B. J. Cole

Brian John Cole (born 17 June 1946) is an English pedal steel guitarist, who has long been active as a session and solo musician. Coming to prominence in the early 1970s with the band Cochise, Cole has played in many styles, ranging from mainstream pop and rock to jazz and eclectic experimental music, but has never forgotten the instrument's roots in country music. Cole plays lap steel and dobro.

Early life and musical beginnings Cole was born on 17 June 1946 in London. He grew up in Enfield, attending Chase Side primary school and Enfield Chase secondary school for boys. He became interested in music in his teens, his first major inspiration being The Shadows. Cole initially learned to play guitar, but became disillusioned with the instrument, conscious of the number of talented guitarists that were already active on the music scene. Performances by the American duo Santo & Johnny

1970s Throughout the 1970s, Cole was greatly in demand as a session musician, appearing with artists including: Humble Pie (Cole played on three of their albums, including Eat It from 1973), Roger Daltrey (Daltrey, 1973), Man (Christmas at the Patti, 1973), Kiki Dee (Loving & Free, 1973, and I’ve Got the Music In Me, 1974), Procol Harum (Exotic Birds and Fruit, 1974), T. Rex (Zinc Alloy and the Hidden Riders of Tomorrow, 1974), the Walker Brothers (No Regrets, 1975), Uriah Heep (Magician's Birthday, 1972, Return to Fantasy, 1975), Andy Fairweather Low (La Booga Rooga, 1975, including "Wide Eyed and Legless"), Joan Armatrading ("Down to Zero", 1976), Roy Harper ("One of Those Days in England", 1977), Gerry Rafferty (City to City, 1978), and Cat Stevens (Back to Earth, 1978). the folk singer Bonnie Dobson, and Terry Reid, and has returned to perform with Hank Wangford, appearing at gigs and on albums such as Whistling in the Dark (2008).

Solo work Cole's solo music has always been experimental, and has involved work as a performer as well as a writer, arranger, mixer and producer. His first solo album was The New Hovering Dog (1972), issued shortly after the breakup of Cochise. The album was remastered and re-released in 2013.

In the 1980s – alongside his session and live performances, and also work as a music journalist – Cole became increasingly interested in ambient and classical music, and the way in which this could be adapted for the pedal steel guitar. A project undertaken with Guy Jackson resulted in Transparent Music (Hannibal/Rykodisc, 1989), including pieces by Erik Satie and others. This was followed by Heart of the Moment (Resurgence, 1995), Lushlife, with Roger Beaujolais and Simon Thorpe (United Artists, 2009), and Transparent Music 2, featuring Guy Jackson, Arve Henriksen and Davy Spillane (United Artists, 2012).

In the late 1990s, a desire to work with a DJ drew Cole to Luke Vibert, the result of their collaboration being Stop the Panic (Cooking Vinyl/Astralwerks, 2000), an electronica album inspired by their shared passion for exotica and drum ‘n’ bass. A similar theme runs through Cole's Trouble in Paradise (Cooking Vinyl, 2004).

Instruments Cole initially learned on a six-string Dallas Rangemaster lap steel, before buying his first pedal steel – a double eight-string Fender 1000 – in about 1966. He continued to use this until 1971, when he switched to a black single-neck ten-string Emmons pedal steel; this was the instrument that he played on the final Cochise album and on sessions including ‘Tiny Dancer’. In 1975, Cole bought a twelve-string Emmons pedal steel, and then in 1982, while in America, he acquired a new twelve-string instrument made by Joe Kline. This has remained his principal pedal steel until very recently. Cole is now using a twelve-string pedal steel made for him by Bill Rudolph of the Williams Guitar Co. He also plays a dobro custom-made for him by his father, John Cole.

