Gordon Haskell

Gordon Haskell (27 April 1946 – 15 October 2020) was an English musician and songwriter. A pop, rock, jazz, country and blues vocalist, guitarist, and bassist, he was a school friend of King Crimson guitarist Robert Fripp. The two first worked together in Fripp's mid-1960s teenage group the League of Gentlemen (not to be confused with Fripp's later 1980 band).

Haskell gained recognition as bass player for the Fleur de Lys in 1966, and subsequently spent a short period in King Crimson. He sang on the album In the Wake of Poseidon (1970), and sang and played bass on Lizard (also 1970). After leaving King Crimson, Haskell continued as a solo musician, reaching international fame in 2001 with his hit "How Wonderful You Are" and the platinum-selling album Harry's Bar.

Early life Haskell was born on 27 April 1946 to Kathleen Haskell, who had been widowed in 1943 when her husband, Wing commander Walter Ralph Haskell, was shot down in the RAF bombing raid of Peenemünde. Haskell's biological father was Harry Hionides, an American pilot of Greek ancestry, whom Kathleen had a short affair with after meeting at a local dance.

1960s During his last years at Wimborne Grammar School, class mate Robert Fripp introduced him to the bass guitar and the two friends played together in The Ravens, their first band. The band split in the following year. During the late 1960s Haskell moved from Dorset to London (for a brief period, sharing a flat with Jimi Hendrix). While playing bass in the psychedelic pop band the Fleur De Lys, who were hired by Atlantic Records as a full-time session band, Haskell recorded a few singles with the group to minimal success but achieving a No 1 and No 3 in South Africa and Australia as a songwriter with his song "Lazy Life". During the two years at Atlantic he worked with Isaac Hayes and David Porter (who wrote many songs for the Atlantic stable, including for Sam and Dave) and worked with a variety of producers namely Glyn Johns, Donnie Elbert, Arif Mardin and George Martin.

After a brief stint in The Flower Pot Men, Haskell joined Cupid's Inspiration for around three months, whose producer, Jimmy Duncan, helped secure a deal for Haskell with CBS Records. Reflecting on his debut solo record, Haskell later said: "I was impressed with the orchestrations but I was not in control so I regard it as a young artist just starting out and doing as I was told rather than ‘directing’. [...] It’s not bad though, but could have been a lot better." In an interview shortly before his death, Haskell criticized King Crimson as "amateurs full of a false sense of great importance. It was 24 hours of listening to bullshit hailed as 'art'".

The album that was made in February 2001, called Look Out contained a jazz-tinged ballad entitled "How Wonderful You Are". After being sent on tour with Hamish Stuart & Robbie Mcintosh to Germany in June 2001. Look Out was released to no or little press. Gordon thought otherwise and so the song "How Wonderful You Are" was given to Johnnie Walker of BBC Radio 2 the day before 9/11. Even before its release as a single in late 2001, Haskell's song surpassed the Beatles' "Hey Jude" and Frank Sinatra's "My Way" to become the most-requested song on BBC Radio 2. Despite limited promotion, it charted as the Christmas number two in the UK Singles Chart and went on to sell more than 400,000 copies.

As "How Wonderful You Are" scaled the UK Singles Chart, the British press began to pay attention to the story of its unsung creator. Haskell was quoted as saying, "Suddenly, after all these years, there's all this attention. But I've been living on skid row for so long that if I make a million now, it's back pay." As a result of the success of the single Haskell was offered a multimillion-dollar recording contract from the UK label East West Records, distributed by Warner Bros. Records. The album Harry's Bar was released on 7 January 2002. It peaked at number 2 in the UK Albums Chart, ) for eight years he returned to the UK in 2017 for a British tour with Hannah's Yard, and planned to continue touring and recording as and when he chose. He was a resident of the UK.

Death Haskell died from cancer on 15 October 2020 at the age of 74. His death was announced on 18 October through his Facebook page, and confirmed via his agent's website the following day.

