Kevin Ayers ( psych, prog rock / UK)

Kevin Ayers (16 August 1944 – 18 February 2013) was an English singer-songwriter and a major influential force in the English psychedelic movement. Ayers was a founding member of the pioneering psychedelic band Soft Machine in the late 1960s, and was closely associated with the Canterbury scene. 


His early work included works with artists like Daevid Allen, David Bedford and Mike Ratledge. Since then Kevin Ayers wrote and recorded some of the wittiest and most poignant songs imaginable and produced more banana related lyrics than anyone ever dreamed possible.

The first serious band was The Wilde Flowers 1964-1967) with Hugh Hopper, Robert Wyatt and Richard Sinclair. This early hippie group transformed into Soft Machine. While the Softs went on, others split to form Caravan and Gong. Ayers put together his own band Kevin Ayers & The Whole World featuring Lol Coxhill, David Bedford and a very young Mike Oldfield.


He recorded a series of albums as a solo artist and over the years worked with Brian Eno, Syd Barrett, John Cale, Elton John, Robert Wyatt, Andy Summers, Mike Oldfield, Nico and Ollie Halsall, among others. 


With 18 albums to his credit Kevin Ayers was the Guru Banana. 

In 2007, Ayers recorded in a Glasgow studio with long-time admirers Teenage Fanclub, contributions came from Euros Childs from Gorkys Zygotic Mynci, Francis Reader from the trash can sinatras, Robert Wyatt provided his eerie Wyattron in the poignant Cold Shoulder. Phil Manzanera contributed to the brooding Brainstorm, Hugh Hopper from Soft Machine played bass on the title track Unfairground and Bridget St. John, a British Folk singer beloved of the late John Peel, duetted with Ayers on Baby Come Home, the first time they had sung together since 1970 on Shooting At The Moon. The resulting album Unfairground was released in September 2007.

Ayers died, apparently in his sleep, at his home in the South of France on the 18th of February 2013. He was 68.

Discography:

Soft Machine: The Soft Machine  1968


Solo:


Joy of a Toy 1969
Shooting at the Moon 1970
Whatevershebringswesing 1971
Bananamour 1973
The Confessions of Dr. Dream and Other Stories 1974
June 1, 1974 (with Nico, John Cale and Brian Eno)  1974
Lady June's Linguistic Leprosy (with Lady June and Brian Eno) 1974
Sweet Deceiver 1975
Yes We Have No Mañanas (So Get Your Mañanas Today) 1976
Rainbow Takeaway  1978
That's What You Get Babe  1980
Diamond Jack and the Queen of Pain 1983
Deià...Vu  1984
As Close As You Think   1986
Falling Up  1988
Still Life with Guitar  1992
The Unfairground  2007