Robin Mark Le Mesurier Halliley (22 March 1953 – 22 December 2021) was a British guitarist, known for his long collaborations with

Rod Stewart Sir Roderick David Stewart (born 10 January 1945) is a British rock and pop singer and songwriter. Born and raised in London, he is of Scottish and English ancestry. With his distinctive raspy singing voice, Stewart is among the best-selling ...

and

Johnny Hallyday Jean-Philippe Léo Smet (; 15 June 1943 – 5 December 2017), better known by his stage name Johnny Hallyday, was a French rock and roll and pop singer and actor, credited for having brought rock and roll to France. During a career spanning 57 ...

, as well as for the wide-ranging nature of his musical performance, including membership of such bands as

The Wombles ''The Wombles'' are fictional pointy-nosed, furry creatures created by Elisabeth Beresford and originally appearing in a series of children's novels from 1968. They live in burrows, where they aim to help the environment by collecting and recycl ...

Life

Le Mesurier was the son of two of Britain's best-loved comedy actors,

Hattie Jacques Hattie Jacques (; born Josephine Edwina Jaques; 7 February 1922 – 6 October 1980) was an English comedy actress of stage, radio and screen. She is best known as a regular of the ''Carry On'' films, where she typically played strict, no-non ...

and

John Le Mesurier John Le Mesurier (, born John Elton Le Mesurier Halliley; 5 April 191215 November 1983) was an English actor. He is perhaps best remembered for his comedic role as Sergeant Arthur Wilson in the BBC television situation co ...

. Le Mesurier gained a strong following during and after his appearance on Living TV's reality show ''Rehab'' (2009), in which he opened up about his battle with

alcoholism Alcoholism is, broadly, any drinking of alcohol (drug), alcohol that results in significant Mental health, mental or physical health problems. Because there is disagreement on the definition of the word ''alcoholism'', it is not a recognize ...

Education

Le Mesurier was educated at

Sussex House School Sussex House School (commonly known as Sussex House), is a boys’ preparatory school located in Chelsea, London. Founded in 1952, the school occupies a house designed by Norman Shaw at 68 Cadogan Square, and since 1994 has operated as an indep ...

, where he described himself as being "completely out of place", and then Westminster City grammar school. This was also an unhappy experience and Le Mesurier would be teased about his famous mother. As a teenager he was offered a place at the

Royal College of Music The Royal College of Music is a music school, conservatoire established by royal charter in 1882, located in South Kensington, London, UK. It offers training from the Undergraduate education, undergraduate to the Doctorate, doctoral level in a ...

but turned it down.

Music

In his prime, Le Mesurier was a fan of

The Faces Faces are an English rock band formed in 1969 by members of Small Faces after lead singer and guitarist Steve Marriott left to form Humble Pie. The remaining Small Faces—Ian McLagan (keyboards), Ronnie Lane (electric bass, vocals), and Kenne ...

and of guitar stars

Eric Clapton Eric Patrick Clapton (born 1945) is an English rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is often regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in ''Rolling Stone''s list of ...

Jimi Hendrix James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. Although his mainstream career spanned only four years, he is widely regarded as one of the most ...

John Lee Hooker John Lee Hooker (August 22, 1912 or 1917 – June 21, 2001) was an American blues singer, songwriter, and guitarist. The son of a sharecropper, he rose to prominence performing an electric guitar-style adaptation of Delta blues. Hooker often ...

Muddy Waters McKinley Morganfield (April 4, 1913 April 30, 1983), known professionally as Muddy Waters, was an American blues singer and musician who was an important figure in the post-war blues scene, and is often cited as the "father of modern Chicago b ...

, and

Jeff Beck Geoffrey Arnold Beck (born 24 June 1944) is an English rock guitarist. He rose to prominence with the Yardbirds and after fronted the Jeff Beck Group and Beck, Bogert & Appice. In 1975, he switched to a mainly instrumental style, with a focus ...

. His first official band was The Reign (whose first single was written by the Yardbirds members

Keith Relf William Keith Relf (22 March 194312 May 1976) was an English musician, best known as the lead vocalist and harmonica player for rock band the Yardbirds. He then formed the band Renaissance with his sister Jane Relf, The Yardbirds ex-drummer Jim ...

and

Jim McCarty James Stanley McCarty (born 25 July 1943) is an English musician, best known as the drummer for the Yardbirds and Renaissance. Following Chris Dreja's departure from the Yardbirds in 2013, McCarty became the only member of the band to featur ...

). The band lasted until 1973, then Le Mesurier became the guitarist of

Mike Batt Michael Philip Batt, LVO (born 6 February 1949) is an English singer-songwriter, musician, arranger, record producer, director and conductor. He was formerly the Deputy Chairman of the British Phonographic Industry. Having achieved substantial ...

's novelty pop band that played his music for the British children's TV show ''

''. At the beginning of his collaboration with Rod Stewart, Le Mesurier was mainly a guitar technician and

session musician Session musicians, studio musicians, or backing musicians are musicians hired to perform in recording sessions or live performances. The term sideman is also used in the case of live performances, such as accompanying a recording artist on a ...

