Raymond "Boz" Burrell (1 August 1946 – 21 September 2006) was an English musician. Originally a vocalist and guitarist, Burrell is best known for his singing with

King Crimson King Crimson are a progressive rock band formed in 1968 in London, England. The band draws inspiration from a wide variety of music, incorporating elements of classical, jazz, folk, heavy metal, gamelan, industrial, electronic, experime ...

(1971–1972) and bass playing in

Bad Company Bad Company are an English rock supergroup that was formed in 1973 by singer Paul Rodgers, guitarist Mick Ralphs, drummer Simon Kirke and bassist Boz Burrell. Bad Company ''AllMusic'' Peter Grant, who managed the rock band Led Zeppelin, a ...

(1973–1982, 1998–1999). He died of a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which ma ...

in Spain on 21 September 2006, aged 60.

Career

Early years

Raymond Burrell was born on 1 August 1946 in Holbeach, Lincolnshire. As a teen in the 1950s, he began playing rhythm guitar for the Tea Time 4, a group formed with his school pals Bernie Rudd and Brian Rocky Browne. They both acquired a passion for jazz and enjoyed acts such as Mose Allison,

John Coltrane John William Coltrane (September 23, 1926 – July 17, 1967) was an American jazz saxophonist, bandleader and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. Born and raise ...

, and

Charles Mingus Charles Mingus Jr. (April 22, 1922 – January 5, 1979) was an American jazz upright bassist, pianist, composer, bandleader, and author. A major proponent of collective improvisation, he is considered to be one of the greatest jazz musicians an ...

. The group had several personnel changes and moved to London in 1965 at the suggestion of manager, Jack Barrie. With the addition of Ian McLagan on keyboard and a name change to Boz People, the group secured a contract with EMI's Columbia label. Burrell's style leaned more towards jazz, whereas McLagan was into

Booker T Booker T or Booker T. may refer to * Booker T. Washington (1856–1915), African American political leader at the turn of the 20th century ** List of things named after Booker T. Washington, some nicknamed "Booker T." * Booker T. Jones (born 1944 ...

, four singles being recorded and backing band slots with Kenny Lynch and Elkie Brooks. However, with little commercial success McLagan soon left to join

The Small Faces Small Faces were an English rock band from London, founded in 1965. The group originally consisted of Steve Marriott, Ronnie Lane, Kenney Jones and Jimmy Winston, with Ian McLagan replacing Winston as the band's keyboardist in 1966. The ...

. Burrell next enjoyed a short stint in the soul band, Feel For Soul, back in Norwich from 1966 until the following year. In late 1965, Burrell was briefly considered to replace

Roger Daltrey Roger Harry Daltrey (born 1 March 1944) is an English singer, musician and actor. He is a co-founder and the lead singer of the rock band The Who. Daltrey's hit songs with The Who include " My Generation", " Pinball Wizard", " Won't Get Fooled ...

The Who The Who are an English rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup consisted of lead singer Roger Daltrey, guitarist and singer Pete Townshend, bass guitarist and singer John Entwistle, and drummer Keith Moon. They are considered ...

. Between 1966 and 1968 Burrell released six singles in Britain on the

Columbia Columbia may refer to: * Columbia (personification), the historical female national personification of the United States, and a poetic name for America Places North America Natural features * Columbia Plateau, a geologic and geographic region i ...

label under the name Boz, including a cover of "

I Shall be Released "I Shall Be Released" is a 1967 song written by Bob Dylan. Dylan recorded two primary versions. The first recording was made in collaboration with the Band during the Basement Tapes sessions in 1967, and released on '' The Bootleg Series Volu ...

", backed by "

Down in the Flood "Down in the Flood" is a song by Bob Dylan, originally recorded by Dylan in 1967 with the Band, and copyrighted that autumn. One of the 1967 recordings was released on the 1975 album ''The Basement Tapes'' and re-released in 2014 on '' The Bootle ...

" (wrongly named "Dove in the Flood" on the label), both written by

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...

. On this he was joined by organist

Jon Lord John Douglas Lord (9 June 194116 July 2012) was an English orchestral and rock composer, pianist, and Hammond organ player known for his pioneering work in fusing rock with classical or baroque forms, especially with the British rock band Deep ...

