Pete Haycock

Peter John Haycock (4 March 1951 – 30 October 2013) was an English musician and film score composer.

He began his career as lead guitarist, vocalist, and founding member of the Climax Blues Band.

Haycock was born in Stafford, and here he attended St. John's Primary School and King Edward VI Boys Grammar School.

As a child, he was impressed by the guitar solos of Hank Marvin of The Shadows.

He played his first electric guitar at a miners club when he was 12.

He then played guitar at school and college dances.

Along with local boys, he formed a blues band, the Mason–Dixon Line.

In 1967, Haycock met Colin Cooper and joined his soul band The Gospel Truth.

In 1968, they founded a new band, the Climax Chicago Blues Band, and then they eventually changed its name to the Climax Blues Band, in 1970.

The band's original line-up consisted of Haycock (lead guitar, vocals), Cooper (harmonica, vocals), Derek Holt (guitar, vocals), Richard Jones (bass), Arthur Wood (keyboards), George Newsome (drums).

During the early 1970s, the Climax Blues Band went through a few personnel changes, before arriving at their most stable, creative, and successful line-up, which consisted of Haycock, Cooper, Holt (switched to bass guitar), and John Cuffley (drums).

The band with the core line-up of Haycock, Cooper, Holt, and John Cuffley toured heavily in the 1970s and 1980s.

During much of this period, Haycock played concerts with his rare trademark instrument, a gold-plated Veleno guitar, which was also on the cover of the album Gold Plated.

This release would parallel the ferocity and acclaim of Climax Blues Band's 1973 album, FM/Live.

The band produced more than 15 successful albums in their heyday.

Though another group of musicians, which at one time was led by late former bandmate Colin Cooper, is currently calling themselves "Climax Blues Band", their lineup does not consist of any founding members, and has not found the commercial success or following that the original, "true" Climax Blues Band enjoyed during Haycock's years with the band.

Haycock, an underrated vocalist, sang lead on several of the band's tracks, particularly on the Sense of Direction (1974), Stamp Album (1975), Gold Plated (1976), Shine On (1978), and Flying The Flag (1980).

albums.

In 1976, the line-up with keyboardist Richard Jones wrote the band's biggest hit "Couldn't Get It Right".

The song included the vocal harmonies of Haycock and Holt, behind Cooper’s lead.

Holt and Cuffley left in 1983, with Holt going on to play with Nektar guitarist Roye Albrighton in the band Grand Alliance.

Haycock and Cooper went their separate ways after their final Climax Blues Band album together, 1983's Sample and Hold.

In 1984, the band members went their separate ways, and Haycock went on to record several solo projects, the first of which was the album Total Climax (1986) recorded with his new band, Pete Haycock's Climax.

Pete Haycock's Climax toured extensively in Europe, including Communist East Germany, as well as a well-received tour in Australia, also releasing The Soft Spot (1987).

During this period, Haycock was asked by former Climax Blues Band manager, Miles Copeland, to record an instrumental album for I.R.S. No Speak, Guitar and Son, and Night of the Guitars, a live album from the tour of the same name.

Copeland also signed Gary Numan to I.R.S. with whom Haycock collaborated with on the 1988 album Metal Rhythm.

Haycock was approached by Bev Bevan, formerly of Electric Light Orchestra, to join the newly formed Electric Light Orchestra Part II.

After that tour, in 1989, Haycock teamed up with Holt and guitarist Steve Hunter to record an album under the name the H Factor.

The group toured and recorded with Haycock in the early 1990s, releasing both a live CD and video of their performance with the Moscow Symphony Orchestra.

In the early 1990s, Haycock was asked by Hans Zimmer to collaborate on film scores for K2 (1991), and Toys (1992).

Haycock's slide guitar contributed to Thunderbird, the theme music for the 1991 film, Thelma & Louise.

Haycock was asked by Zimmer to re-create his performance, with a live symphony orchestra for the recording of Wings of a Film, which was a compilation album of Zimmer's successful film scores.

Haycock began composing music of his own for film and television.

The Pete Haycock Band consisted of the musicians from the Total Climax lineup, and went on to record a live album titled Livin' It in 1992.

They recorded and toured together until 1993.

Other film scores they worked on were for Drop Zone (1994), and The Dilemma (2011), among others.

Cooper died in 2008.

In May 2012, the Major League Productions Ltd record label released an until-then unknown vault recording of a 1976 live performance, featuring the Climax Blues Band at the top of their game: Climax Blues Band / World Tour 1976.

Haycock provided some insightful liner notes for the CD's insert, and the recording further demonstrates the tight musicianship that was found in the band's line-up at that time.

In March 2015, a 4-CD retrospective was released entitled Live, Rare, and Raw 1973-1979, featuring the band at the height of their powers, in a variety of Live settings.