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Kevin Coyne

 
Artist: Kevin Coyne
Home > Library > Entertainment & Arts > Pop Artists

Similar Artists:

Robert Wyatt, John Peel, Kevin Ayers, John Cale, Syd Barrett, Neil Young, Richard Thompson, Bruce Cockburn

Followers:

Ivor Cutler, Bonnie "Prince" Billy, The Mekons

Formal Connection With:

Siren
See Kevin Coyne Lyrics
  • Born: January 27, 1944, Derby, England
  • Died: December 02, 2004, Nuremberg, Germany
  • Active: '70s, '80s, '90s, 2000s
  • Genres: Rock
  • Instrument: Vocals, Guitar
  • Representative Albums: "Marjory Razorblade," "Sign of the Times," "Romance-Romance"
  • Representative Songs: "Marlene," "Araby," "Evil Island Home"

Biography

There are plenty more heralded singer/songwriters, but few have produced more good work or have done so for longer than Kevin Coyne. Virtually unknown in America, Coyne has released dozens of records, most of them very good, that deal primarily with outsiders: men, women, and children arbitrarily shunted to the fringes of society, or worse, locked away and left alone. He can be extraordinarily compassionate and, in the blink of an eye, angry, anguished, and accusatory. Perhaps the most durable and telling image of Kevin Coyne is the cover photo of his album In Living Black & White. On the front, Coyne is smiling and politely bowing to an unseen audience; the back of the album jacket is the same photo taken from the rear, with Coyne clutching an open straight razor.

Born in Derby, England, in 1944, Coyne, like many rock & roll performers who came of age in early post-war Britain, was an art school student who fell in love with American R&B. Living a bohemian life in late-'60s London, Coyne was employed for a while as a socio-therapist for alcoholics and the emotionally disturbed, jobs that would profoundly affect his approach to music. In 1969 his first band, Siren, signed to influential BBC DJ John Peel's specialty label, Dandelion. Two years and two excellent records later, Peel dissolved his label and Coyne embarked on a solo career. Married with two children, Coyne supported both his family and musical career by returning to social work. In many ways, his solo debut, Case History, set the tone for his career. Based on his social work experiences, it was a riveting examination of the desperate search for love by those forcibly shunted to the fringes of society. With his bluesy voice wailing almost inconsolably, Case History is a naked examination of people (Coyne included) whose lives are in constant turmoil: betrayed, institutionalized, unwanted, and mostly unloved. The characters in these songs cry out for attention, and Coyne, never one to buy into England's bureaucratic social work system, howls right along with them.

Case History was very nearly Coyne's swan song, but after a self-imposed exile from music, an opportunity to continue recording as a solo act with almost complete artistic freedom proved too powerful an incentive. In 1973, Coyne began a relationship with the then-fledgling Virgin Records, who seemed willing to embrace the decidedly non-commercial, difficult performer. For the next eight years, he recorded some of his best music and, somewhat surprisingly, attained a modicum of commercial success, albeit in Europe only. These were mostly edgy folk-rock records tinged with an avant-garde feel for performance art (Coyne is a published poet too), clearly not easy listening by any stretch of the imagination; neither were these records overly pretentious nor unapproachable.

By the early '80s, Coyne was recording for independent labels, making frustrating, semi-successful records that were erratically released and difficult to find. Exacerbating this bad situation were his worsening mental and physical states: chronic depression culminating in a nervous breakdown and alcoholism that, along with ending his marriage, nearly ended his life. By the end of the decade, he had relocated to Germany, formed a new band, fallen in love, and seemed to be sharpening his songwriting skills.

