Phillip Goodhand-Tait
Encyclopedia
Phillip Goodhand-Tait is a singer-songwriter
, record producer
and keyboard
player.
, although at school
and into the mid 1960s, he was known as Phil Tait. His mother
taught
piano
and his father
was an active Trades Unionist. In 1957 the family moved south to Guildford
, Surrey
where Goodhand-Tait attended Pewley school. Before long, he was singing in beat groups several nights every week under names such as Phill Tone and the Vibrants. In 1961, they renamed themselves Phill and the Stormsville Shakers, a group formed with Paul Demers on drum
s, Ivor Shackleton playing guitar
, and Kirk Riddle on bass
. "Stormsville" was the title of a 1960 Johnny and the Hurricanes
album
and "Shakers" was meant to indicate the frantic nature of their performances.
In 1964 the Shakers played the Ricky-Tick
club circuit, (famous for engaging Cyril Davies
, Alexis Korner
, The Yardbirds
and The Rolling Stones
) and backed U.S.
blues
pianist
, Memphis Slim
. He toured in the early 1960s as Phillip Goodhand-Tait and the Stormsville Shakers (his backing band
from Guildford) supporting the likes of Larry Williams
.
He wrote
song
s for Larry Williams; Roger Daltrey
("Oceans Away" - on the LP
, Ride a Rock Horse
- and "Parade" and "Leon" - both on the One of the Boys
album); Gene Pitney
("You Are" and "Oceans Away"); Zoot Money
("No One But You") and Love Affair
("Bringing on Back the Good Times", "A Day Without Love" and "Baby I Know").
By 1971, he had branched out, and wrote the soundtrack
for the film
, Universal Soldier
.
In 1976 he played the harmonium
on Chris De Burgh
's album
, Spanish Train and Other Stories
.
Goodhand-Tait has also produced live album
s by Magnum
, Venom
, Climax Blues Band
, Kid Creole and the Coconuts
and The Lords of the New Church
.
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
, record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
and keyboard
Keyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
player.
Life and career
Goodhand-Tait is his real surnameSurname
A surname is a name added to a given name and is part of a personal name. In many cases, a surname is a family name. Many dictionaries define "surname" as a synonym of "family name"...
, although at school
School
A school is an institution designed for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is commonly compulsory. In these systems, students progress through a series of schools...
and into the mid 1960s, he was known as Phil Tait. His mother
Mother
A mother, mum, mom, momma, or mama is a woman who has raised a child, given birth to a child, and/or supplied the ovum that grew into a child. Because of the complexity and differences of a mother's social, cultural, and religious definitions and roles, it is challenging to specify a universally...
taught
Teacher
A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
and his father
Father
A father, Pop, Dad, or Papa, is defined as a male parent of any type of offspring. The adjective "paternal" refers to father, parallel to "maternal" for mother...
was an active Trades Unionist. In 1957 the family moved south to Guildford
Guildford
Guildford is the county town of Surrey. England, as well as the seat for the borough of Guildford and the administrative headquarters of the South East England region...
, Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
where Goodhand-Tait attended Pewley school. Before long, he was singing in beat groups several nights every week under names such as Phill Tone and the Vibrants. In 1961, they renamed themselves Phill and the Stormsville Shakers, a group formed with Paul Demers on drum
Drum
The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...
s, Ivor Shackleton playing guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, and Kirk Riddle on bass
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
. "Stormsville" was the title of a 1960 Johnny and the Hurricanes
Johnny and the Hurricanes
Johnny and the Hurricanes was a rock and roll band that began as The Orbits in Toledo, Ohio in 1957. Led by saxophonist Johnny Paris , they were school friends who played on a few recordings behind Mack Vickery, a local rockabilly singer.-Career:They signed with Harry Balk and Irving Micahnik of...
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...
and "Shakers" was meant to indicate the frantic nature of their performances.
In 1964 the Shakers played the Ricky-Tick
Ricky-Tick
The Ricky-Tick was an influential 1960s rhythm & blues club in Windsor, Berkshire, England, host to many important acts such as The Rolling Stones, The Who, Jimi Hendrix, Pink Floyd and Cream....
club circuit, (famous for engaging Cyril Davies
Cyril Davies
Cyril Davies was one of the first British blues harmonica players and blues musician.-Biography:Born at St Mildred's, 15 Hawthorn Drive, Willowbank, Denham, Buckinghamshire, near London, he was the son of William Albert Davies, a labourer, and his wife Margaret Mary...
, Alexis Korner
Alexis Korner
Alexis Korner was a blues musician and radio broadcaster, who has sometimes been referred to as "a Founding Father of British Blues"...
, The Yardbirds
The Yardbirds
- Current :* Chris Dreja - rhythm guitar, backing vocals * Jim McCarty - drums, backing vocals * Ben King - lead guitar * David Smale - bass, backing vocals...
and The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
) and backed U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
pianist
Pianist
A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...
, Memphis Slim
Memphis Slim
Memphis Slim was an American blues pianist, singer, and composer. He led a series of bands that, reflecting the popular appeal of jump blues, included saxophones, bass, drums, and piano. A song he first cut in 1947, "Every Day I Have the Blues", has become a blues standard, recorded by many other...
. He toured in the early 1960s as Phillip Goodhand-Tait and the Stormsville Shakers (his backing band
Band (music)
In music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musicians that works together to perform music. The following articles concern types of musical bands:* All-female band* Big band* Boy band* Christian band* Church band* Concert band* Cover band...
from Guildford) supporting the likes of Larry Williams
Larry Williams
Larry Williams was an American rhythm and blues and rock and roll singer, songwriter, producer, and pianist from New Orleans, Louisiana...
