 | This articlepossibly containsoriginal research. Pleaseimprove it byverifying the claims made and addinginline citations. Statements consisting only of original research should be removed.(February 2017) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Peter Sinfield | |
|---|---|
 Sinfield in 2010 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Peter John Sinfield |
| Born | (1943-12-27)27 December 1943 Fulham, London, England |
| Died | 14 November 2024(2024-11-14) (aged 80) |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
|
| Instruments | |
| Years active | 1960s–2024 |
| Labels | |
| Formerly of | King Crimson |
| Website | songsouponsea |
Peter John Sinfield (27 December 1943 – 14 November 2024) was an English poet and songwriter. He was best known as a co-founder and lyricist ofKing Crimson. Their debut albumIn the Court of the Crimson King is considered one of the first and most influentialprogressive rock albums ever released.[1]
Sinfield's lyrics are known for their surreal imagery, often involving common fantasy concepts, nature, or the sea. They often also deal with emotional concepts and, sometimes, storyline concepts. Later in his career, he adapted his songwriting to better suit pop music, and wrote a number of successful songs for artists such asCeline Dion,Cher,Cliff Richard,Leo Sayer,Five Star, andBucks Fizz.
Paul Stump, in his 1997History of Progressive Rock, called Sinfield "the premierlittérateur of Progressive".[2] In 2005, Sinfield was referred to as a "prog rock hero" inQ magazine for his lyrical work and influence in themusic industry.[3]
Sinfield was born inFulham, London, to mixed English-Irish ancestry and a bohemian activist mother Deidre (also known as Joey or Daphne).[4] He seldom had contact with his father Ian. Up until the age of eight, he was raised largely by his mother's German housekeeper Maria Wallenda, ahigh wire walker from the circus actthe Flying Wallendas, after which he was sent toDanes Hill School inOxshott.[5] It was there that Sinfield discovered a love of words and their uses and meanings, with the guidance of his tutor John Mawson. He began to read literature of all kinds, particularly poetry. He later attendedRanelagh Grammar School inBracknell,Berkshire. He left school at sixteen and worked briefly as atravel agent,[6] believing that this would "allow him to see the world".
Sinfield then went on to work for a computer company for six years, travelling around Europe when he could and hanging around with friends from theChelsea School of Art. To compete with his art school friends, Sinfield learned to play the guitar.[6] He wrote poetry beginning in the mid 1960s and made a living on market stalls selling handmade kites, lampshades, paintings and customised clothing. Sinfield spent a number of years drifting aroundMorocco and Spain before returning to England. In 1967, he formed the Creation, a band he said he envisioned as a cross betweenDonovan andthe Who.[7] One of the members,Ian McDonald, convinced Sinfield to switch from singer/guitarist to lyricist.[7]
In 1968,Ian McDonald joinedGiles, Giles and Fripp, a progressive pop trio consisting ofMichael Giles,Peter Giles, andRobert Fripp, who were looking to do more with music than their three-man line-up could manage. McDonald let the others know that he was already working with someone who could write lyrics. In their primordial form, Giles, Giles & Fripp, augmented by McDonald and ex-Fairport Convention vocalistJudy Dyble, recorded an early version of the McDonald-Sinfield song "I Talk to the Wind", which later became part of King Crimson's repertoire.
Peter Giles left the group at about this time, to be replaced byGreg Lake, and Sinfield joined around the same time. In his own words, "I became their pet hippie, because I could tell them where to go to buy the funny clothes that they saw everyone wearing".[8] Sinfield also came up with the name King Crimson.[9] Sinfield loved working with the band and, in addition to writing the phantasmagorical lyrics that came to be part of King Crimson's trademark, he also ran the group's light-show and mixed the sound at their concerts, and offered advice on artwork, album design, and other details of the band's releases. Sinfield's performance role in the band was limited to occasionally producing sound effects using anEMS VCS 3 synthesizer.[9]
Fripp became involved with other projects (most notably the Centipede orchestra), which left Sinfield with much of the responsibility for the final version and design of the album, including the uniquely ornate jacket. The relationship between Sinfield and Fripp became increasingly strained as the band progressed. On their fourth album,Islands, Sinfield began exploring new lyrical territory, with more sexual imagery juxtaposed with the languidly surreal title track. On 1 January 1972, following a tour of the United States, Fripp told Sinfield he could no longer work with him and asked him to leave the group.
