Mel Pritchard

Melvyn Paul " Mel" Pritchard ( born January 20, 1948 in Oldham, Lancashire, England; † January 28, 2004 in Greenfield, Saddleworth, England ) was a British musician, songwriter and drummer, who as founder and member of the British progressive rock band Barclay James Harvest ( BJH ) was known.

Biography

Barclay James Harvest ( BJH )

Pritchard met at pre-school age to his later school and BJH colleagues Les Holroyd and started a " percussion " to play, as he abmachte of his father Ukulelenbanjo the strings and then wrestled on the ensemble as a child. With Holroyd, he founded the school band Heart And Soul And The Wickeds, usually called just (The) Wickeds. Pritchard was heating engineer. In 1966 he founded with Holroyd and John Lees and Woolly Wolstenholme, the band The Blues Keepers, from the 1967 emerged the group Barclay James Harvest. Mel gave up his job as a heating engineer.

Barclay James Harvest Featuring Les Holroyd ( BJHFLH )

1998 split of the band Barclay James Harvest, and until his death in 2004, acted Pritchard still with Holroyd and other musicians under the name Barclay James Harvest Featuring Les Holroyd ( BJHFLH ).

Death

In January 2004 BJHFLH occurred four times in the Swiss Figure Skating Gala Art on Ice. Three days later, on 28 January 2004, Pritchard died at home in Greenfield 56 -year-old from a heart attack.

Influence and songs

During his career, Pritchard was mainly by artists such as Simon and Garfunkel, John Lennon and The influenced band and among his role models drums Carmine Appice (of Vanilla Fudge ) and later Jeff Porcaro of Toto.

From him texted BJH songs are: " Paper Wings " and " Negative Earth".