Boz Burrell | |
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 Burrell performing withBad Company in 1976 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Raymond Burrell (1946-08-01)1 August 1946 Holbeach,Lincolnshire, England |
| Died | 21 September 2006(2006-09-21) (aged 60) Marbella, Spain |
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| Years active | 1963–2006 |
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| Formerly of |
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Raymond"Boz" Burrell (1 August 1946 – 21 September 2006) was an English musician. Originally a vocalist and guitarist, Burrell is best known for being the vocalist and bassist ofKing Crimson from 1971 to 1972 and the original bassist ofBad Company from 1973 to their first disbandment in 1982 and once more from 1998 to 1999. He died of aheart attack in Spain in 2006, aged 60.[1]
Raymond Burrell was born on 1 August 1946 inHolbeach, Lincolnshire; he lived in Saracens Head andHolbeach Hurn. As a teen in the 1950s, he began playing rhythm guitar for the Tea Time 4, a group formed with his school pals Bernie Rudd and Brian Rocky Browne, at the George Farmer School. They both acquired a passion for jazz and enjoyed acts such asMose Allison,John Coltrane, andCharles Mingus. He later attendedKing's Lynn Technical College.[2][3][4][5]
The group had several personnel changes and moved to London in 1965 at the suggestion of manager, Jack Barrie. With the addition ofIan McLagan on keyboard and a name change to Boz People, the group secured a contract with EMI's Columbia label.[6][7][8]
Burrell's style leaned more towards jazz, whereas McLagan was intoBooker T, four singles being recorded and backing band slots withKenny Lynch andElkie Brooks. However, with little commercial success, McLagan soon left to joinThe Small Faces.[9]
Burrell next enjoyed a short stint in the soul band, Feel For Soul, back in Norwich from 1966 until the following year. In late 1965, Burrell was briefly considered to replaceRoger Daltrey inThe Who.[10][11][12][13]
Between 1966 and 1968, Burrell released six singles in Britain on theColumbia label under the name Boz, including a cover of "I Shall be Released", backed by "Down in the Flood" (wrongly named "Dove in the Flood" on the label), both written byBob Dylan. On this he was joined by organistJon Lord, guitaristRitchie Blackmore and drummerIan Paice, who formedDeep Purple at the same time, and bassistChas Hodges, later ofChas and Dave fame. Burrell later appeared onCentipede's 1971 recordingSeptober Energy.[14]
In 1971, Burrell joinedKing Crimson as the new vocalist, having metRobert Fripp while both were performing with Centipede. As well as a vocalist, the band were also in search of a new bass player. AfterRick Kemp turned down a last-minute offer to join, Boz (who had only limited guitar-playing ability) was installed as the band's bass player with Fripp andIan Wallace teaching him to play rather than start the search again.[15]
The band toured and recorded the band's fourth studio album,Islands (1971), a warmer sounding release and the band's only string ensemble experimentation. Tensions began socially on tour and creatively with the direction of the group's latest effort. This led to lyricistPeter Sinfield being ousted following the band's next tour. During rehearsals in early 1972 the band fell apart with all members leaving due to creative restrictions imposed by Fripp as a "quality control" measure.
The band members were convinced to rejoin and fulfil their touring commitments for that year with the intention of disbanding thereafter. Recordings from this subsequent tour exist as the live albumEarthbound (1972) and as a large part of the box setSailors' Tales (1970–1972) (2017), which contains studio and live recordings spanning Burrell's entire tenure in the band. Although relations improved between both parties leading to an offer from the musicians to continue on in the band, Fripp had already moved on and declined to participate.[16]
In 1973, Burrell, Wallace andMel Collins reunited with Sinfield for his solo effort,Still. They also went on to formSnape withCCS'sAlexis Korner andPeter Thorup, who had been on tour with King Crimson in the states the previous year, releasing the studio album,Accidentally Born in New Orleans, and a live album,Live on Tour in Germany. In 1974 Burrell featured withChapman Whitney Streetwalkers along with other members ofFamily and King Crimson.[15][17]
Burrell was a founding member of the supergroupBad Company, formed in 1973 along with ex-Mott the Hoople guitaristMick Ralphs and two former members ofFree: vocalistPaul Rodgers and drummerSimon Kirke. The band debuted in 1974 with the self-titledBad Company, which eventually went platinum, as did the 1975 follow-up,Straight Shooter and 1976'sRun with the Pack.[16]
Released in 1977,Burnin' Sky proved less successful. However, the group's fifth release,Desolation Angels (release in 1979), saw the band once again return to platinum status.Rough Diamonds, the final studio album featuring the original members, released in 1982, was the worst-selling album in this incarnation and the band soon after split.[18]
Using the name Bad Company, Ralphs and Kirke continued to play together. However, it was not until 1998 that Burrell rejoined his bandmates along with Rodgers for a reunion tour; they released four new songs and released the compilationThe 'Original' Bad Co. Anthology. Burrell left the band once again in 1999.
In January 1981, Burrell joinedRoger Chapman again for his solo band, The Shortlist, leaving in 1983. He returned in May 1987, but left again the following year in June. In 1982, Burrell contributed toJon Lord's solo album,Before I Forget, on the track "Hollywood Rock and Roll", and in 1984 he joined the short-livedNightfly.[19]
In the 1990s, Burrell worked with such acts asAlvin Lee for hisBest of British Blues tour of 1996 andRuby Turner. During this period, his main creative outlet was with the Scottish blues singerTam White. Their collaboration developed into a trio known as The Shoe String Band and a big band, the Celtic Groove Connection. White was present at Burrell's apartment in Spain when Burrell suddenly died of aheart attack during rehearsals, on 21 September 2006.[7][19]
in 2025, Burrell was inducted intoRock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Bad Company.[20]
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Main article:Bad Company discography
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