Sky (English/Australian band)

This article is about the prominent British musical group named "Sky". For other uses, see Sky (disambiguation).

Sky was a British instrumental group that specialised in fusing a variety of musical styles including light rock, progressive rock, classical and jazz. The group's best known members were classical guitarist John Williams, bass player Herbie Flowers (a former member of Blue Mink and T.Rex), and Francis Monkman, a founder member of progressive rock band Curved Air.

History

Formation

The seeds of what would become Sky began in 1971 when John Williams - already a world-famous classical guitarist - released Changes, his first recording of non-classical music (and the first on which he played electric guitar). Among the musicians working on the album were Herbie Flowers and Tristan Fry (the latter an established session drummer who was also the timpanist for the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields). The three musicians became friends, kept in touch and continued working together on various projects. Fry and Flowers (along with Francis Monkman, a harpsichord player best known for being a founder member of the progressive rock/fusion band Curved Air) were performers on Williams' 1978 album Travelling, another cross-genre recording which was a substantial commercial success.

The success of Travelling inspired Williams and Flowers to set up their own long-term cross-genre band. Fry and Monkman were swiftly recruited, and the first Sky lineup was completed with the addition of the versatile Australian session guitarist Kevin Peek. Peek was equally adept at classical guitar and pop/rock styles, having built up a reputation both as a chamber musician and as a long-standing member of Cliff Richard's band (as well as for Manfred Mann, Lulu, Tom Jones, Jeff Wayne, Shirley Bassey and Gary Glitter). The band began writing and recording instrumental music drawing on their collective experience of classical, light pop, progressive rock, light entertainment and jazz. After a protracted search for a record company, Sky eventually signed with the small European label Ariola Records.

First two albums; Sky and Sky 2: 1978-1980

Sky's self-titled debut album (released in 1979) was highly successful in Britain and Australia, quickly reaching gold record status and eventually topping out as a platinum record. Although the band was run democratically, and all members contributed music and/or arrangements, the presence of John Williams in the lineup was regarded as the band's biggest selling point (and was emphasised in publicity). Williams' concurrent solo instrumental hit - "Cavatina - Theme from The Deer Hunter" - also helped to raise the band's profile. However, this was counterbalanced by some negative reviews from critics accustomed to Williams' classical performances, who remained unimpressed by his new direction with Sky. The band toured the UK in summer and autumn 1979, particular triumphs being sold-out concerts at the Royal Albert Hall and the Dominion Theatre in London (the latter a five-night sellout).

In 1980, Sky recorded and released their second album, Sky 2 - a double album which repeated on and built upon its predecessor's success (becoming the tenth highest selling album in Britain that year). The album included Monkman's side-long rock suite "FIFO" (a piece inspired by computer processing, on which Monkman played electric guitar in addition to keyboards) and four classical pieces including three established chamber music pieces (played entirely straight) and the band's souped-up electric treatment of Bach's "Toccata and Fugue in D Minor". The latter was released as a single (under the name of "Toccata") and reached number 5 in the national pop charts, giving the band the opportunity of performing on Top Of The Pops.

First lineup change and Sky 3: 1980-1981

Following further tours of Australia and the UK, Francis Monkman left the band in 1980 to concentrate on his own projects (having scored a great success with his soundtrack to the film The Long Good Friday). The split was entirely amicable and the band had no doubts about carrying on, despite the fact that Monkman had been Sky's most prominent original composer and arranger. The keyboard player's role was quickly filled by Steve Gray, another established session musician and a former member of Back Door and Wasp. Gray was also able to take the band towards a more jazz-influenced sound (drawing on his further experience as a piano player with Quincy Jones, Henry Mancini, Michel Legrand, Lalo Schifrin, Peggy Lee, Sammy Davis Jr and John Barry).

Gray joined the band in time for their first European tour, followed by another UK tour and (on 24 February 1981) the "Sky at Westminster Abbey" concert. This had been conceived by the British producer Martin Lewis and was the first-ever rock concert held at the Abbey. It was videotaped for a BBC TV special and subsequently released on home video and laserdisc. The concert was a benefit for the human rights organization Amnesty International and commemorated the organization's 20th anniversary. The landmark event resulted in Sky receiving considerable positive media coverage. The Westminster Abbey concert was also the launch event for the band's third album, Sky3, a generally brighter and breezier album than its predecessors. The band toured Australia, Europe and the UK in support of the release.

Sky 4 Forthcoming and Sky Five Live: 1982-83

The fourth Sky album - Sky 4 Forthcoming - was released in March 1982. This was Sky's first album to feature no original material. It consisted predominantly of arrangements of classical compositions (with the exception of a version of Hoagy Carmichael's "Skylark" and a band-composed variation on Adam de la Halle's ballet score for "My Giselle") and was marketed under the slogan "Genius Past, Genius Forthcoming". Music on the album included Sky treatments of pieces such as Berlioz's "March To The Scaffold" and Wagner's "Ride Of The Valkyries" (the latter was later dismissed by Flowers as having been an in-joke). Once again, the band toured the UK and Australia to promote the album (and followed this up with trips to Europe and Japan). The Australian autumn tour featured the debut of plenty of new material, much of which was included on the live double album Sky Five Live released in January 1983.

