Richard Fenn (born 23 May 1953) is an English rock guitarist. He has been a member of the band

10cc 10cc are an English rock band formed in Stockport in 1972. The group initially consisted of four musicians – Graham Gouldman, Eric Stewart, Kevin Godley and Lol Creme – who had written and recorded together since 1968. The group feat ...

since 1976 and has also collaborated with

Mike Oldfield Mike may refer to: Animals * Mike (cat), cat and guardian of the British Museum * Mike the Headless Chicken, chicken that lived for 18 months after his head had been cut off * Mike (chimpanzee), a chimpanzee featured in several books and document ...

Rick Wakeman Richard Christopher Wakeman (born 18 May 1949) is an English keyboardist best known as a former member of the progressive rock band Yes (band), Yes across five tenures between 1971 and 2004, and for his solo albums released in the 1970s. Born ...

, Hollies singer Peter Howarth, and

Pink Floyd Pink Floyd are an English rock band formed in London in 1965. Gaining an early following as one of the first British psychedelic groups, they were distinguished by their extended compositions, sonic experimentation, philosophical lyrics an ...

drummer

Nick Mason Nicholas Berkeley Mason, (born 27 January 1944) is an English drummer and a founder member of the progressive rock band Pink Floyd. He is the only member to feature on every Pink Floyd album, and the only constant member since its formation in ...

History

Rick Fenn attended the

Dragon School ("Reach for the Sun") , established = 1877 , closed = , type = Preparatory day and boarding school and Pre-Prep school , religion = Church of England , president = , head_label = Head , head = Emma Goldsm ...

and Magdalen College School in

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the Un ...

. Fenn’s musical career started in Oxford where he was leader of the school band 'Bagshot Louie'. The band folded with the end of the school year in 1971 and Fenn moved to

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge beca ...

, to attend the Cambridge College of Arts and Technology. After completing an HND business studies course, Fenn joined a Cambridge band called Hamilton Gray who moved to Manchester and became the band 'Gentlemen'. Their debut TV appearance on a show called 'So It Goes' (along with the

Sex Pistols The Sex Pistols were an English punk rock band formed in London in 1975. Although their initial career lasted just two and a half years, they were one of the most groundbreaking acts in the history of popular music. They were responsible for ...

) resulted in a liaison with Paul Burgess who soon after, recommended him to 10CC which he joined towards the end of 1976 at the launch of the ''

Deceptive Bends ''Deceptive Bends'' is the fifth studio album by rock band 10cc, released in 1977. History The band started recording sessions for the fifth album in late summer of 1976 with the song "People in Love", at that time referred to as "Voodoo Boogi ...

'' album and has been part of the team ever since. From 1979 he also toured and recorded with Mike Oldfield and with him co-wrote the song “

Family Man 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. Ideal ...

” which went on to become a big hit for

Hall & Oates Daryl Hall and John Oates, commonly known as Hall & Oates, are an American pop rock duo formed in Philadelphia in 1970. Daryl Hall is generally the lead vocalist; John Oates primarily plays electric guitar and provides backing vocals. The two ...

all over the world and won him an A.S.C.A.P. award for best song in 1984. In 1985, Fenn wrote and recorded his own album ''Profiles'' with the Pink Floyd’s drummer Nick Mason. The single from the album, "Lie for a Lie" sung by David Gilmour and featuring

Maggie Reilly Maggie Reilly (born 15 September 1956) is a Scottish singer best known for her collaborations with the composer and instrumentalist Mike Oldfield. Most notably, she performed lead vocals on the Oldfield songs "Family Man", " Moonlight Shadow", ...

was a hit in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

. Also in the 1980s Fenn and Mason formed Bamboo Music, a company that produced music jingles for corporate clients. Over the years, Fenn has toured with artists such as

Jack Bruce John Symon Asher Bruce (14 May 1943 – 25 October 2014) was a Scottish bassist, singer-songwriter, musician and composer. He gained popularity as the primary lead vocalist and ‍bassist ‍of British rock band Cream. After the group disban ...

Elkie Brooks Elkie Brooks (born Elaine Bookbinder; 25 February 1946) is an English rock, blues and jazz singer. She was a vocalist with the bands Dada and Vinegar Joe, and later became a solo artist. She gained her biggest success in the late 1970s and 19 ...

and Wax (with

Andrew Gold Andrew Maurice Gold (August 2, 1951 – June 3, 2011) was an American multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, and record producer who influenced much of the Los Angeles-dominated pop/soft rock sound in the 1970s. Gold played on scores of rec ...

and

Graham Gouldman Graham Keith Gouldman (born 10 May 1946) is an English singer, songwriter, and musician, best known as the co-lead singer and bassist of the art rock band 10cc. He has been the band's only constant member since its formation in 1972. Before 10c ...

