Richard MacPhail

Richard Paul Macphail (17 September 1950 – 26 August 2024) was an English musician, road manager and business owner, best known for his relationship with the rock band Genesis from their formation in 1967 to 1973.

Early life Macphail was born in Bedford, Bedfordshire, on 17 September 1950, the third child of David Macphail and Mary (nee Ward) who married in 1941. His father was a senior executive in the food industry working in Brazil, and Macphail's parents returned to England for his birth to be registered in the UK. He grew up in Bramley, near Guildford, Surrey, and was educated at Aldro school in Shackleford, Charterhouse School in Godalming, Surrey, and Millfield.

Genesis At Charterhouse, under the influence of Beatlemania, Macphail neglected his studies and became the singer in a student band, Anon, which included housemates Anthony Phillips and Mike Rutherford. Other Charterhouse pupils, among them Peter Gabriel and Tony Banks, formed a band called Garden Wall, and at the end of summer term 1966 Macphail persuaded the headmaster to let the two bands play a school concert together. The bands later merged and became Genesis, but by then Macphail's parents, who had wanted him to become a lawyer or a doctor, had removed him from the school and transferred him to Millfield. At Millfield he formed another band, the Austin Hippy Blues Band, with Harry Williamson, son of Tarka the Otter author Henry Williamson and when he left, the band marked his departure on the sleeve of their first live album, Genesis Live (1973), with the words: "Dedicated to Richard Macphail, who left in 1973." and continued to make occasional appearances at Genesis conventions.

A book describing Macphail's time with Genesis, My Book of Genesis, with co-author Chris Charlesworth, was published in 2017.

Personal life Macphail married world-renowned musician Maggie Cole, known for the harpsichord, fortepiano and piano. His great grand daughter is the British actress, director and writer Verity Drew Firth.

Death

Richard Macphail died unexpectedly at home in London on 26 August 2024, at the age of 73. He was survived by his American-born wife Maggie Cole, a teacher at London's Guildhall School of Music and Drama and harpsichordist with the Britten Sinfonia A post-mortem confirmed he died of heart disease with diabetes also being a contributing factor.