Cadmium and departure of John Williams: 1983-1984

Sky released their sixth album Cadmium in December 1983. The album contents were a mixture of Sky traditions and new elements - it contained a classical-rock arrangement of Prokofiev's "Sleigh Ride" (from the "Lieutenant Kijé Suite"), alongside seven original compositions and the first examples of commissioned compositions from contemporary writers from outside the band (in this case, Kevin Peek's old friend and fellow Cliff Richard collaborator Alan Tarney, who provided two original tunes for the band to interpret). Two concerts at the Theatre Royal, London were filmed and broadcast on Christmas Eve, 1983, with songwriter and singer-songwriter Patrick Ros as special guest. Ros provided three seasonal compositions of his own on which he was backed by the band.

In February 1984, John Williams parted company with Sky, returning to a full-time classical career. As with Monkman, the split was amicable and all musicians remained friends. Williams had previously hinted that his work with Sky had been intended as a five-year stint. Regardless of the circumstances of the split, Williams' departure damaged Sky's profile, as he had remained the band's biggest star and live draw despite their efforts to present themselves as a partnership of equals.

Sky "plus guests" and The Great Balloon Race: 1984

Sky opted not to recruit a permanent replacement for Williams. Instead, the band remained as a quartet, working with a succession of guest musicians. The first of these was former Yes keyboard player Rick Wakeman, who joined the band on their Australian tour of early 1984. Guests for the 1984 summer tour of the UK were woodwind player Ron Aspery (Steve Gray's former mentor in Back Door and the Middlesbrough Municipal Junior Orchestra) and session guitarist Lee Fothergill. 1984 also saw the release of a stopgap "greatest hits" compilation called Masterpieces, released on mass-media label Telstar (and featuring a previously-unreleased live version of the Beatles song "Fool On The Hill", performed as a classical guitar duet by Williams and Peek).

In September 1984, Sky began recording their seventh album - The Great Balloon Race - in Kevin Peek's Tracks Studio in Western Australia. This album was the first Sky album to feature entirely original material without any classical content (although two pieces, "Allegro" and "Caldando" were strongly classically-inspired). Guest included Ron Aspery, Lee Fothergill, pan-pipe player Adrian Brett and former Jeff Beck Band keyboard player Tony Hymas (who contributed the unusual semi-spoken album opener "Desperate For Your Love").

The band were dropped by Ariola Records while The Great Balloon Race was being mixed. The album was eventually released on Epic Records (who were also the label releasing John Williams' albums). Despite some favourable reviews, the album sales were significantly lower than on previous occasions. Sky toured the UK - this time with Rolling Stones keyboard player Nicky Hopkins and multi-instrumentalist Paul Hart (a former composer for the National Youth Jazz Orchestra who'd also played bass guitar for John Dankworth and both violin and piano for Cleo Laine). Significantly, the band found themselves playing to smaller audiences than on previous tours.

Mozart album: 1987

Sky returned in late 1987 with the Mozart album, which united the band with the orchestra of the Academy of St Martin in the Fields. The project was initiated by Tristan Fry (due to his parallel work with both band and orchestra) and was inspired by the bicentenary of Mozart's death. The album contained full orchestral performances of Mozart's work with Sky incorporated into the arrangements (most of which were written by Steve Gray). The band and orchestra (with Paul Hart returning as guest musician) promoted the album with a one-off concert at the Royal Albert Hall on 1 November 1987. The Mozart project was roundly panned and dismissed by the press (although the album was ultimately Sky's most successful album in the United States) and the band took another two years off before returning again.

Final years: 1990-1995

A second compilation album - Classic Sky - was released in 1990. The band played a one-off concert at the London Palladium in the same year (the first to feature Paul Hart as a full band member) and recorded a TV concert in early 1991. New compositions by Peek, Gray and Hart were premiered but apparently never recorded in the studio. The concert was released on DVD and later on CD as Live In Nottingham.

In 1991, Kevin Peek became the next member of the band to depart. A full-time resident of Australia since 1982 and busy with multiple recording projects at Tracks Studio (all of which inhibited his practical ability to spend time in the UK working with Sky), he no longer believed that he had enough time to commit to the band. Peek was replaced by classical/cross-discipline guitarist Richard Durrant (an associate of Herbie Flowers), who joined the band in 1992. The band relaunched themselves with a comeback concert in September 1992 at the Barbican, London.

Sky toured the UK again during spring 1993, playing notably smaller venues than they had in the 1980s. The last performance by Sky was at an RAF tribute concert in May 1995. Although Sky never formally disbanded (and a 2003 concert programme still listed Tristan Fry as being an ongoing Sky member), the band has not returned to active recording and performance.