Selected discography Solo and collaborative The New Hovering Dog (1972) Transparent Music (1989) Heart of the Moment (1995) Stop the Panic (2000; with Luke Vibert) Trouble in Paradise (2004) Transparent Music 2 (2012) Apollo (2012; with Icebreaker)

With Cochise Cochise (1970) Swallow Tales (1971) So Far (1972)

Featured artist Humble Pie, Humble Pie (1970) Humble Pie, Rock On (1971) Dave Edmunds, Rockpile (1972) Trapeze, You Are the Music...We're Just the Band (1972) Keith Cross & Peter Ross, Bored Civilians (1972) Uriah Heep, The Magician's Birthday (1972; "Tales") Elton John, Madman Across the Water (1972; "Tiny Dancer") The Goodies, The World of the Goodies (1973) Pete Sinfield, "Still" (1973) Jerry Lee Lewis, The Session (1973) Mike de Albuquerque, We May Be Cattle But We've All Got Names (1973) Johnny Hallyday, Insolitudes (1973) Kiki Dee, Loving & Free (1973) Teresa Brewer (with Oily Rags), In London (1973) Humble Pie, Eat It (1973) Roger Daltrey, Daltrey (1973) T. Rex, Zinc Alloy and the Hidden Riders of Tomorrow (1974) Kiki Dee, I’ve Got the Music in Me (1974) Procol Harum, Exotic Birds and Fruit (1974) Uriah Heep, Return to Fantasy (1975) The Walker Brothers, No Regrets (1975) Andy Fairweather Low, La Booga Rooga (1975) Joan Armatrading, Joan Armatrading (1976; "Down to Zero") Olivia Newton-John, Come on Over (1976) Kevin Ayers “Yes We Have No Mañanas (So Get Your Mañanas Today)" (1976) Alan Parsons, I Robot (1977) Cat Stevens, Back to Earth (1978) Gerry Rafferty, City to City (1978) Elton John, A Single Man (1978) Roy Harper, The Unknown Soldier (1980) The Moody Blues, Long Distance Voyager (1981) Shakin' Stevens, Shaky (1981) Shakin’ Stevens, Give Me Your Heart Tonight (1982) Paul Young, The Secret of Association (1985) David Sylvian, Gone to Earth (1986) The Stranglers, Dreamtime (1986) Deacon Blue, Raintown (1987; "Chocolate Girl") K. D. Lang, Angel with a Lariat (1987) Felt, Me and a Monkey on the Moon (1989) Peter Blegvad, King Strut and other Stories (1990) Harold Budd: By the Dawn's Early Light (1991) Albert Lee, Black Claw/Country Fever (1991) Gerry Rafferty, On a Wing and a Prayer (1992) Roger Waters, Amused to Death (1992) The Orb, Orbus Terrarum (1995) Echobelly, On (1995) Jimmy Nail, Crocodile Shoes (1995) The Selecter, Pucker! (1995) John Cale, Walking on Locusts (1996) Sting, Mercury Falling (1996) Depeche Mode, Ultra (1997) Spiritualized, Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space (1997) Pet Shop Boys, Nightlife (1999) Sting, Brand New Day (1999) Richard Ashcroft, Alone with Everybody (2000) Eliza Carthy, Angels & Cigarettes (2000) Sting, All This Time (2001) Graham Coxon, The Kiss of Morning (2002) Robert Plant, Dreamland (2002) Björk, Post Live (2003) Robert Plant, Sixty Six to Timbuktu (2003) Groove Armada, Lovebox (2003) David Gilmour, On an Island (2006) Deep Wilson, In 1609 We Came Back To Earth (2009) Martin Simpson, True Stories (2009) Devon Sproule, Don't Hurry For Heaven (2009) Katie Melua, The House (2010) The Kropotkins, Paradise Square (2010) Tom Jones, Praise & Blame (2010) Martin Simpson, Purpose & Grace (2011) Luke Tuchscherer, Always Be True (2017) R.E.M., R.E.M. at the BBC (2018) Madeon, Good Faith (2019) Matt Berry, Phantom Birds (2020) Liam Gallagher, C'mon You Know (2022) black midi, Hellfire (2022) Vladimír Mišík: Vteřiny, měsíce a roky (2024)