). As a guitarist, he has recorded with numerous artists among them

Cliff Richard Sir Cliff Richard (born Harry Rodger Webb; 14 October 1940) is an Indian-born British musican, singer, producer, entrepreneur and philanthropist who holds both British and Barbadian citizenship. He has total sales of over 21.5 million s ...

, Peter Green,

Agnetha Fältskog Agneta Åse Fältskog (born 5 April 1950), known as Agnetha Fältskog (), is a Swedish singer, songwriter, and musician. She first achieved success in Sweden with the release of her 1968 self-titled debut album. She later achieved internatio ...

(ABBA), Marilyn, Sniff 'n' the Tears,

John Wetton John Kenneth Wetton (12 June 1949 – 31 January 2017) was an English musician, singer, and songwriter. Known for his dexterous bass playing and booming baritone voice, Wetton first gained fame in the early 1970s. Wetton was the singer and p ...

, and

Justin Hayward David Justin Hayward (born 14 October 1946) is an English musician best known as the lead singer, songwriter and guitarist of the rock band the Moody Blues. Hayward became the group's principal lead guitarist and vocalist over the 1967–1974 ...

. From the late 1980s, Fenn devoted more of his time to composing and wrote countless scores for television documentaries, dramas and comedies (including series for

Hale and Pace Hale and Pace were an English comedy double-act that performed in clubs and on radio and television in the United Kingdom in the 1980s and 1990s. The duo was made up of Gareth Hale and Norman Pace, with the ''Hale and Pace'' television sho ...

and

Craig Charles Craig Joseph Charles (born 11 July 1964) is an English actor, comedian, television and radio presenter. He is best known for his roles as Dave Lister in the science fiction sitcom ''Red Dwarf'' and Lloyd Mullaney in the soap opera ''Coronatio ...

) and a number of feature films. Amongst those were '' White of the Eye'' which was another collaboration with Nick Mason. Over the years he has won several awards for high-profile commercial sound tracks. One soundtrack that won Fenn a Gold Clio award in America in 1989 for best song, featured Peter Howarth on vocals. He went on to form a writing partnership with Howarth, now the lead singer with

the Hollies The Hollies are a British pop rock band, formed in 1962. One of the leading British groups of the 1960s and into the mid-1970s, they are known for their distinctive three-part vocal harmony style. Allan Clarke and Graham Nash founded the ban ...

, and in 1990 they wrote a rock opera called "Robin, Prince of Sherwood" which toured the UK for a year and spent four months in the West End. Fenn and Howarth have other projects in the pipeline. They also periodically assemble a troupe of prominent musicians and perform as the Feramones. Fenn recently toured throughout Germany as part of the

Nokia Nokia Corporation (natively Nokia Oyj, referred to as Nokia) is a Finnish multinational telecommunications, information technology, and consumer electronics corporation, established in 1865. Nokia's main headquarters are in Espoo, Finlan ...

Night of the Proms Band where, as well as

, he played with

Tears For Fears Tears for Fears are an English pop rock band formed in Bath, England, in 1981 by Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith. Founded after the dissolution of their first band, the mod-influenced Graduate, Tears for Fears were associated with the new w ...

Robin Gibb Robin Hugh Gibb (22 December 1949 – 20 May 2012) was a British singer and songwriter. He gained worldwide fame as a member of the Bee Gees pop group with elder brother Barry and fraternal twin brother Maurice. Robin Gibb also had his o ...

, and

Kim Wilde Kim Wilde (born Kim Smith, 18 November 1960) is an English pop singer, DJ and television presenter. She first saw success in 1981 with her debut single " Kids in America", which peaked at No. 2 in the UK. In 1983, she received the Brit Award ...

. When not working with 10CC, Fenn now spends most of his time at his home near

Byron Bay Byron Bay (Minjungbal: ''Cavvanbah)'' is a beachside town located in the far-northeastern corner of the state of New South Wales, Australia on Bundjalung Country. It is located north of Sydney and south of Brisbane. Cape Byron, a hea ...