, guitarist Ritchie Blackmore and drummer

Ian Paice Ian Anderson Paice (born 29 June 1948) is an English musician, best known as the drummer and last remaining original member of the rock band Deep Purple. He is often cited as one of the greatest drummers of all-time. He remains the only membe ...

, who formed

Deep Purple Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in London in 1968. They are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal and modern hard rock music, but their musical style has changed over the course of its existence. Originally formed as ...

at the same time, and bassist Chas Hodges, later of

Chas and Dave Chas & Dave (often billed as Chas 'n' Dave) were a British pop rock duo, formed in London by Chas Hodges and Dave Peacock. Hodges died in 2018. They were most notable as creators and performers of a musical style labelled ''rockney'' (a port ...

fame. Burrell later appeared on

Centipede Centipedes (from New Latin , "hundred", and Latin , " foot") are predatory arthropods belonging to the class Chilopoda (Ancient Greek , ''kheilos'', lip, and New Latin suffix , "foot", describing the forcipules) of the subphylum Myriapoda, ...

's 1971 recording ''

Septober Energy ''Septober Energy'' is the only album of the jazz/progressive rock big band Centipede. Produced by Robert Fripp under the musical direction of Keith Tippett, it was originally released 1971 in the UK as a double LP, and 1974 in the US with a di ...

''.

King Crimson

In 1971 Burrell joined

as the new vocalist, having met

Robert Fripp Robert Fripp (born 16 May 1946) is a British musician, songwriter, record producer, and author, best known as the guitarist, founder and longest-lasting member of the progressive rock band King Crimson. He has worked extensively as a sessio ...

while both were performing with Centipede. After a last minute let down from new bassist Rick Kemp, Boz (who had only limited guitar-playing ability) was installed as the band's bass player with Fripp and Ian Wallace teaching him to play rather than start the search again. The band toured and recorded the band's fourth studio album, ''

Islands An island (or isle) is an isolated piece of habitat that is surrounded by a dramatically different habitat, such as water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An island ...

'' (1971), a warmer sounding release and the band's only string ensemble experimentation. Tensions began socially on tour and creatively with the direction of the group's latest effort. This led to lyricist

Peter Sinfield Peter John Sinfield (born 27 December 1943) is an English poet and songwriter. He is best known as the co-founder and former lyricist of King Crimson, whose debut album '' In the Court of the Crimson King'' is considered one of the first and mo ...

being ousted following the band's next tour. During rehearsals in early 1972 the band fell apart with all members leaving due to creative restrictions imposed by Fripp as a "quality control" measure. The band members were convinced to rejoin and fulfil their touring commitments for that year with the intention of disbanding thereafter. Recordings from this subsequent tour exist as the live compilation, ''

Earthbound ''EarthBound'', released in Japan as is a role-playing video game developed by Ape Inc. and HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. The second entry in the ''Mother'' series, it was first releas ...

'' (1972), and as a large part of the box set '' Sailors' Tales (1970–1972)'' (2017), which contains studio and live recordings spanning Burrell's entire tenure in the band. Although relations improved between both parties leading to an offer from the musicians to continue on in the band, Fripp had already moved on and declined to participate. In 1973 Burrell, Wallace and

Mel Collins Melvyn Desmond Collins (born 5 September 1947, Isle of Man) is a British saxophonist, flautist and session musician. Collins has played in several progressive rock groups, having been a member of King Crimson on two occasions (the first from ...

reunited with Sinfield for his solo effort, '' Still''. They also went on to form Snape with CCS's Alexis Korner and

Peter Thorup Peter Eiberg Thorup (14 December 1948 – 3 August 2007) was a Danish guitarist, singer, composer and record producer. He was one of the most important blues musicians in Denmark, and he was known outside his own country, when in the late 1960s ...

, who had been on tour with King Crimson in the states the previous year, releasing the studio album, ''Accidentally Born in New Orleans'', and a live album, ''Live on Tour in Germany''. In 1974 Burrell featured with

Chapman Whitney Streetwalkers ''Chapman Whitney Streetwalkers'' was the first post-Family album by Roger Chapman and Charlie Whitney, following the late 1973 dissolution of that band. The musicians used here included other former member of Family, and the band soon evolved i ...

along with other members of

Family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

and King Crimson.