. In 1976 he signed with a record company with which Rod Stewart was associated. He toured the United States with

Air Supply Air Supply is a soft rock duo formed in Melbourne, Australia, in 1975. It consists of Englishman Graham Russell (vocals, guitar) and Australian Russell Hitchcock (vocals). They had a succession of hits worldwide, including eight top-five hit ...

in 1977 as the opening act for

. After a period with Lion, eventually renamed The Difference, he was invited in 1980 to join the Rod Stewart group. In 1994, he recorded two tracks on French singer

's first English-language record '' Rough Town''. He became Hallyday's musical director, besides founding the group Farm Dogs with

Bernie Taupin Bernard John Taupin (born 22 May 1950) is an English songwriter, singer and visual artist. He is best known for his long-term collaboration with musician Elton John, a songwriting partnership that is one of the most successful in history. Tau ...

and

Jim Cregan James Cregan (born 9 March 1946) is an English rock guitarist and bassist, best known for his associations with Family, Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel and Rod Stewart. Cregan is a former husband of the singer Linda Lewis and worked with her as a r ...

. In September 2015, Le Mesurier joined Rod Stewart and

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

Ron Wood Ron is a shortening of the name Ronald. Ron or RON may also refer to: Arts and media * Big Ron (''EastEnders''), a TV character * Ron (''King of Fighters''), a video game character *Ron Douglas, the protagonist in ''Lucky Stiff'' played by Joe A ...

for the

Faces The face is the front of an animal's head that features the eyes, nose and mouth, and through which animals express many of their emotions. The face is crucial for human identity, and damage such as scarring or developmental deformities may affe ...

reunion.

TV series

Le Mesurier appeared in a double episode in the TV series ''Sport Crime'' playing himself. The plot is about a campaign in which rock stars voluntarily submit to anti-doping rules the same as sportsmen. ''Sport Crime'' is the first ever series based on sports investigation. Showrunner

Daniela Scalia Daniela Scalia (born 9 November 1975 in Verona) is an anchorwoman and sports journalist. She also acts, appearing in the 2016 film ''The Legacy Run (film), The Legacy Run'', a fictional sports procedural featuring the italian cinema legend Nino Ca ...

states that the main character "Dabs is a former rugbyman who is a rock fanatic, having Rolling Stones, Faces, Rod and Bowie as main life references. Hence the connection, Luca (Dabs) is the ultimate Rod encyclopedia, from Brentford to the Faces reunion… (which include Robin)”.

Personal life and death

Le Mesurier died of cancer on 22 December 2021, at the age of 68.

Discography

Reign

*1970: "Line of Least Resistance" / "Natural Lovin' Man" (single)

Limey

*1976: ''Limey'' *1977: ''Silver Eagle''

Lion

*1980: ''Running All Night''

With Ron Wood

*1981: ''

1234 Year 1234 ( MCCXXXIV) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Europe * King Canute II (the Tall) dies after a 5-year reign. His rival, Eric XI (the Lisp and ...

With Rod Stewart

*1981: ''

Tonight I'm Yours ''Tonight I'm Yours'' is the eleventh studio album by Rod Stewart released in 1981. It features hints of classic rock, pop and new wave. The album had three hit singles, with the title track " Tonight I'm Yours (Don't Hurt Me)" (US ''Billboar ...

*1982: '' Absolutely Live *1983: ''

Body Wishes ''Body Wishes'' is the twelfth studio album by Rod Stewart released in 1983 by Warner Bros. Records. The tracks were recorded and mixed at The Record Plant, Los Angeles. It produced three singles, " Baby Jane", "What Am I Gonna Do (I'm So in Lo ...

'' *1984: ''

Camouflage Camouflage is the use of any combination of materials, coloration, or illumination for concealment, either by making animals or objects hard to see, or by disguising them as something else. Examples include the leopard's spotted coat, the ...

'' *1986: '' Every Beat of My Heart''

Farm Dogs

*1996: ''Last Stand in Open Country'' *1998: ''Immigrant Sons''

With Johnny Hallyday

*1994: '' Rough Town'' *1994: ''À La Cigale'' (inédit, sortie en 2003) *1996: ''Lorada Tour'' *1996: ''Destination Vegas'' *1996: ''Live at the Aladdin Theatre'' (inédit, sortie en 2003) *1998: ''Stade de France 98 Johnny allume le feu'' *1999: ''Sang pour sang'' *2000: ''100% Johnny: Live à la tour Eiffel'' *2000: ''Olympia 2000'' *2000: ''Good Rockin' Tonight The Legacy of Sun Records'' *2003: ''Parc des Princes 2003'' *2006: ''Flashback tour: Palais des sports 2006'' *2007: ''Le Cœur d'un homme'' *2007: ''La Cigale: 12-17 décembre 2006'' *2009: ''Tour 66: Stade de France 2009'' *2013: ''On Stage'' *2013: ''Born Rocker Tour'' *2014: ''Rester vivant'' *2016: ''Rester Vivant Tour''

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Le Mesurier, Robin 1953 births 2021 deaths English male guitarists English rock guitarists People from Kensington British people of Channel Islands descent People educated at Sussex House School