Des Champ

Des Champ
Birth name	Desmond Herbert Champ
Born	(1928-07-09)9 July 1928 London, England
Died	7 June 2006(2006-06-07) (aged 77) London, England
Genres	Rock, pop, electronic
Occupation(s)	Musician, bandleader, producer, arranger
Instrument	Piano
Years active	1965–95
Labels	Santa Ponsa

Des Champ (9 July 1928 – 7 June 2006 in London, England) was a musician, bandleader, producer, and arranger.

In a musical career lasting over 35 years, Des gained notoriety in the British music business for his ground-breaking production and arrangement work in collaboration with partner Roger Easterby. Des first achieved chart success with Vanity Fare, whose "Hitchin' a Ride" sold a million copies in the US alone, but his most notable pop achievement was with glam-rock band Chicory Tip, whose "Son of My Father" featured a Moog synthesizer (a relatively obscure instrument at the time). "Son of My Father" went on to top the UK pop music charts for three weeks in early 1972 and was a seminal influence on 1980s synthesizer bands like ABC. Later in his career, Des worked as musical director for Shirley Bassey, 5000 Volts, and Tony Monopoly, before finally taking a regular day job with the Orchestration Department at BBC Radio Two.

He died of cancer on 7 June 2006 in London.

Discography

Year	Title
1972	"Son of My Father"

External links

• Des Champ discography at Discogs
• Shirley and Johnny website
• The Bedside Bond Album