In 1972, Sinfield, associated withE.G. Records, which represented King Crimson andRoxy Music, was producing Roxy Music's debut album and their hit single "Virginia Plain". It was during this time that he first decided to venture into recording a solo album. In 1973, he wrote English lyrics for the Italian groupPremiata Forneria Marconi (PFM) and produced their first album for Emerson, Lake & Palmer (ELP)'sManticore Records, titledPhotos of Ghosts (1973), as well as the follow-up,The World Became the World (1975).
In 1973, Sinfield formed a band provisionally called A Bowl of Soup and featuring Phil Jump on keyboards, Richard Brunton on guitar, Allan "Min" Mennie on drums, Steve Dolan on bass, and Sinfield himself on vocals, guitar, and synthesizer. They were booked to record an album at Command Studios.[10] This album,Still, was ultimately credited as a Pete Sinfield solo album, and in addition to the five members of A Bowl of Soup it featured input from numerous former (Greg Lake,Mel Collins,Ian Wallace), and future (John Wetton) members of King Crimson. While working onStill, he was approached byEmerson, Lake & Palmer, who needed a lyricist of Sinfield's calibre. Sinfield put it more bluntly: "Greg [Lake] called me. 'I need help with the lyrics.' And, boy, did he need help."[11]Still was originally released on ELP's own Manticore label in 1973, but Sinfield found himself subsumed into Emerson, Lake & Palmer. Already having a fear of the stage which he had little time to overcome due to writing demands, his solo career was put on hold and he worked with ELP for the next few years.
During this time, Sinfield lived with his first wife Stephanie in The Mill House,[12]Surrey, which was loaned to him by ELP. His neighbour wasGary Brooker ofProcol Harum, with whom he co-wrote five songs on Brooker's first solo albumNo More Fear of Flying. He also released a book containing his previous lyrics and poems titledUnder the Sky (named after one of the lyrics fromStill). In 1975, "I Believe in Father Christmas", a song co-written with Greg Lake was released, reaching No. 2 in the UK charts. "C'est la Vie", from the albumWorks Volume 1 and written by Lake and Sinfield, reached No. 75 in Canada, October 15, 1977.[13]
After overestimating his wealth and underestimating his percentage of royalties from ELP, he moved toIbiza to live as atax exile, and enjoyed his first interruption from continual work in the music industry. There he met a circle of artists, actors, painters, and members of theChelsea Arts Club such as Peter Unsworth andBarry Flanagan, and eventually parted from his first wife. During his time in Ibiza, Sinfield's break from songwriting allowed him to spend his time travelling, socialising, and reflecting, which he had been unable to do for the previous decade.
During the late 1970s, he continued to move in communities around Spain. In 1978, following the success of his previous lyrics forEmerson, Lake & Palmer, Sinfield was asked by ELP to produce lyrics for their albumLove Beach, now regarded by many (including Sinfield himself) to be the weakest of all ELP's albums.[14] In 1978 he also narratedRobert Sheckley'sIn a Land of Clear Colours, an audio sci-fi story released the following year on a limited edition of 1000 vinyl records. The backing music for the story was provided byBrian Eno, with whom Sinfield had previously worked while producing Roxy Music. By the time he returned to London in 1980, with his new Spanish wife (a model and runner-up forMiss Spain), he discovered thatprogressive rock music was no longer in demand, and thatpunk had emerged in the UK.