.
He wrote
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
song
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
s for Larry Williams; Roger Daltrey
Roger Daltrey
Roger Harry Daltrey, CBE , is an English singer and actor, best known as the founder and lead singer of English rock band The Who. He has maintained a musical career as a solo artist and has also worked in the film industry, acting in a large number of films, theatre and television roles and also...
("Oceans Away" - on the LP
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...
, Ride a Rock Horse
Ride a Rock Horse
Ride a Rock Horse is the second solo album by The Who's lead singer, Roger Daltrey. It was first released in 1975. Songs were recorded during Daltrey's filming commitments for Ken Russell's film Lisztomania...
- and "Parade" and "Leon" - both on the One of the Boys
One of the Boys (Roger Daltrey album)
One of the Boys is the third solo album by The Who's lead singer, Roger Daltrey. It was first released in 1977. The sessions were recorded at The Who's Ramport Studios during the winter of 1976 , and Daltrey allowed students from the local Battersea technical school to film them as an educational...
album); Gene Pitney
Gene Pitney
Eugene Francis Alan Pitney, known as Gene Pitney , was an American singer-songwriter, musician and sound engineer. Through the mid-1960s, he enjoyed success as a recording artist on both sides of the Atlantic and was among the group of early 1960s American acts who continued to enjoy hits after the...
("You Are" and "Oceans Away"); Zoot Money
Zoot Money
George Bruno Money, known as Zoot Money is a British vocalist, keyboardist and bandleader best known for his playing of the Hammond organ and association with his Big Roll Band...
("No One But You") and Love Affair
Love Affair (band)
Love Affair were a London based pop, soul, R&B group formed in 1966. They had several UK Singles Chart Top 10 hits, including the number one success "Everlasting Love".-Personnel:The band primarily featured the following —...
("Bringing on Back the Good Times", "A Day Without Love" and "Baby I Know").
By 1971, he had branched out, and wrote the soundtrack
Soundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
for the film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
, Universal Soldier
Universal Soldier (1971 film)
Universal Soldier is a 1971 film starring George Lazenby as a mercenary.The film had a £1,000,000 production budget. George Lazenby and his manager, Ronan O'Rahilly, financed the film and were the executive producers. The film was directed by controversial director Cy Endfield...
.
In 1976 he played the harmonium
Harmonium
A harmonium is a free-standing keyboard instrument similar to a reed organ. Sound is produced by air being blown through sets of free reeds, resulting in a sound similar to that of an accordion...
on Chris De Burgh
Chris de Burgh
Chris de Burgh is a British/Irish singer-songwriter. He is most famous for his 1986 love song "The Lady in Red".-Early life:...
's 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...
, Spanish Train and Other Stories
Spanish Train and Other Stories
Spanish Train and Other Stories is the second album by Chris de Burgh, released by A&M Records in 1975.-Track listing:# "Spanish Train" – 5:00# "Lonely Sky" – 3:52# "This Song For You" – 4:14# "Patricia the Stripper" – 3:30...
.
Goodhand-Tait has also produced live album
Live album
A live album is a recording consisting of material recorded during stage performances using remote recording techniques, commonly contrasted with a studio album...
s by Magnum
Magnum (band)
Magnum are a British progressive rock band from Birmingham, England. Formed as a four piece by Tony Clarkin , Bob Catley , Kex Gorin and Bob Doyle in order to appear as the resident band at The Rum Runner night club Birmingham...
, Venom
Venom (band)
Venom are an English heavy metal band that formed in 1979 in Newcastle upon Tyne. Coming to prominence towards the end of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, Venom's first two albums—Welcome to Hell and Black Metal —are considered a major influence on thrash metal and extreme metal in general...
, Climax Blues Band
Climax Blues Band
Climax Blues Band was formed in Stafford, England in 1968. The original members were guitarists Peter Haycock and Derek Holt; keyboardist Arthur Wood; bassist Richard Jones; drummer George Newsome; and vocalist and harmonica player, Colin Cooper.In 1970, the group shortened its name to the Climax...
, Kid Creole and the Coconuts
Kid Creole and the Coconuts
Kid Creole and the Coconuts is an American musical group created and led by August Darnell. Its music incorporates a variety of styles and influences, in particular "American and Latin American, South American, Caribbean, Trinidadian, Calloway" and conceptually inspired by the big band era...
and The Lords of the New Church
The Lords of the New Church
The Lords of the New Church were an English/American post-punk supergroup with a line-up consisting of four musicians from prominent 1970s punk bands...
.
Albums
- Rehearsal - 1971 - DJMDJM RecordsDJM Records was the record label set up in the 1970s by British music publisher, Dick James, distributed by Pye Records in the UK and various other companies around the world, including the USA...
- I Think I'll Write a Song - 1971 - DJM
- Songfall - 1972 - DJM
- Phillip Goodhand-Tait - 1973 - DJM
- Jingle-Jangle Man (compilation albumCompilation albumA compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
) - 1975 - DJM - Oceans Away - 1976 - ChrysalisChrysalis RecordsChrysalis Records was a British record label that was created in 1969. The name was both a reference to the pupal stage of a butterfly and a combination of its founders names, Chris Wright and Terry Ellis...
- Teaching an Old Dog New Tricks - 1976 - Chrysalis
- Good Old Phil's - 1980 - Gundog
- An Evening With Peggy Sue - 2006 - Span TV
- The Last Laugh - 2008 - Span TV
- Radio Songs - 2010 - Span TV