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  Brian
Auger's Biography
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BRIAN AUGER was born in London, England, on July 18,
1939, where, at the age of three he began to play piano.
Brian's father James, was a music lover and kept a pianola
and a cupboard full of piano rolls covering a wide range
of classical composers, well known operas, songs from
the popular musical shows of the 1920s and 1930s and
Ragtime.
Brian learned to play by copying the melodies and playing
along with the tunes. Brian's eldest brother was an
avid jazz fan, so Brian grew up listening to the sounds
of Duke Ellington, Lionel Hampton, Fats Waller, Louis
Amstrong, Count Basie, Oscar Peterson, and many other
great American jazz giants. His Passion for jazz began
to develop at an early age. "Fortunately,"
says Brian, "my parents did not force me to take
piano lessons, but rather allowed me to work things
out for myself."
Out of this rich musical environment, emerget the legend
of Brian Auger, who, with singer Julie Driscoll in the
late 1960s pioneered a new form of music, opening up
for us for the first time in 1968 at the Montreux and
Berlin Jazz Festivals to "Jazz Fusion", as
it is now called.
Brian became a professional musician in London in 1963,
having formed the Brian Auger Trio 1962, which, by 1964,
had been enlarged into the five-piece Brian Auger Trinity.
Also in 1964, he won the Melody Maker Jazz Piano Poll
and was voted the Best New Jazz Artist. In 1965, Brian
began to play organ.
The Brian Auger Trinity evolved into "Steampacket"
in 1966, a budding blues supergroup that included Long
John Baldry, Rod Steward and Julie Driscoll; this band
gave him a chance to cover a wide range of rock, rythm
and blues and jazz material. After nearly two years
with "Steampacket", he broke away to form
the a new Brian Auger Trinity, along with Julie Driscoll,
and this band produced the three extraordinay albums:
"OPEN" (1967), "DEFINITELY WHAT"
(1968), and "STREETNOISE" (1969), to great
acclaim. The music bridged the gap between the rock
and jazz scenes and is now generally accepted as the
first successful jazz-rock or jazz-fusion music, and
Brian and Julie developed an international cult following
which has never diminished.
In 1970, Julie retired from the scene and Brian started
"Oblivion Express", after dissolving Trinity.
He was looking for something new, and, in his own words:
"... wanted to clear the slate and start once more."
The list of musicians who worked in the "Express"
at different times is extraordinary: Robbie McIntosh
of A.W.B.; Jim Mullen of Mullen-Morrissey Band and Peter
Brown's Piblokto; Clive Chaman of The Jeff Beck Group;
Steve Ferrone of A.W.B., Chaka Khan, George Benson,
Phil Collins and Eric Clapton; Alex Ligertwood of Santana;
Lenny White of Chick Corea's Return to Forever, etc.
In 1973, the "CLOSER TO IT" album, produced
by Brian in London, broke into Billboard Rock, Rhythm
& Blues, and Jazz Charts simultaneously, and toured
with a band that drew half black, half white audiences...
The term "Crossover Artists" began to appear.
There followed a string of five hit albums on theRCA
Label in America and extensive tours, then in 1975 Brian
went to San Francisco to live.
In 1976 and 1977, the American public voted Brian number
one Jazz Organist in the world in the prestigious, "Contemporany
Keyboard Magazine". In 1977, he signed to Warner
Brothers and made two albums for the label, the second
a reunion with Julie Driscoll (now Julie Tippett) called
"ENCORE". The Washington Post said of "ENCORE":
"This is an indispensable addition to every jazz-fusion
library".
In 1978, although requested to make another album, Brian
left the label and stopped touring to spend some time
with his family as well as study music at a San Francisco
College. The constant demands of touring and recording
had exhausted him.
His next album "PLANET EARTH CALLING", was released
only in america on the Headfirst label (MCA) and was
nominated for a Grammy as "Best Rock Instrumental Album",
it was number three on "Radio and Records Jazz Chart".
It also happens to be a particular favorite of Auger
himself, who commented that... "Planet Earth Calling
is the closest I've ever come to getting a solo down
exactly the way I wanted it. Even though I've recorded
for many years, some solos don't come out like those
out on the road. When you've been out on the road playing
live for a couple of months, you start ripping off solos
that leave you saying, 'God, if we could ever get this
down on tape!' That solo on "Planet Eart Calling" is
me with the Hammond organ in full flight!"
In 1983, after an absence of eight years, Brian returned
to Europe and began to work on "HERE AND NOW" featuring
Brian's blazing Hammond amid fiery vocals and the modern
sounds of the Fairlight, Roland, and Korg Synthesizers.
1984 through 1987 saw Brian touring extensively in Europe,
particulary in England, West Germany, Italy, Switzerland,
Austria and Scandinavia. He madea numerous TV appearances
in those countries including the "Montreux Jazz Festival"
(1987) and a six-part TV series, "Superdrumming" for
Sud Deutsche Rundfunk in Stuttgart in the company of
Louie Bellson, Ian Pace of Deep Purple, Cozy Powell
of E.L.P., Gerry Brown (Larry Coryell/Lionel Richie),
Simon Phillips (Mick Jagger), Pete York (Spencer Davis
Group) and many others.
Brian has released two compact discs in the West German,
Swiss and Austrian markets. His album "HERE AND NOW"
was released in January 1987 in the American and Canadian
markets, and in August 1987, the album "PLANET EARTH
CALLING" was released as a compact disc. Brian completed
a new album, "KEYS TO THE HEART", for worldwide release
in 1988, and future projects include more TV in West
Germany and Educational Video on his style of playing
and explaining his approach to the new technology.
In 1989, aside from a heavy U.S. and European touring
schedule, Brian was Musical Director, Arranger and Composed
music for a third "Superdrumming" series for Sud Deutsche
Rundfunk, featuring tap dance legends the Clark Brothers,
(Duke Ellington, Count Basie, etc.), Ed Thigpen (Oscar
Peterson Trio), John Hiseman (Colosseum), Ian Pace (Deep
Purple), Mark Brezicki (The Who), and the great Steve
Ferrone (Eric Clapton). An album and CD from the series
were released in 1989.
In 1990 Brian was Musical Director for the thirteen-part
film retrospective series "Villa Fantastica", made for
German TV. A CD of the series "Super Jam" features Brian
on Piano with singer Maria Muldaur.
Also in 1990 Eric Burdon asked Brian to co-operate with
him and organize the Eric Burdon-Brian Auger Band. The
band was a great success worldwide thorughout 1991 and
1992. Eric and Brian released a double CD in 1993 entitled
"ACCESS ALL AREAS" - THE ERIC BURDON BRIAN AUGER BAND
LIVE, produced by Brian. Brian recovered ten masters
from his "OBLIVION EXPRESS" recordings, and they were
released on CD for the first time in 1994. The ERIC
BURDON BRIAN AUGER BAND also had an extensive touring
roster, worldwide, in 1994. Brian will be forming a
new "OBLIVION EXPRESS" with a new album featuring the
new band and looking to tours in Europe, The United
Kingdom and Australia.
Brian Auger's contribution to music has been considerable,
someone who has demonstrated a rare devotion and dedication
and who has always been prepared to make sacrifices
for what he believed was right. Today, and perhaps belatedly,
he is finally acknowledged as one of the most considerable
influences in the development of new musical forms,
based upon the fusion of two elements, pop and jazz.
-J.SOLEY
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