Charles Burchill (born 27 November 1959) is a Scottish musician and composer, best known as the

guitarist A guitarist (or a guitar player) is a person who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of guitar family instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselv ...

Simple Minds Simple Minds are a Scottish rock band formed in Glasgow in 1977. They have released a string of hit singles, becoming best known internationally for "Don't You (Forget About Me)" (1985), which topped the '' Billboard'' Hot 100 in the United St ...

. He is one of the founders of the group.

Style

During Simple Minds' early to mid-1980s period, Burchill's guitar had a distinctive and atmospheric sound not dissimilar to Echo & the Bunnymen's

Will Sergeant William Alfred Sergeant (born 12 April 1958) is an English guitarist, best known for being a member of Echo & the Bunnymen. Born in Walton Hospital, he grew up in the village of Melling and attended nearby Deyes Lane Secondary Modern. He is th ...

. Making heavy use of

effects Effect may refer to: * A result or change of something ** List of effects ** Cause and effect, an idiom describing causality Pharmacy and pharmacology * Drug effect, a change resulting from the administration of a drug ** Therapeutic effect, a ...

such as

delay Delay (from Latin: dilatio) may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Delay 1968'', a 1981 album by German experimental rock band Can * ''The Delay'', a 2012 Uruguayan film People * B. H. DeLay (1891–1923), American aviator and acto ...

and

chorus Chorus may refer to: Music * Chorus (song) or refrain, line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse * Chorus effect, the perception of similar sounds from multiple sources as a single, richer sound * Chorus form, song in which all verse ...

, his playing often provided subtle textures behind the band's more drum- and bass-propelled songs. This style was most apparent on 1982's '' New Gold Dream (81/82/83/84)''. From 1983's album ''

Sparkle in the Rain ''Sparkle in the Rain'' is the sixth studio album by Scottish rock band Simple Minds, released on 6 February 1984 by record label Virgin in the UK and A&M in the US. A breakthrough commercial success for the band, the record peaked at number 1 ...

'' onwards the group evolved a different style, bringing Burchill's playing more into the foreground. As well as providing guitar, Burchill played the violin and saxophone on the band's first three studio albums and took over most studio keyboard duties following the 1989 departure of

Mick MacNeil Norman Michael MacNeil is a Scottish songwriter and keyboardist born 20 July 1958 on the Isle of Barra, Scotland. He is best known as a former member of the group Simple Minds. MacNeil joined the band in 1978 and left in 1990. He released the ...

. Burchill with lead singer Jim Kerr are the only original members of the band still performing.

Equipment

Burchill has been playing a

Gretsch White Falcon The Gretsch White Falcon is an electric hollow-body guitar introduced in 1954 by Gretsch. This guitar was created as a "showpiece" to exhibit the craft of Gretsch's luthiers, sales, and demonstration representative, Jimmie Webster, who created i ...

since the early 1980s. He also has a modern one in Black, and a number of 1969

Gibson Les Paul The Gibson Les Paul is a solid body electric guitar that was first sold by the Gibson Guitar Corporation in 1952. The guitar was designed by factory manager John Huis and his team with input from and endorsement by guitarist Les Paul. Its typi ...

s. he uses

Matchless Matchless is one of the oldest marques of British motorcycles, manufactured in Plumstead, London, between 1899 and 1966. A wide range of models were produced under the Matchless name, ranging from small two-strokes to 750 cc Four-stroke cy ...

amplifiers.

References

External links

Charlie Burchill at Discogssimpleminds.com - Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Burchill, Charlie 1959 births Living people Musicians from Glasgow Simple Minds members Scottish new wave musicians Scottish rock guitarists Scottish male guitarists People educated at Holyrood Secondary School