Cozy Powell

b. Colin Powell, 29 December 1947, England, d. 5 A

Powell was a virtuoso drummer who played with the likes of Jeff Beck, Rainbow and Emerson, Lake And Powell. His musical career began in 1965 when he was a member of the Sorcerers, before working with Casey Jones And The Engineers for a couple of months, then returning to his first band, who changed their name first to Youngblood, and then to Ace Kefford Stand. Powell then moved on to Big Bertha. In 1971 Jeff Beck founded a new group consisting of Bob Tench (vocals), Max Middleton (keyboards), Clive Chaman (bass), and Powell. The Jeff Beck group was among the premier exponents of R&B jazz-rock, and Powell appears on two of the band's albums. It was after his work with Bedlam, the band he formed in 1972 with Frank Aiello (vocals), Dennis Ball (bass) and Dave Ball (guitar), that Powell came to the attention of producer Micky Most, resulting in lucrative session work for Most's RAK label. This gave Powell the opportunity to release hit singles such as "Dance With The Devil" and "The Man In Black". This latter single was recorded while Powell was in Cozy Powell's Hammer, a group with Bedlam's Aiello as vocalist, along with newcomers Don Airey (keyboards), Clive Chaman (bass) and Bernie Marsden (guitar). This project came to an end in April 1975 when Powell decided to take a break and spend three months motor racing. Strange Brew was formed in July 1975, with Powell on drums, but this project lasted for little more than a month. He then joined Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow, with whom he played until 1980, his farewell concert with them being at the first Donington Rock festival. In 1981 Powell appeared on the Michael Schenker Group's MSG, and in the mid-80s replaced Carl Palmer to become the third member of Emerson, Lake And Powell. He also released three solo sets in the early 80s, working with Gary Moore among other renowned musicians. The album he recorded with Emerson, Lake And Powell enjoyed little chart success and his tenure with the group was short, as was now becoming customary for the artist (he also played for two years in Whitesnake). In 1990 Powell appeared on and produced Black Sabbath's Headless Cross, and worked with Brian May. In the mid-90s he formed the Splinter Group with Nigel Watson and the legendary Peter Green, touring and releasing an album. Powell was about to record a solo album when he was killed in a car crash near Bristol in April 1998.

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