Discography Solo Studio albums Title Album details Peak chart positions CertificationUK FIN FRA GER NLD POL SPA Sail in My Boat Released: 1969 Label: CBS (original) Voiceprint Records (re-issue) Formats: LP, CD, Digital Download — — — — — — It Is And It Isn't Released: 1971 Label: Atco Records (original release), Wounded Bird Records (reissues) Formats: LP, CD, digital download — — — — — — Serve at Room Temperature Released: 1979 Label: Evangel Records Formats: LP, CD, Digital Download — — — — — — Hambledon Hill Released: 1990 Label: Voiceprint Records/BMG Formats: LP, Cassette CD Digital Download — — — — — — It's Just a Plot to Drive You Crazy Released: 1992 Label: Voiceprint Records/Blueprint Formats: CD, Digital Download — — — — — — Butterfly in China Released: 11 November 1996 Label: Wilderness Records Formats: CD, digital download — — — — — —All in the Scheme of Things Released: 11 September 2000 Label: Wilderness Records Formats: CD, digital download — — — — — — Look Out Released: 2001 Label: Flying Sparks Records Formats: CD — — — — — — Harry's Bar Released: 14 January 2002 Label: East West Records Formats: CD, digital download 2 7 30 38 24 5 Silver UK Gold UK Shadows on the Wall Released: 14 October 2002 Label: Flying Sparks Records Formats: CD, digital download 44 18 Label: Hypertension / Rand M Records Formats: CD, digital download — — — — — 14One Day Soon Released: 24 September 2010 Label: Fullfill Records Formats: CD, digital download — — — — — — The Cat Who's Got The Cream Released: 24 January 2020 Label: Zoo Records Formats: CD, digital download — — — — — — 35

Live albums Title Album details Gordon Haskell w Szczecinie Live! Released: August 2008 Label: Polskie Radio Szczecin Formats: CD The Road To Harry's Bar, All Hits Live Released: 25 November 2008 Label: Metal Mind Productions Formats: CD, digital download

Compilation albums Title Album details Peak chart positions UK PL 154 — The Collection: 18 of His Finest Songs Released: 22 October 2002 Label: Metro Music Formats: CD — — The Right Time: A Collection Released: 1 November 2002 Label: Crimson Productions Formats: CD — — How Wonderful You Are (The Best Of) Released: 2003 Label: Warner Music Poland Formats: CD, Cassette — 15

Video albums Title Album details The Road To Harry's Bar Released: 7 November 2005 Label: Metal Mind Productions Formats: DVD

EPs Title Album details Voiceprint Radio Sessions Released: 24 October 1994 Label: Voiceprint Formats: CD

Singles

Collaboration 1991 : Ophelia's Shadow by Toyah Willcox – keyboards on the title track. Robert Fripp also played guitar on the album.

As band member Fleurs De Lys Singles : The singles noted here only include those with Gordon Haskell as bassist and singer : 1966 : "Circles" / "So Come On" – Immediate Records IM 32 1966 : "Mud in Your Eye" / "I've Been Trying" – Polydor Records 56124 1967 : "I Can See The Light" / "Prodigal Son" – Polydor Records 56200 1968 : "Gong with the Luminous Nose" / "Hammer Head" – Polydor Records 56251 1967 : Shyster "Tick Tock" / "That's a Hoe Down" Polydor – 56202

Compilations : 1996 : Les Fleurs De Lys 1997 : Reflections – Blueprint Records (4) – BP256CD 2002 : Les Fleurs De Lys – Reedition of the first compilation album 2013 : You've Got To Earn It – Acid Jazz Records AJXLP324

Cupid's Inspiration 1968 : " I Want To Give It All To You" Written Song on Album Yesterday Has Gone and played bass

King Crimson 1970 : In the Wake of Poseidon – vocals on "Cadence and Cascade" 1970 : Lizard – bass and vocals throughout, except for "Prince Rupert Awakes" (sung by Jon Anderson)

Joe 1977 Minoru Muraoka And His Group with Joe – Memories of Chi Yo 1978 Joe – How Can I Resist/ Sweet Annabelle (Written both Songs and played bass)

Books The Road to Harry's Bar: Forty Years on the Potholed Path to Stardom, 2006, Mainstream Publishing, " The Importance of Salmon " Gordon Haskell (Author) Sue Haskell (Illustrator) Self Published 14 June 2019