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David Paton | |
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 Paton in 2017 in Magdeburg, Germany | |
| Background information | |
| Born | (1949-10-29)29 October 1949 (age 76) Edinburgh, Scotland |
| Genres | Pop,rock |
| Occupation | Musician |
| Instrument(s) | Bass, guitar, vocals |
| Years active | Late 1960s–present |
| Formerly of | Bay City Rollers,Pilot,The Alan Parsons Project,Camel,Elton John Band |
| Website | davidpatonsongs |
David Paton (/ˈpeɪtən/; born 29 October 1949)[1] is a Scottish bassist, guitarist and singer. He first achieved success in the mid-1970s as lead vocalist and bassist ofPilot, who scored hits with "Magic", "January", "Just a Smile" and "Call Me Round" before splitting in 1977. Paton is also known for his work in the original lineup ofThe Alan Parsons Project (1975-1985), and for working with acts such asKate Bush,Camel andElton John.
Born inEdinburgh, Scotland,[1] Paton grew up in the south-eastern suburb ofGilmerton, Edinburgh, where he attended Liberton High School. At the age of 11 he got his first guitar, which he learned to play as an autodidact.[2] His first band was called 'The Beachcombers' and they signed a recording contract in 1968 withCBS Records. They changed their name to The Boots and published their first single, "The Animal In Me".[3] This was soon followed by "Keep Your Lovelight Burning".[4] Because of financial problems, the band split up in 1970.
Paton initially joined theBay City Rollers for a short period of time but never recorded with them. He joined in 1968, as their bassist, when bassistAlan Longmuir switched to full-time guitarist. After leaving them in October 1970, Longmuir switched back to bass, and Paton became a member of another band called 'Fresh', which changed their name to Christyan and released a single, "Nursery Lane", in 1971.[5] While still playing with the band, he took a job as a musician in a nightclub called Tiffanys where he metIan Bairnson.
In 1973, Paton was a co-founder ofPilot. WithIan Bairnson,Billy Lyall andStuart Tosh, they recorded several demos withEMI Records and recorded their first albumFrom the Album of the Same Name which was published in 1974.[6] On it was included their first major hit, "Magic"[7] and Bairnson, who was still not an official member of the band, joined them after the recording of the first album (Paton had played most of the lead guitar on the first album).
They released their second albumSecond Flight in 1975, and its single "January" topped theUK Singles Chart for three weeks, ironically beginning week ending 1 February.[8] and it was followed in 1976 by their third,Morin Heights which was recorded at Le Studio in Morin Heights in Quebec, Canada, and produced byRoy Thomas Baker.
In 2014, Paton, Bairnson and also Stuart Tosh re-released as the full band Pilot an album calledA Pilot Project,[9] which contains exclusively tracks from theAlan Parsons Project. That same year, on 6 September 2014, David Paton, Ian Bairnson and Stuart Tosh played Midfest in Edinburgh for the first time in 39 years with the original line-up (minus the late Billy Lyall).[10]
In 2016 and 2017, Paton, along with Ian Bairnson, was back live as Band Pilot, primarily in Japan, the UK and Germany. They were supported by Kenny Hutchison (keyboards, vocals), Calais Brown (guitar, vocals), Dave Stewart (drums, vocals) and Irvin Duguid (keyboards, vocals).
In 2019, David Paton sort of single-handedly released a follow-up toA Pilot Project,The Traveller - Another Pilot Project.[11] With a few exceptions, he recorded all the instruments himself.
In July 2021, Pilot (Paton and Bairnson) releasedThe Magic EP, featuring 4 completely re-recorded older songs:Magic,January,Just A Smile andOver The Moon. The latter was completely rearranged for this purpose. On 21 March 2022, the long-announced follow-up albumThe Magic Collection was released, on which the EP tracks are also included.
The same year, he and Bairnson started working with producerAlan Parsons and published a first album under the nameAlan Parsons Project,Tales of Mystery & Imagination. Paton played bass and sang with the band until the 1986 albumStereotomy as he continued to work with other artists as a touring- andsession musician. He briefly returned to sing lead and backing vocals and play acoustic guitar at the Project's only live appearance in 1990 for theNight of the Proms, whileLaurence Cottle played bass guitar as he'd done on the Project'sGaudi andFreudiana. Paton wasn't asked to participate in any further Parsons albums or tours.
His first solo album was released in 1991, titledPassions Cry (under the name of Davie Paton), and the second albumFragments in 1996, that was also under the same name. In 1980, Paton already recorded an album with the titleNo Ties No Strings at theAbbey Road Studios, which was never released.[12] In 2003, however, the albumThe Search was released, which was a new recording of the "lost album" from 1980. In the following years, David Paton released other solo albums.
He also played on the first two albums byKate Bush in 1978,The Kick Inside andLionheart.
In the 1980s, Paton was known for his work withCamel andElton John in studio albums and touring around the world. Other credits include bass guitar and backing vocals for several albums byFish, as well asRick Wakeman in the 1990s, such asThe Classical Connection,African Bach,Softsword,The Classical Connection 2 andPrayers. In 1984, he was a member ofKeats.[13]
In 1985, he participated to the original score for the movieLadyhawke which was written, composed and played byAndrew Powell and produced by Alan Parsons. From 1985 until 1995 Paton worked as both as studio and live bandmember for Elton John, with a notabele performance onLive Aid.
Paton also appeared solo in the Countdown Spectacular 2 concert series in Australia, between August and September 2007, as a performer and musical director.[14][15] In 2020, Paton's next solo album2020 was released.
His autobiographyMagic: The David Paton Story was released on 30 June 2023.[16]
As a session musician, Paton has played on many albums for various artists includingThe Loreburn Sisters,David Courtney,Don Black &Geoff Stephens,Chris De Burgh,Chris Rea,Elaine Paige,John Townley,Jimmy Page,Andrew Powell,Keats,Matia Bazar, Frank Ryan, Aleksander Mezek,Caterina Caselli,Propaganda,Ron,Richard Thompson,The River Detectives,Fiona Kennedy,Blair Douglas,Gerry O'Beirne,Connie Dover,Andy M. Stewart,John McNairn,Dick Gaughan, Tannas,MacAlias,Donnie Munro,Kenny Herbert, Holly Thomas,Gordon "Nobby" Clark,Ray Wilson,Beagle Hat,Rob Howat,Rococo,The Apple Beggars, and Sheep.[17]
Media related toDavid Paton (musician) at Wikimedia Commons| Artists | |
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