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

, in Australia, with his wife and daughter Heather and Ruby-Mae where he has also collaborated with Australian rock legend Brian Cadd on various projects including a stage musical.

Discography

With Mason + Fenn

: '' Profiles'' – 1985 : ''Life Could Be a Dream'' – 1986 (soundtrack) : '' White of the Eye'' – 1987 (soundtrack) : '' Body Contact'' – 1987 (soundtrack) : '' Tank Malling'' – 1989 (soundtrack)

With 10cc

: '' Live and Let Live'' – 1977 : '' Bloody Tourists'' – 1978 : '' Look Hear?'' – 1980 : '' Ten Out of 10'' – 1981 : '' Windows in the Jungle'' – 1983 : ''

Alive Alive may refer to: *Life Books, comics and periodicals * ''Alive'' (novel), a 2015 novel by Scott Sigler * '' Alive: The Final Evolution'', a 2003 shonen manga by Tadashi Kawashima and Adachitoka * '' Alive: The Story of the Andes Survivors'', ...

'' – 1993 : '' Mirror Mirror'' – 1995 : ''

Clever Clogs '' Clever Clogs '' (subtitled ''Live in Concert'') is a live and video album by 10cc released in 2008. Overview The album was recorded and released by the 10cc touring band, led by the only original member Graham Gouldman, a fact highlighted ...

'' – 2008

With Eric Stewart

: '' Girls'' – 1980 : '' Frooty Rooties'' – 1982

With Graham Gouldman

: ''

Animalympics ''Animalympics'' is a 1980 animated television film directed by Steven Lisberger and produced by Lisberger Studios for the NBC network. Originally commissioned as two separate specials, it spoofs the Summer and Winter Olympic Games and features t ...

'' (1980) : '' And Another Thing...'' (2000) : ''Love and Work'' (2012)

With Agnetha Fältskog

: ''

Eyes of a Woman ''Eyes of a Woman'' is the second English-language solo studio album by Swedish singer and former ABBA member Agnetha Fältskog, and her eighth studio album overall. It was released in March 1985. Background The album was recorded in the Pol ...

'' – 1985

With Peter Howarth

: ''Robin Prince of Sherwood'' – 1992 : ''Androcles and the Lion'' – 1995 : ''And Still I Fly'' – 2020

With Mike Oldfield

: '' QE2'' – 1980 : '' Live at Montreux 1981'' – 1981 : ''

Five Miles Out ''Five Miles Out'' is the seventh studio album by English recording artist Mike Oldfield, released on 19 February 1982 by Virgin Records in the UK. After touring in support of his previous album, ''QE2'' (1980), ended in mid-1981, Oldfield st ...

'' – 1982 : ''

Crises A crisis (plural, : crises; adjectival form, : critical) is either any event or period that will (or might) lead to an unstable and dangerous situation affecting an individual, group, or all of society. Crises are negative changes in the human ...

'' – 1983 : ''

Islands An island or isle is a piece of subcontinental land completely surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An island in a river or a lake island may be cal ...

'' – 1987

With Rick Wakeman

: '' Crimes of Passion'' (soundtrack) – 1984 : '' Silent Nights'' – 1985 : '' Live at Hammersmith'' – 1985

With Sniff 'n' the Tears

: ''Love Action'' – 1981

With Michael Mantler

: ''Live'' – 1987 – with

and

: ''Many Have No Speech'' – (Watt/ECM) — with

Marianne Faithfull Marianne Evelyn Gabriel Faithfull (born 29 December 1946) is an English singer and actress. She achieved popularity in the 1960s with the release of her hit single " As Tears Go By" and became one of the lead female artists during the British I ...

Robert Wyatt Robert Wyatt (born Robert Wyatt-Ellidge, 28 January 1945) is a retired English musician. A founding member of the influential Canterbury scene bands Soft Machine and Matching Mole, he was initially a kit drummer and singer before becoming p ...

: ''The Watt Works Family Album'' – : (WATT/ECM) — : '' Folly Seeing All This'' – 1993: (ECM) —

With Peter Green

: ''Blues for Dhyana'' – 1998 : ''The Clown'' – 2001

With Tanita Tikaram

: ''The Cappucino Songs'' – 1998

With Wax

: ''Live in Concert 1987'' – 2019

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fenn, Rick 1953 births Living people People educated at The Dragon School People educated at Magdalen College School, Oxford Alumni of Anglia Ruskin University English rock guitarists 10cc members