Phil Curtis

In 1968 Phil joined The Spirit of John Morgan. The group toured the UK extensively. In May 1968 the band began a fortnightly residency at the Marquee Club in London alongside Jethro Tull and 10 Years After.[4][5]

The group recorded their self-titled debut in September 1969 at Olympic Studios for the Carnaby Label. Their second album "Age Machine" was released in 1970.

Phil was briefly a member of the Steve Gibbons Band. Phil also rehearsed with Thunderclap Newman around this period but decided against joining the group - the band went onto have a #1 single with Something In The Air.[2]

Phil joined Arthur Brown's Kingdom Come in October 1971 as replacement for Desmond Fisher. In the early days of the group Phil, Arthur Brown and Andy Dalby lived together in a band commune in Beckenham and occasionally crossed paths with a young David Bowie.[1] Phil recorded bass, vocals and percussion on two Kingdom Come albums: Kingdom Come (1972) and Journey (1973). Phil helped cement the title "Journey", as Arthur Brown explained in the liner notes for the 2010 re-release:

"I had this song which had the line ‘I’m going on a journey/I’m not coming back’, and it was Phil who suggested we call the album Journey – and we never really did come back.” [6]

The band were renowned for their theatrical stage shows and exuberant costumes. Phil played the role of the Pope on stage. He sported a Golden cassock and headdress with the black and white face-paint that had become Arthur Brown's signature.

“We all wore costumes. And we had a light show projecting images onto a gauze screen that you could lower or raise. You could make us disappear behind images, or appear in the middle of those images- As though we were part of the picture. We had huge cartoon figures that went into the audience. It was a multimedia presentation…. one of the band became a traffic light and wore that costume. There was the captain of the ship - of consciousness that society was trying to force to come back aground- so I wore a huge boat around me. There was death. There was the school master. There was the Pope. And so on, and all these had costumes.” [7] - Arthur Brown interviewed in 2012.

"Journey" was recorded at Rockfield Studios in Monmouthshire, Wales. Whilst it had originally been planned that Dennis Taylor would produce the album, Dave Edmunds, who was also at Rockfield during the time, expressed an interest in the record and took over the producer role. It was the first rock album ever to use a drum machine (The Bentley Rhythm Ace) exclusively.[7]

The album was released in 1973 by Polydor in the UK and Passport Records in the US. It was considered a pioneering album and has retrospectively gained praise from critics: "Journey was so far ahead of its time that you have to keep checking the sleeve to make sure that it really does say 1973 and not 1983… not only Arthur Brown’s masterpiece, but also one of the truly great albums of the seventies."[8]

Author and journalist Mark Paytress said the album "remains a classic of pioneering electronic rock, up there with Kraftwerk and assorted krautrock trailblazers."[9]

"Journey" was rotated on Radio Luxembourg. During this period Kingdom Come opened for Duke Ellington’s Orchestra.

Arthur Brown has since called it a "classic album."[7]

Phil's time with Arthur Brown's Kingdom Come culminated in 3 BBC Radio 1 John Peel Show Sessions in 1971 and 1972. These were later included in both the 2003 and 2010 re-releases of "Journey" by Castle Music and Esoteric Recordings respectively. The Peel Sessions were recorded at Kensington House, Shepherd's Bush and Maida Vale 4.[10]

A Kingdom Come live album titled "Live 1973" was released by Gonzo Multimedia on 31 March 2017 (coincidentally Phil Curtis’ 66th Birthday). The album features Kingdom Come's performance at Manchester Free Trade Hall on 24 April 1973.

Kingdom Come reunited in 2005 as a part of Arthur Brown's Otherworld concert at the London Astoria. Alongside the reunion of the original Kingdom Come members Arthur Brown, Phil Curtis, Andy Dalby and Goodge Harris, other guests on the night included Pete Brown, Phil May, Dick Taylor, Captain Sensible and Howard Marks.[11]

Phil became a member of the Kiki Dee Band in January 1974.

Recordings

Phil recorded bass on The Kiki Dee Band's one and only album "I’ve Got The Music In Me" which was released in 1974 by Elton John's Rocket Record Company. The album was recorded at Marquee Studios, a recording studio connected to the Marquee Club in Wardour St, London as well as additional recording at Jimi Hendrix's Electric Lady Studios in New York.[12] "I’ve Got The Music In Me" was also released as a single on 26 July 1974, peaking at #12 in the US Billboard Hot 100 Chart and #19 in the UK Charts.[13]

Phil also contributed bass to Kiki Dee's 1977 self-titled album, performing on the songs "Chicago" and "First Thing In The Morning". "First Thing In The Morning" was released on 19 February 1977, peaking at #32 on the UK Charts. "Chicago" was released as a single later that year on 11 June 1977, reaching #28 on the UK Charts.[14]

Phil Curtis (right) with Kiki Dee in support of Queen at Hyde Park, 1976.

