Andy Kanavan (born 23 May 1961) is an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical music, as the term "classical music" also ...

ian and

multi-instrumentalist A multi-instrumentalist is a musician who plays two or more musical instruments at a professional level of proficiency. Also known as doubling, the practice allows greater ensemble flexibility and more efficient employment of musicians, where ...

. He was best known for his work with

post-punk Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad genre of punk music that emerged in the late 1970s as musicians departed from punk's traditional elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a variety of avant-garde sensibilities and non-roc ...

bands Level 9, Foreign Playground and

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band Styffe. Kanavan also played briefly with

Killing Joke Killing Joke are an English rock music, rock band from Notting Hill, London, England, formed in 1979 by Jaz Coleman (vocals, keyboards), Paul Ferguson (drums), Geordie Walker (guitar) and Youth (musician), Youth (bass). Their first album, ''Ki ...

Enigma Enigma may refer to: *Riddle, someone or something that is mysterious or puzzling Biology *ENIGMA, a class of gene in the LIM domain Computing and technology *Enigma (company), a New York-based data-technology startup * Enigma machine, a family o ...

The Maisonettes The Maisonettes were an English pop band formed by Laurence "Lol" Mason (formerly of City Boy (band), City Boy) with Mark Tibenham and drummer Nick Parry, best known for their hit single "Heartache Avenue". History The group's debut single, " ...

and

Dire Straits Dire Straits were a British rock band formed in London in 1977 by Mark Knopfler (lead vocals and lead guitar), David Knopfler (rhythm guitar and backing vocals), John Illsley (bass guitar and backing vocals) and Pick Withers (drums and percuss ...

. He was recognized as a very capable drummer, as showcased in concerts such as Larks in the Park. He was also a founding member of Mellow Yellow.
/ref> A session musician, Kanavan drummed for Decca Records, Decca,

Polydor Polydor Records Ltd. is a German-British record label that operates as part of Universal Music Group. It has a close relationship with Universal's Interscope Geffen A&M Records label, which distributes Polydor's releases in the United States. ...

and indie label

Sabre A sabre ( French: �sabʁ or saber in American English) is a type of backsword with a curved blade associated with the light cavalry of the early modern and Napoleonic periods. Originally associated with Central European cavalry such as th ...

, and became the drummer for the band Dream Cast on their ill-fated European tour, in which Dave Elliott (guitar), Chris Nichols (keyboards) and Helen Raven (vocals) died in a horrific traffic accident. Born in

Accrington Accrington is a town in the Hyndburn borough of Lancashire, England. It lies about east of Blackburn, west of Burnley, east of Preston, north of Manchester and is situated on the culverted River Hyndburn. Commonly abbreviated by locals to ...

, the former

Royal Marine The Corps of Royal Marines (RM), also known as the Royal Marines Commandos, are the UK's special operations capable commando force, amphibious light infantry and also one of the five fighting arms of the Royal Navy. The Corps of Royal Marine ...

Officer built a reputation for his aggressive and rhythmic style of drumming. As a rock and soul drummer for bands both in

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

and the UK, Kanavan was never short of work. Following his brief spell of notoriety, Kanavan stepped away from the limelight in the early 1980s and began a new life as a music tutor in the South of England. Following the death of his wife on 11 August 1989, Blue Haze vocalist Barbara Mac, he lost his love of music. He would fail to show at concerts and was soon dropped by mainstream record labels and bands.

Band history

Foreign Playground was founded by Kanavan and Hamilton and although found moderate success with the single "Would You" in Japan, the song failed to enter the UK chart. Panned by critics, the band released "Love in the Woods" which saw the band's popularity rise in Germany and Italy. In 1989, following the death of his wife, Kanavan had all but turned his back on the music industry. His clashes with other band members sealed the fate of the band. In 1983, the band parted company.

References

External links

* * *David Roberts (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). HIT Entertainment. {{DEFAULTSORT:Kanavan, Andy English multi-instrumentalists English session musicians British male drummers Living people 1961 births People from Accrington