read
Here are some Interesting facts about keyboardist and a founding member of "Camel" Peter Bardens:
(Photo: Ueli Frey)
= He was born June 19, 1945, in Westminster, London, to Marie Marks and writer Dennis Bardens.
= He grew up in Notting Hill, London and studied fine art at the Byam Shaw School of Art.
= Bardens learned to play piano, later inspired by Jimmy Smith to switch to Hammond organ.
= He joined "The Cheynes" in the early 1960s.
= Bardens played briefly with "Them" in 1965, alongside Van Morrison.
= He formed "The Peter B’s" in 1966 and released the instrumental single “If You Wanna Be Happy” b/w “Jodrell Blues.”
= Evolved the group into "Peter B’s Looners", later becoming "Shotgun Express" a band that played soul music and featured Rod Stewart, Peter Green, and Mick Fleetwood.
= Later Mick Fleetwood will say that Bardens helped launch his musical career.
= From 1968–1970, Bardens led "The Village" with bassist Bruce Thomas and drummer Bill Porter. They released “Man in the Moon” b/w “Long Time Coming.”
= In 1970 Bardens released his debut solo album "The Answer", featuring Peter Green and Andy Gee.
= In 1971 he released his second solo album "Peter Bardens" (aka in the US "Write My Name in the Dust").
= In 1972 Bardens co-founded the progressive rock band "Camel" with Andrew Latimer.
= "Camel" released their debut album, "Camel" in 1973 and wrote tracks like "Mystic Queen" and "Arubaluba".
= Bardens continued to contribute to "Camel" albums: "Mirage" (1974), "The Snow Goose" (1975), "Moonmadness" (1976), "Rain Dances" (1977) and "Breathless" (1978), his final album with the band.
= He Left "Camel" in 1978 due to musical differences.
= Bardens also contributed to "Camel's" live albums "Greasy Truckers" (1974), "A Live Record" (1978), and later "Pressure Points" (1984).
= He joined Van Morrison's band and recorded on "Wavelength" (1978), then toured as part of Morrison’s live lineup.
= Bardens released solo album "Heart to Heart" in 1979, exploring electronic and synth-based music.
= He co-wrote “Looking for a Good Time” with Bobby Tench, released as B-side to “Chain Gang” in 1982, which was recorded as a tribute to Sam Cooke.
= Bardens contributed to "The Alan Parsons Project" in the early 1980s and joined short-lived Alan Parsons-related project - "Keats" in 1984 releasing one album.
= He released the single “Solo” with the band "Solo" in 1985 and in 1986 he produced a Leo Sayer version of the song.
= Released "Seen One Earth" in 1987. featuring the single “In Dreams” that received heavy radio play in the U.S. and Australia.
= In 1988 he released "Speed of Light", featuring Mick Fleetwood and Simon Drake. The single “Gold” was released from the album and appeared on MTV.
= Bardens continues to release the solo albums "Water Colours" (1991), "Further Than You Know" (1993), "Big Sky" (1994).
= In 1994 Bardens formed "Mirage" with Andy Ward and ex-Caravan members. They toured in Europe. He later created a U.S. version of "Mirage" in 1996 and toured again in the U.S.
= Bardens' final concert took place in summer 2001 in Los Angeles, with guests including Mick Fleetwood, John Mayall, John McVie, Sheila E., and Ben Harper.
= He was diagnosed with a brain tumor in 2001 and died of lung cancer on January 22, 2002, in Malibu, California, at age 56.
= After his death, in 2002, his album "The Art of Levitation" was released.
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