Post-Sky work by various members

Individual work

Herbie Flowers continues to work as a high-profile session musician and has collaborated with Jools Holland, Clannad, Mike Hatchard and Paul McCartney. He has also branched out as a light entertainment raconteur.

Tristan Fry still works with the Orchestra of the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, as well as the Tristan Fry Percussion Ensemble.

Since leaving Sky in 1980, Francis Monkman has divided his time between experimental rock music and classical music recordings of solo keyboard work (generally harpsichord or church organ).

Following his own departure from Sky in 1984, John Williams has continued his career as one of the world's leading classical guitarists.

After leaving Sky in 1991, Kevin Peek continued to work as a musician and producer in Australia, despite financial misfortunes (since his departure from the band he has suffered two bankruptcies, the first of which resulted in a three-year prison sentence). In 2010 he was linked to a 'Ponzi' style investment scheme.

Following Sky's retirement in 1995, Steve Gray continued his career as a respected composer (which he had been carrying out in parallel to his work with Sky). His compositions include two operas, a requiem mass for jazz big band and choir, a guitar concerto and a piano concerto written for French jazz pianist Martial Solal. He also provided a full orchestration of the works of Brian Eno (in collaboration with the original composer). From 1991, he worked closely with the North German Radio (NDR) Big Band in Hamburg (at the invitation of singer and composer Norma Winstone) and from 1998 he worked as guest professor of composition and arrangement in the Hanns Eisler jazz department of Berlin Hochschule für Musik. Steve Gray died (aged 64) on September 20, 2008.

Paul Hart went on to a career in film, television and commercial music and has written concert music for the London Symphony Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and The King’s Singers. His Concerto for Classical Guitar and Jazz Orchestra was revived for performance in 2008 by the Towson University Jazz Orchestra and guitarist Michael Decker.

Richard Durrant has continued to develop his career as a classical guitarist, as well as composing film and television music and working as a record producer (notably for the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain). He is the founder of the acoustic record label LongMan Records.

Duos and other collaborations

Richard Durrant and Herbie Flowers are frequent collaborators on various musical projects. Their latest collaboration is a trio with former Gentle Giant drummer Malcolm Mortimore.

In 1988, John Williams and the London Symphony Orchestra commissioned and performed a guitar concerto by Steve Gray.

Reissues

In 1993, the band's first five albums were released on CD.

In 2001, the band began a reissue programme of their back catalogue on Sanctuary Records.

In 2005, Quantum Leap released the Sky Live in Bremen DVD, a live recording of the band's first (unofficial) concert.

Band members

• Herbie Flowers - bass guitar, double-bass, tuba (1978–1995)
• Tristan Fry - drums, percussion, occasional trumpet (1978–1995 - still listed as active band member in 2003) (born c 1941, in England).
• John Williams - acoustic and electric guitars (1978–1984)
• Kevin Peek - electric and acoustic guitars (1978–1991) (born in 1947, in Adelaide, South Australia, Australia).
• Francis Monkman - harpsichord, synthesisers, church organ, occasional electric guitar (1978–1980)
• Steve Gray - keyboards, occasional saxophone (1981–1995) - (born 10 April 1944, in Middlesbrough, Yorkshire, England died 20 September 2008).
• Paul Hart - keyboards, guitars, mandolin, cello, etc. (1984–1995)
• Richard Durrant - acoustic and electric guitars (1992–1995)

Albums

Studio albums

Released	Album	Singles
1979	Sky	"Cannonball" "Carillon"
1980	Sky 2	"Toccatta"
1981	Sky 3
1982	Sky 4 Forthcoming	"Masquerade" "My Giselle"
1984	Cadmium	"Troika"
1985	The Great Balloon Race	"Desperate For Your Love" "Night Sky"
1987	Mozart	"Marriage Of Figaro: Overture"

Live albums

Released	Album	Singles
1983	Sky Five Live	"The Animals Pt 1"
2001	Live In Nottingham

Non-album singles

Released	A Side	B Side
1980	"Dies Irae"	"March To The Scaffold"
1984	"Fool On The Hill"	"The Spirit"

"Dies Irae" was included on the Music Club Edition of the Sky album. "March To The Scaffold" is an earlier recording than the version which appeared on Sky 4 Forthcoming.

Video releases

• Sky In Bremen - Credited as 1980 but recorded in 1979, released 2005 (Quantum)(DVD)
• Sky At Westminster Abbey - 1982 - BBC Video (BBCV 3017) (VHS, in mono) / (BBCV 3017L) (Laserdisc, in stereo)
• Live In Nottingham - Recorded 1991, released 2001 (Classic Rock Legends)(DVD)

External links

• Richard Sliwa's comprehensive unofficial Sky website
• Sky discography at Discogs