Who?
These consummate musicians are British, despite their Hispanic-sounding names; the former a long-time collaborator with Roxy Music, Phil Collins and others; the latter the mainstay of Tears for Fears together with Curt Smith.
Phil Manzanera
Phillip Geoffrey Targett-Adams, OBE (born 31 January 1951), and known professionally as Phil Manzanera, is an English musician, songwriter and record producer.
Manzanera is the lead guitarist with Roxy Music, and was previously the lead guitarist with 801 and Quiet Sun.
In 2006, Manzanera co-produced David Gilmour's album On an Island, and played in Gilmour's band for tours in Europe and North America.
Early life
Manzanera was born on 31 January 1951 in London, England, to a Colombian mother (née Manzanera) and an English father, who worked for the British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC), and spent most of his childhood in different parts of the Americas, including Hawaii, Venezuela, Colombia, and Cuba. It was in Havana, Cuba, that the young Manzanera, aged six, encountered his first guitar, a Spanish guitar owned by his mother.
His earliest musical accomplishments were Cuban folk songs inspired by the Cuban Revolution.
In Venezuela, the eight-year-old Manzanera started experimenting with the sounds of the electric guitar.
During his teenage years he was absorbing the twin influences of 1960s rock and roll and Latin American rhythms of merengue, cumbia, and particularly the boleros of the Mexican Armando Manzanero.
Music links:
Guantanamera Phil Manzanera
Phil Manzanera - 801 (Live)
Phil Manzanera: My Go-To Guitars
PHIL MANZANERA LIVE AT RONNIE SCOTTS - EAST OF ASTEROID
Roxy Music - Avalon
Roland Orzabal
Roland Jaime Orzábal De La Quintana (born 22 August 1961) is an English musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, and author.
He is the guitarist, co-lead vocalist, main songwriter, co-founder, and the only constant member of Tears for Fears. He is also a producer of artists such as Oleta Adams.
In 2014, Orzabal published his first novel, a romantic comedy.
Early life
Orzabal was born Roland Jaime Orzábal De La Quintana in Portsmouth, Hampshire on 22 August 1961.
Orzabal's father, George Orzabal de la Quintana, was a Frenchman of Argentinian and Basque/Spanish roots and was often so ill that he was rarely seen by his children.
Orzabal wrote his first songs when he was seven years old. The family later moved to Bath, Somerset, where he attended Culverhay School (later Bath Community Academy) and became a member of the Zenith Youth Theatre Company.
Early career
Orzabal met Curt Smith while both were in their early teens in Bath.
Orzabal and Smith went on to form Tears for Fears, a new wave music/synthpop outfit.
Orzabal sings and plays guitar for the band, while Smith sings and plays bass guitar. Orzabal is also the band's main songwriter.
Orzabal and Smith were responsible for discovering pianist/vocalist Oleta Adams, whom they invited to collaborate on their 1989 album The Seeds of Love.
Adams appeared on several tracks on the album, most notably the hit single "Woman in Chains", which she performed as a duet with Orzabal.
Orzabal then co-produced Adams' album Circle of One (1990). The album reached No. 1 in the UK and No. 20 in the US, and featured her transatlantic top ten hit "Get Here".
Orzabal also co-wrote the lead track "Rhythm of Life" for the album, which was originally intended for The Seeds of Love. As well as playing guitar and singing backing vocals on the track, he also appeared in the song's accompanying promo video.
Music links:
Tears For Fears - Everybody Wants To Rule The World (Official Music Video)
Tears For Fears - Shout (Official Music Video)
Tears For Fears - Sowing The Seeds Of Love
Tears For Fears - Woman In Chains ft. Oleta Adams
© The Culture Vulture
Photos:
Wikipedia, YouTube
Tags:
1960s rock and roll, Argentinian, Armando Manzanero, Basque/Spanish, bolero, British Overseas Airways Corporation, Circle of One, co-founder, co-lead vocalist, Colombia, Colombian mother, constant member, Cuba, Cuban folk songs, Cuban Revolution, Culverhay School, cumbia, Curt Smith, David Gilmour, electric guitar, English father, Frenchman, George Orzabal de la Quintana, guitarist, Havana, Hawaii, Latin American rhythms, merengue, Oleta Adams, On an Island, Phil Collins, Phillip Geoffrey Targett-Adams, Phil Manzanera, "Rhythm of Life", Roland Jaime Orzábal De La Quintana, Roland Orzabal, Roxy Music, songwriter, Spanish guitar, Tears for Fears, The Culture Vulture, The Seeds of Love, Venezuela, "Woman in Chains"
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