Bad Company

Burrell was a founding member of the supergroup

, formed in 1973 along with ex-

Mott the Hoople Mott the Hoople were an English rock band formed in Herefordshire. Originally known as the Doc Thomas Group, the group changed their name after signing with Island Records in 1969. The band released albums throughout the early 1970s but fai ...

guitarist

Mick Ralphs Michael Geoffrey Ralphs (born 31 March 1944, Herefordshire) is an English musician, vocalist and songwriter, who was a founding member of rock bands Mott the Hoople and Bad Company. Career Ralphs began his career as a teenager, playing with b ...

and two former members of Free: vocalist

Paul Rodgers Paul Rodgers (born 17 December 1949) is a British singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He was the lead vocalist of numerous bands, including Free, Bad Company, The Firm, and The Law. He has also performed as a solo artist, and co ...

and drummer Simon Kirke. The band debuted with the self-titled ''

'' in 1974 which eventually went Platinum, as did the 1975 follow-up, '' Straight Shooter'' and 1976's ''

Run with the Pack ''Run with the Pack'' is the third studio album by English supergroup Bad Company. It was released on February 21, 1976, by Island Records. The album was recorded in France using the Rolling Stones Mobile Truck in September 1975 with engineer ...

''. 1977's ''

Burnin' Sky ''Burnin' Sky'' is the fourth studio album by the English rock band Bad Company. It was released on 3 March 1977. ''Burnin' Sky'' was recorded in France at Château d'Hérouville in July and August 1976 with future The Rolling Stones engineer ...

'' proved less successful, but the group's fifth release in 1979, '' Desolation Angels'', saw the band once again return to platinum status. '' Rough Diamonds'', the final studio album featuring the original members, released in 1982, was the worst-selling album in this incarnation and the band soon after split. Using the name Bad Company, Ralphs and Kirke continued to play together, but it was not until 1998 that Burrell rejoined his bandmates along with Rodgers for a reunion tour, recording four new songs and releasing the compilation ''

The 'Original' Bad Co. Anthology ''The 'Original' Bad Co. Anthology'' (also ''The 'Original' Bad Company Anthology'') is a compilation album released by Bad Company in 1999 on Elektra Records. In addition to the band's classic hits, it also features four new songs ― the fir ...

''. Burrell left the band in 1999 along with Ralphs.

Later work

In January 1981, Burrell joined Roger Chapman again for his solo band, The Shortlist, leaving in 1983. He returned in May 1987, but left again the following year in June. In 1982, Burrell contributed to

's solo album, '' Before I Forget'', on the track "Hollywood Rock and Roll", and in 1984 he joined the short-lived Nightfly. In the 1990s, Burrell worked with such acts as Alvin Lee for his ''Best of British Blues'' tour of 1996 and Ruby Turner. During this period, his main creative outlet was with the Scottish blues singer

Tam White Tam White (12 July 1942 – 21 June 2010) was a Scottish musician, stonemason and actor. Biography Born Thomas Bennett Sim White in Edinburgh, Scotland, White was primarily known as a blues vocalist with a trademark gravelly voice. In the 196 ...

. Their collaboration developed into a trio known as The Shoe String Band and a big band, the Celtic Groove Connection. White was present at Burrell's apartment in Spain when Burrell suddenly died of a

during rehearsals, on 21 September 2006.

Discography

;solo as Boz * "Isn't That So" / "You're Just the Kind of Girl I Want" (11 Feb 1966) (single) * "Meeting Time" / "No (Ah) Body Knows Blues" (7 Apr 1966) (single) * "Pinocchio" / "Stay as You Are" (10 Jun 1966) (single) * "The Baby Song" / "Carry on Screaming" (29 Jul 1966) (single) * "

I Shall Be Released "I Shall Be Released" is a 1967 song written by Bob Dylan. Dylan recorded two primary versions. The first recording was made in collaboration with the Band during the Basement Tapes sessions in 1967, and released on '' The Bootleg Series Volu ...

" / "Down in the Flood" (3 May 1968) (single) * " Light My Fire" / "Back Against the Wall" (16 Aug 1968) (single) ;with

Duster Bennett Anthony "Duster" Bennett (23 September 1946 – 26 March 1976) was a British blues singer and musician. Based in London, his first album ''Smiling Like I'm Happy'' saw him playing as a one-man band, playing a bass drum with his foot and blowi ...

