Andy Anderson | |
---|---|
Birth name | Clifford Leon Anderson |
Born | 30 January 1951 |
Origin | West Ham, Essex, England |
Died | 26 February 2019 | (aged 68)
Genres | Progressive rock, funk rock, space rock, gothic rock, post-punk, punk rock, alternative rock |
Occupation(s) | Musician |
Instrument(s) | Drums, percussion |
Years active | 1978–2019 |
Formerly of | Steve Hillage, The Cure, The Glove, Jimmy Somerville, Jimmy Pursey, Isaac Hayes, Midge Ure, Iggy Pop, Hawkwind, The Last Poets, Jason Donovan, The Rock & Roll Gypsies, Peter Gabriel |
Clifford Leon "Andy" Anderson (30 January 1951 – 26 February 2019) was a British drummer, best known for his work with The Cure and Steve Hillage, as well as a lengthy session career.
Anderson was born to an Anglo-Caribbean family and was raised in London. His father was a part-time jazz drummer, and he first gained work as a drummer in recording sessions for television commercial jingles. [1] He played live with a variety of space rock and progressive rock bands starting in the mid-1970s, and his first studio album appearance was on Xitintoday by Nik Turner's Sphynx in 1978 (under the name Android Anderson). [2] That album was produced by Steve Hillage, who invited Anderson to perform on two of his own albums in 1979: Live Herald and Open. Anderson also worked as a session drummer for Mother Gong and Hawkwind. [1]
In the early 1980s, Anderson expanded his palette by performing as a session and live drummer for a variety of new wave and alternative rock acts, such as M and Techno Twins. [1] In 1983 he was recruited by Robert Smith and Steve Severin to play on the album Blue Sunshine by their side project The Glove. [3] Smith's main band The Cure was in the midst of revamping its lineup, as incumbent drummer Lol Tolhurst had switched to keyboards. Smith invited Anderson to play on the Cure single " The Love Cats", after which he became a full-time member of the band. [4] Anderson was the sole drummer on the 1984 album The Top. [5]
While touring with the Cure in France in 1984, Anderson was accosted by a security guard in a racially-motivated incident, and then destroyed a hotel room out of frustration. His behavior became increasingly erratic as the world tour progressed, culminating in an altercation with his bandmates and their road crew after a show in Japan. Anderson was fired from the Cure in October 1984. [1]
Anderson then returned to session drumming and enjoyed a successful career as an in-demand collaborator for acts including Iggy Pop, Peter Gabriel, Edwyn Collins, Isaac Hayes, and Mike Oldfield. [5] He also explored electronic music in a project called Prime Data, and another called Front and Centre. [6] He was briefly a member of a Cure tribute band called the Cureheads in 2012, and made a guest appearance with Levinhurst, fronted by his former Cure bandmate Lol Tolhurst. [1]
Anderson died from cancer at age 68 on 26 February 2019, [5] [7] after which he received many accolades from former bandmates and collaborators. [3]
Nik Turner's Sphynx
The Glove
The Cure
Andy Anderson | |
---|---|
Birth name | Clifford Leon Anderson |
Born | 30 January 1951 |
Origin | West Ham, Essex, England |
Died | 26 February 2019 | (aged 68)
Genres | Progressive rock, funk rock, space rock, gothic rock, post-punk, punk rock, alternative rock |
Occupation(s) | Musician |
Instrument(s) | Drums, percussion |
Years active | 1978–2019 |
Formerly of | Steve Hillage, The Cure, The Glove, Jimmy Somerville, Jimmy Pursey, Isaac Hayes, Midge Ure, Iggy Pop, Hawkwind, The Last Poets, Jason Donovan, The Rock & Roll Gypsies, Peter Gabriel |
Clifford Leon "Andy" Anderson (30 January 1951 – 26 February 2019) was a British drummer, best known for his work with The Cure and Steve Hillage, as well as a lengthy session career.
Anderson was born to an Anglo-Caribbean family and was raised in London. His father was a part-time jazz drummer, and he first gained work as a drummer in recording sessions for television commercial jingles. [1] He played live with a variety of space rock and progressive rock bands starting in the mid-1970s, and his first studio album appearance was on Xitintoday by Nik Turner's Sphynx in 1978 (under the name Android Anderson). [2] That album was produced by Steve Hillage, who invited Anderson to perform on two of his own albums in 1979: Live Herald and Open. Anderson also worked as a session drummer for Mother Gong and Hawkwind. [1]
In the early 1980s, Anderson expanded his palette by performing as a session and live drummer for a variety of new wave and alternative rock acts, such as M and Techno Twins. [1] In 1983 he was recruited by Robert Smith and Steve Severin to play on the album Blue Sunshine by their side project The Glove. [3] Smith's main band The Cure was in the midst of revamping its lineup, as incumbent drummer Lol Tolhurst had switched to keyboards. Smith invited Anderson to play on the Cure single " The Love Cats", after which he became a full-time member of the band. [4] Anderson was the sole drummer on the 1984 album The Top. [5]
While touring with the Cure in France in 1984, Anderson was accosted by a security guard in a racially-motivated incident, and then destroyed a hotel room out of frustration. His behavior became increasingly erratic as the world tour progressed, culminating in an altercation with his bandmates and their road crew after a show in Japan. Anderson was fired from the Cure in October 1984. [1]
Anderson then returned to session drumming and enjoyed a successful career as an in-demand collaborator for acts including Iggy Pop, Peter Gabriel, Edwyn Collins, Isaac Hayes, and Mike Oldfield. [5] He also explored electronic music in a project called Prime Data, and another called Front and Centre. [6] He was briefly a member of a Cure tribute band called the Cureheads in 2012, and made a guest appearance with Levinhurst, fronted by his former Cure bandmate Lol Tolhurst. [1]
Anderson died from cancer at age 68 on 26 February 2019, [5] [7] after which he received many accolades from former bandmates and collaborators. [3]
Nik Turner's Sphynx
The Glove
The Cure