Sinfield also wrote the lyrics, in 1978–1980, for the English versions ofAlla fiera dell'est (Highdown Fair) andLa pulce d'acqua (Fables and Fantasies), by Italian singer-songwriterAngelo Branduardi and, in 1981–1983, for "It's Your Dream" (Nikka Costa), "My First Love", "I Believe in Fairy Tales", and "Trick or Treat" (Fairy Tales), by the American child singerNikka Costa.
Upon his return to London in 1980, his publisher introduced him toAndy Hill, a composer and fellow songwriter. He and Sinfield collaborated on such hits as "The Land of Make Believe" byBucks Fizz,[15] which reached No. 1 in theUK Singles Chart,[16] and became one of the biggest-selling hits of the decade. While re-educating himself to adapt to the pop music industry with the help of Hill, he returned to Spain, where he was already established in the communities within Ibiza and Barcelona, and as his career progressed, moved into a house inMajorca. At this time, he appeared on Spanish television programmeMusical Express, where he was interviewed and performed a set withBoz Burrell,Tim Hinkley,Michael Giles,Bobby Tench,Mel Collins, andGary Brooker.
In the United Kingdom, he continued to release hits with Hill, including "I Hear Talk" by Bucks Fizz and "Have You Ever Been in Love" byLeo Sayer (which they wrote with John Danter). He also co-wroteFive Star's "Rain or Shine" withBilly Livsey.[15] After divorcing his wife and leavingMajorca, he returned to the UK around 1990 to a flat inHolland Park and continued to write lyrics forpopular music. In 1993, he re-released his solo album asStillusion. In the same year, he and Hill released "Think Twice" byCeline Dion, which went on to become a massive hit and won anIvor Novello Award for "Best Song Musically and Lyrically". Sinfield and Hill had also won an Ivor Novello a decade previously for the Leo Sayer track, "Have You Ever Been in Love".
 | This sectiondoes notcite anysources. Please helpimprove this section byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged andremoved.(January 2017) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
There had been rumours of a second solo album, and Sinfield worked on it for a couple of years with vibraphone player and programmerPoli Palmer, formerly ofFamily. It was always a challenging project, made more so by Sinfield's quadruple bypass operation in 2005. After a period of convalescence, Sinfield attempted to restart the project, but it failed to take off.
During this time Sinfield wrote an increasing number ofhaiku. After his appearance at the Genoa Poetry Festival at theDucal Palace in June 2010, he has turned his creative energies more towards poetry.
Sinfield was active as a writer and appeared in the 2009BBC documentaryProg Rock Britannia: An Observation in Three Movements.
Sinfield lived inAldeburgh, Suffolk. He was active within the songwriting community and was a member of theBritish Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors committee. He underwentheart surgery in 2005.
Sinfield died on 14 November 2024, at the age of 80.[17]
Sinfield had a fairly unusual and colourful upbringing, being an only child (bar his adopted brother, Dennis) of a bisexual mother who ran ahair salon and one of the first burger bars in London in the 1950s. He grew up in a bohemian household, and claims to have vivid memories of extravagant and wonderfulChristmases, later inspiring the lyrics for his hit "I Believe in Father Christmas", which recalled a lost and naive faith inFather Christmas.[18] Sinfield claimed thatA Poet's Notebook byEdith Sitwell[19] had an important influence on his writing, as well as the works ofArthur Rimbaud,[9]Paul Verlaine,[9]William Blake,[19]Kahlil Gibran, and[19]Shakespeare.[19]
Musically he was largely influenced byBob Dylan andDonovan. Hearing Donovan's opening line of "Colours": "Yellow is the colour of my true love's hair"' was, Sinfield stated, the defining moment when he decided he had the desire and ability to start writing songs.[20]
In his 1997 bookRocking the Classics, critic/musicologist Edward Macan noted thatIn the Court of the Crimson King "may be the most influential progressive rock album ever released"
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