* ''Jumpin' at Shadows'' (1965) ;with

* ''

'' (1971) ;with

* ''

'' (1971) * ''

'' (1972) * '' Ladies of the Road'' (2002) * '' Sailors’ Tales (1970 – 1972)'', 27-disc boxed set (2017) ;with

Pete Sinfield Peter John Sinfield (born 27 December 1943) is an English poet and songwriter. He is best known as the co-founder and former lyricist of King Crimson, whose debut album '' In the Court of the Crimson King'' is considered one of the first and m ...

* '' Still'' (1973) ;with Snape * ''Accidentally Born in New Orleans'' (1973) * ''Live on Tour in Germany'' (1973) ;with

* ''

'' (1974) * '' Straight Shooter'' (1975) * ''

'' (1976) * ''

'' (1977) * '' Desolation Angels'' (1979) * '' Rough Diamonds'' (1982) * ''

10 from 6 ''10 from 6'' (also known as ''10/6'') is a compilation album released by English supergroup Bad Company in December 1985 on Atlantic Records label. All the songs on the album were previously released on Swan Song Records, a record label begun ...

'' (1985) * ''

'' (1999) * ''

Live in Albuquerque 1976 ''Live in Albuquerque 1976'' is a live album by the English hard rock band Bad Company featuring all four original members. The recordings were made by Mick Ralphs, who regularly taped the group's shows in the 1970s, so the band could use them ...

'' (2006) ;with

Boxer Boxer most commonly refers to: * Boxer (boxing), a competitor in the sport of boxing *Boxer (dog), a breed of dog Boxer or boxers may also refer to: Animal kingdom * Boxer crab * Boxer shrimp, a small group of decapod crustaceans * Boxer snipe ee ...

* ''

Bloodletting Bloodletting (or blood-letting) is the withdrawal of blood from a patient to prevent or cure illness and disease. Bloodletting, whether by a physician or by leeches, was based on an ancient system of medicine in which blood and other bodily flu ...

'' (1979) ;with

* '' Before I Forget'' (1982) Track 3 – "Hollywood Rock and Roll" ;with The Shortlist * '' He Was... She Was... You Was... We Was...'' (1982) * '' Mango Crazy'' (1983) * ''Riff Burglar (The Legendary Funny Cider Sessions – Vol. 1)'' (1988) ;with

Ken Hensley Kenneth William David Hensley (24 August 1945 – 4 November 2020) was an English singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer, best known for his work with Uriah Heep during the 1970s. He wrote or co-wrote the majority of Uriah ...

* ''From Time to Time'' (1994) ;with Ruby Turner * ''

Call Me by My Name ''Call Me by My Name'' is the sixth studio album by British soul singer Ruby Turner, released in October 1998. Turner co-wrote five songs and enlisted the help of rhythm and blues luminaries Bobby Tench, Zoot Money, Stan Webb and Bad Company bass ...

'' (1998) ;with Celtic Groove Connection * ''Celtic Groove Connection'' (1999)

Notes

References

* Eur.''International Who's Who in Popular Music''. Volume 4. Edition4. Routledge (2002) * Fletcher, Tony. ''Moon: The Life and Death of a Rock Legend''. HarperCollins (2000). * George-Warren Holly, Romanowski Patricia, Pareles Jon. ''The Rolling stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll''. Edition 3 (revised). Fireside (2001) * Hjort, Christopher. ''Strange Brew: Eric Clapton & the British blues boom, 1965–1970''. Jawbone Press (2007) * Various. ''Mojo, Issues 154–157''. EMAP Performance (2006). Original from the University of Virginia (digitised 22 January 2010) * Neill Andrew, Kent Matthew, Daltrey Roger, Stamp Chris. "Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere: The Complete Chronicle of the Who 1958–1978". Sterling Publishing Company (2009). * Various. ''The Wire, Issues 197–202''. The Wire (2000). Original from the University of Virginia. Digitized (16 February 2010)

External links

* *
Boz Burrell discography, album releases & credits
at

Discogs Discogs (short for discographies) is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. While the site was originally created with a goal of becoming the la ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Burrell, Boz 1946 births 2006 deaths English male singers English rock singers English male guitarists Male bass guitarists English rock bass guitarists English rock guitarists English blues guitarists English blues singers English tenors Blues rock musicians King Crimson members Bad Company members People from Lincoln, England Musicians from Lincolnshire English expatriates in Spain Centipede (band) members 20th-century English bass guitarists Streetwalkers members 21st-century English bass guitarists 20th-century British male singers Deaths from heart disease