|
Sailor are a British pop group, best known in the 1970s for their hit singles "Glass of Champagne" and "Girls Girls Girls", written by the group's lead singer and 12-string guitar player, Georg Kajanus.
The group's leader, Georg Kajanus, had previously written "Flying Machine" for Cliff Richard in 1971, although it was Richard's first British single that failed to reach the Top 30. Sailor was formed out of the earlier incarnation of singer-songwriter duo, 'Kajanus Pickett', after Phil Pickett and Kajanus met in 1970 at E H Morris, a music publisher where Pickett briefly worked. They later recorded the album Hi Ho Silver for Signpost Records. Sailor first came together in 1973 with the addition of musicians Henry Marsh (ex-Gringo) and Grant Serpell (ex-Affinity).
The groups' work included Kajanus' invention, the Nickelodeon, made of pianos, synthesisers, and glockenspiels that allowed the four piece band to reproduce on stage the acoustic arrangements that they had done in the recording studio.
The group's first UK single was "Traffic Jam" from their first album, Sailor. "Glass of Champagne", issued late the following year from the Trouble album, reached #2 in the UK Singles Chart. The follow-up, "Girls Girls Girls", also made the Top 10, but of their subsequent singles, only "One Drink Too Many" registered in the UK Top 40.
Sailor's original line-up split up in 1978, although Pickett and Marsh released more material as Sailor with Gavin and Virginia David in 1980, with an album of Pickett compositions called Dressed for Drowning, produced by James William Guercio at his Caribou studio in Colorado (Epic/Caribou).
In 1989, Sailor reformed to release a new album after a ten year silence with two new singles, "The Secretary" and "La Cumbia". The band started touring again in 1993, and performed on many television programmes in Europe. In 1995, Kajanus departed the band again to pursue other projects.
The arrival of Peter Lincoln saw Sailor issue their first live album, Live In Berlin. Original member Marsh left in 1999, and was replaced by Anthony England. In May 2001, England left the band to be replaced by Rob Alderton, and the new line-up recorded their first DVD in November 2002. In 2004, Sailor were voted the 45th most successful pop band of the last 40 years in Germany. A biography of Sailor by James McCarraher entitled A Glass Of Champagne - The Official Sailor Story was published in June 2004. In July 2005, Alderton left, and Marsh returned to the line-up.
In February 2006 Buried Treasure was released, a double album of previously recorded material. By September, Lincoln left Sailor to join Sweet. Afterwards, Marsh's son, Oliver, joined the band as their new lead singer.
Band members
Georg Kajanus: (born Prince Georg Johan Tchegodaieff, 9 June 1946, Trondheim, Norway) 1973-1979, 1990–1995
lead vocals, 12-string guitars, acoustic guitars, charango, Veracruzana harp, harmonium, synthesisers, "Klockwork machinery"
Henry Marsh: (born Ian Henry Murray Marsh, 8 December 1948, Bath, Somerset) 1973-1999, 2005–present
Nickelodeon, accordion, piano, marimbas, synthesised brass and reed, synthesisers, acoustic/electric guitars, computer programming, vocals
Phil Pickett: (born Philip Stuart Pickett, 19 November 1946, Münster, Germany) 1973–present (except Checkpoint)
bass Nickelodeon, piano, guitarron, synthesised strings, calliope, xylophone, bass, cruz bass, Hammond organ, mandolin, autoharp, vocals (lead vocals on Dressed for Drowning)
Grant Serpell: (born Stephen Grant Serpell, 9 February 1944, Maidenhead, Berkshire) 1973-1979, 1990–2011
drums, percussion, vocals
Gavin David: 1980
vocals
Virginia David: 1980
lead and backing vocals
Peter Lincoln: 1996-2006
12-string and 6-string acoustic guitars, electric guitar, charango, lead vocals
Anthony England: 1999-2001
Nickelodeon, vocals
Rob Alderton: 2001-2005
Nickelodeon, accordion, vocals
Oliver Marsh: 2006–present
guitar, lead vocals
Thomas Marsh: 2011-present
drums, percussion, vocals
|
