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Ace Kefford | |
|---|---|
 Kefford in 1967 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Christopher John Kefford |
| Born | (1946-12-10)10 December 1946 (age 78) Moseley,Birmingham, England |
| Origin | Birmingham, England |
| Genres | Rock |
| Occupation | Musician |
| Instrument | Bass guitar |
Christopher John"Ace" Kefford (born 10 December 1946) is an English bassist.
He was the co-founder ofThe Move in October 1965 withTrevor Burton, after meetingDavid Bowie at Birmingham's Cedar Club, following aperformance by Bowie's bandDavy Jones and the Lower Third. The duo invitedRoy Wood, thenCarl Wayne andBev Bevan to join and complete the classic Move line-up.[1]
Kefford's mid-1968 departure from The Move came after a period of heavy gigging and experimentation withLSD, and a nervous breakdown following a package tour with TheJimi Hendrix Experience andPink Floyd,[1][2] which took the form of apanic attack.[3][4]
Wayne believed that the start of The Move's downfall was Kefford's departure, because it placed guitarist Trevor Burton into the vulnerable position of having to play more instruments, and the band could well have survived if they had recruited a keyboardist to replace Kefford.[5] Wood recalled of Kefford, "Ever since the day we formed none of us really got on very well with him. He was a very strange person. He was very aggressive and Ace and Trevor [Burton] used to have a lot of fights all the time."[6]
After leaving The Move, Kefford embarked on a solo album withrecord producer,Tony Visconti, at theOlympic andTrident Studios in London. Eight songs were recorded, including a cover ofSimon & Garfunkel's "Save the Life of My Child", featuringJimmy Page on guitar. However, Kefford suffered a breakdown during the project and walked out, with the album remaining unreleased until 2003 (asAce The Face,Sanctuary Records).
Kefford formed The Ace Kefford Stand in 1968, which included guitaristDave Ball, bassistDenny Ball, and drummerCozy Powell.[1][2]
Kefford's later life has been plagued by alcohol, drugs, suicide attempts, and time spent in psychiatric facilities.[1][3][2]
