Paul Gray (musician)
Encyclopedia
Paul Gray was the second, most well known bassist
for the Southend-on-Sea
teen rockers Eddie and the Hot Rods, scoring several hit single
s and album
s in the late 1970s, including "Do Anything You Wanna Do". In early 1980, he was recruited to join the punk rock
band The Damned to replace Algy Ward
on bass. Gray contributed to two studio albums, The Black Album
and Strawberries
, but abruptly left the band in February 1983 due to discontent and the desire to do something "different". After The Damned he joined UFO
and remained until their split in 1987. He also sessioned live and on records for artists as diverse as Johnny Thunders
, Rob Tyner (MC5
) and Andrew Ridgeley
(Wham!
).
In 1989 Gray was lured back into rejoining The Damned, ostensibly for a one-off UK / US / Japanese reunion tour. For the next eight years these became an annual event , with both Gray and Captain Sensible
touring and recording with their own band in-between other commitments, with Gray also reforming Eddie & the Hot Rods for one album, Gasolene Days, for which he contributed the songwriting, and supported the album with several tours in the UK and Germany.
Gray was heavily involved with Community Music Wales for a number of years, a charity aimed at nurturing and helping young bands based in Cardiff
, until severe tinnitus
and hyperacusis
precluded continuation with any musical activities. In 2005 he took up the post of Regional Officer, Wales & Southwest England for the British Musicians Union. He occasionally guests with The Damned on stage when they appear in the Welsh city.
Bassist
A bass player, or bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments...
for the Southend-on-Sea
Southend-on-Sea
Southend-on-Sea is a unitary authority area, town, and seaside resort in Essex, England. The district has Borough status, and comprises the towns of Chalkwell, Eastwood, Leigh-on-Sea, North Shoebury, Prittlewell, Shoeburyness, Southchurch, Thorpe Bay, and Westcliff-on-Sea. The district is situated...
teen rockers Eddie and the Hot Rods, scoring several hit single
Hit single
A hit single is a recorded song or instrumental released as a single that has become very popular. Although it is sometimes used to describe any widely-played or big-selling song, the term "hit" is usually reserved for a single that has appeared in an official music chart through repeated radio...
s and album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
s in the late 1970s, including "Do Anything You Wanna Do". In early 1980, he was recruited to join the punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
band The Damned to replace Algy Ward
Algy Ward
Alasdair Mackie "Algy" Ward is an English rock and roll bass guitarist and singer.-Biography:He was first active as a member of the Australian punk band The Saints before joining British group The Damned and playing on Machine Gun Etiquette...
on bass. Gray contributed to two studio albums, The Black Album
The Black Album (The Damned)
In a retrospective review, Allmusic called the album hit-or-miss, but added that "tracks of note are still thick on the ground" and that "it's still a surprisingly good blast, a tour de force for Vanian particularly".-Track listing:...
and Strawberries
Strawberries (album)
Strawberries is the fifth album by The Damned, released in October 1982 on Bronze Records.Limited editions included a strawberry scented lyric insert...
, but abruptly left the band in February 1983 due to discontent and the desire to do something "different". After The Damned he joined UFO
UFO (band)
UFO are an English heavy metal and hard rock band, who were formed in 1969. UFO became a transitional group between early hard rock and heavy metal and the New Wave of British Heavy Metal...
and remained until their split in 1987. He also sessioned live and on records for artists as diverse as Johnny Thunders
Johnny Thunders
Johnny Thunders, born John Anthony Genzale, Jr. , was an American protopunk guitarist, singer and songwriter.He came to prominence in the early '70s as a member of the New York Dolls...
, Rob Tyner (MC5
MC5
The MC5 is an American rock band formed in Lincoln Park, Michigan and originally active from 1964 to 1972. The original band line-up consisted of vocalist Rob Tyner, guitarists Wayne Kramer and Fred "Sonic" Smith, bassist Michael Davis, and drummer Dennis Thompson...
) and Andrew Ridgeley
Andrew Ridgeley
Andrew John Ridgeley is an English former pop singer-songwriter, guitarist and environmentalist. Andrew was a member of the 1980s pop music duo Wham!.-Early life:...
(Wham!
WHAM!
Wham! were a short-lived British musical duo formed by George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley in the early 1980s. They were briefly known in the United States as Wham! UK due to a naming conflict with an American band....
).
In 1989 Gray was lured back into rejoining The Damned, ostensibly for a one-off UK / US / Japanese reunion tour. For the next eight years these became an annual event , with both Gray and Captain Sensible
Captain Sensible
Captain Sensible is a singer, songwriter, guitarist who grew up in Croydon, England, and co-founded the punk rock band The Damned in 1976. After leaving the band, he reinvented himself as an alternative pop singer with a rebellious, self-conscious image...
touring and recording with their own band in-between other commitments, with Gray also reforming Eddie & the Hot Rods for one album, Gasolene Days, for which he contributed the songwriting, and supported the album with several tours in the UK and Germany.
Gray was heavily involved with Community Music Wales for a number of years, a charity aimed at nurturing and helping young bands based in Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
, until severe tinnitus
Tinnitus
Tinnitus |ringing]]") is the perception of sound within the human ear in the absence of corresponding external sound.Tinnitus is not a disease, but a symptom that can result from a wide range of underlying causes: abnormally loud sounds in the ear canal for even the briefest period , ear...
and hyperacusis
Hyperacusis
Hyperacusis is a health condition characterized by an over-sensitivity to certain frequency ranges of sound...
precluded continuation with any musical activities. In 2005 he took up the post of Regional Officer, Wales & Southwest England for the British Musicians Union. He occasionally guests with The Damned on stage when they appear in the Welsh city.