In 1976 Phil joined Tiger, founded by London session musician Big Jim Sullivan (who had played on over 750 charting singles and 54 #1 hits during his session career.)

Tiger were mostly a studio band though they did appear as support act on Hawkwind's 1976 UK Tour and at Reading Festival 1976.[18] Phil played bass on the debut album "Tiger" which was released by Warner Brothers in the US and EMI in the UK.

Phil formed his own band called Vapour Trails with friends and musicians he had met during his time with Arthur Brown and Kiki Dee.

Vapour Trails toured as the support act to The Kiki Dee Band (of which Phil and Vapour Trails singer John McBurnie were both members) during her 1976 UK Tour.

In the late 1970s Phil moved to Los Angeles with the Vapour Trails.[19] The core members were John McBurnie on vocals (The Kiki Dee Band) and Andy Dalby (Kingdom Come) on guitar. Other musicians involved in the group included English keyboardist Brian Chatton and Wings drummer Steve Holley.

In 1979 The Vapour Trails recorded their self-titled debut in 1979 after negotiating a $3 million recording contract with Warner Brothers.[19] The album was produced and remixed by Larry Carlton at his private studio, Room 335, in Hollywood. The self-titled album has been described as "a great album of Westcoast Pop".[20]

It was re-released in 1980 under the name The VT's and titled "Autumn Breeze" by Polystar in Japan, where the band had a large following due to the use of the album's title track "Don’t Worry Baby" as theme song for the hit Japanese music show Best Hit USA. "Don’t Worry Baby" remained the theme song of the show from its debut airing in 1981 until its finale in September 1989. As a result of this, the song became one of the most well-known non-Japanese songs among the Japanese population.[21]

The album has been re-released numerous times, most recently in 2008 by Wounded Bird Records.

Phil's career as a session player in the 1960s and 1970s saw him work with many notable artists, including Chris Rea (on his critically acclaimed debut album “Whatever Happened to Benny Santini?”), Gilbert O’Sullivan and The Bay City Rollers, who Phil toured Japan with as part of their backing band during the 1970s.[1][22]

An incomplete Discography of Phil's session and recording work can be found below.

Phil retired from the London Music scene in the 1980s. Moving to Devon near his parents, he instead pursued a successful career in the antiques trade.

In the 1990s Phil wrote jingles for Television & Radio as well as working as a sound engineer for various local studios in Torquay and other areas in Devon. He recorded many bands over this period.[19]

Phil Curtis live in 2013 with The Invisible Opera Company Of Tibet

Phil was a member of The Invisible Opera Company of Tibet, a Devon-based band formed by Brian "Zero" Abbott and Daevid Allen of Gong in 1992. Phil performed regularly with the band - particularly in Glastonbury and Devon - as well as recording 2 Live Albums ("Sonic Rock Solstice" and "Drones4Daevid") and 1 Studio Album ("Songs From The Temple Of Now") during his time with the group. The Invisible Opera Company of Tibet also performed live with Gong founder Daevid Allen in 2013 and also with Arthur Brown in 2015. The band also supported Gong in 2012 in Exeter, UK. Both Allen and Brown appear on The Invisible Opera Company's Studio Album "Songs From The Temple Of Now".[23]

Phil worked as a tutor at dBs Music (formerly Deep Blue Sound) in Plymouth from the early 2000s until 2014. He was hugely influential to students and left a lasting impact on their lives, helping forge many new musical careers and left a lasting legacy with those he worked with. Nigel Burt, Director of dBs Music commented: "Phil Curtis joined the company in the very early days and inspired many students and indeed staff with his knowledge and stories of the music industry. Phil has a wonderful and well-documented career, a great bass player, a musical genius but more importantly, a true gentleman and all round wonderful man."[24]

In his final years Phil spent time in Los Angeles, reuniting with old music friends and collaborating on new work as well as doing more bass sessions.[1]

Phil died on 14 March 2018, aged 66.

Following news of his death Kiki Dee posted a tribute to Phil on her official Twitter account: "I am sad to say Phil Curtis Bass player with the original Kiki Dee band passed away last week, he was a true character and a great musician, plus always fun to be with. My thoughts are with his family."[25]

Former students also left tributes on the dBs Music website and shared their memories: "He was so fundamental in so many student's musical journey. I can say without a doubt that without Phil I wouldn't have the career I do today as a musician. He single handedly convinced me to pursue it and supported me through everything."[24]