Coyne's later recordings are nearly impossible to find, and most inquiries into his current activities, at least in the U.S., will doubtlessly yield the response, "Who's Kevin Coyne?" The good news is that in late 1994, there was a major CD reissue series (only in England, of course) of Coyne's work, including two late-'80s/early-'90s records (Legless in Manila and Wild Tiger Love) that went mostly unheard, even by fans. ~ John Dougan, All Music Guide
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Wikipedia: Kevin Coyne
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Kevin Coyne

Coyne at The Edge, Toronto June 5th, 1981
Background information
Birth name Kevin Coyne
Born 27 January, 1944
Derby, Derbyshire,UK
Died 2 December, 2004
Nuremberg, Germany
Genres Rock, New Wave, Alternative rock
Occupations Musician, Composer, Singer, Artist, Writer, Poet, Filmmaker
Instruments Guitar, Vocalist, Harmonica
Years active 1968 – 2004
Labels Dandelion Records Elektra Records, Virgin
Associated acts Siren, Andy Summers, Zoot Money, Dagmar Krause
Website Official site

Kevin Coyne was a musician, singer, composer, film-maker, and a writer of lyrics, stories and poems. The former "anti-star " [1] was born on 27 January 1944 in Derby, UK, and died in his adopted home of Nuremberg, Germany, on 2 December 2004.

Coyne is notable for his unorthodox and unforgettable style of blues-influenced guitar composition, the intense quality of his vocal delivery, and for his bold treatment of injustice to the mentally ill in his lyrical songcraft. Many influential music figures have called themselves fans of Coyne's work - notable among them are Sting and John Lydon. In the mid-1970s his band included guitarist Andy Summers prior to the formation of The Police. Prominent BBC disc jockey and world music authority Andy Kershaw described Coyne as, variously, "a national treasure who keeps getting better" and as one of the great British blues voices.

Coyne produced the distinctive art work for many of his own album covers over the years, but his move to Germany in the 1980s saw his work on full size paintings blossom in its own right. A selection of his paintings may be found at his official website [2]

Contents

Early days

As a teen and young adult Coyne studied at the Joseph Wright School of Art from 1957 to 1961 and then studied graphics and painting at Derby School of Art from 1961 to 1965. His love of American bluesmen developed, as did his songcraft and his guitar and vocal talents.

At the conclusion of his arts training, Coyne began the work that would change him forever - he spent the three years, from 1965 to 1968, working as a social therapist and psychiatric nurse at Whittingham Hospital near Preston in Lancashire and then for "The Soho Project" in London as a drugs counsellor. During this period of working with the mentally ill, he performed regularly. Subsequently, his musical aspirations took precedence and he signed a record deal in 1968.

Coyne's early break was the result of John Peel releasing recordings by Kevin's first band Siren in 1969 on his Dandelion Records label.

An established artist

Coyne's complete repertoire, contained in over 40 albums, shows a balance between tender love songs, songs of heart-breaking despair, songs of hope and songs of great humour. With many of his songs based on his life-long concern with life's casualties, the music on his albums often reflects extremes, with glorious melodies juxtaposed against tortured vocals or primeval screaming.

In 1978 Coyne collaborated with fellow Derby Art School graduate Ian Breakwell to produce the filmThe Institution based on Breakwell's Artist Placement Group work at Rampton Hospital in Nottinghamshire.

Kevin's refusal to compromise was shown early in his career when he turned down a meeting with founder of Elektra Records Jac Holzman (Coyne's band Siren were on Elektra in America) to discuss replacing Jim Morrison in The Doors. "I didn't like the leather trousers!" was Coynes' alleged reason.

The uncompromising stance continued even when he was one of the first artists signed to Virgin Records and it was this attitude that endeared him to label-mates such as John Lydon, who played "Eastbourne Ladies" on a Desert Island Discs–type show, and The Mekons, who recorded his "Having a Party", a scathing attack on Richard Branson.

Marjory Razorblade album cover with portrait photograph of Coyne.

Coyne's first solo album Case History, recorded primarily with just his voice and guitar was powerful and direct, and was recorded for Peel's Dandelion label. When Dandelion ceased to exist the album largely sank into obscurity. Not before, however, it had come to the attention of Virgin records, who were sufficiently impressed to sign Coyne and release his 1973 album Marjory Razorblade.

Described as being musically "... a mixture of blues and music hall comedy, with a punk edge", this album contained many notable songs, such as the bitter and irreverent "Eastbourne Ladies" and the plaintive "House on the Hill" about life in a psychiatric institution. It was the record that was to be largely responsible for putting Coyne on the map of mainstream rock.

Another Virgin album release, Babble, courted controversy when Kevin suggested, in the theatre presentation of the piece, that the destructive relationship between the two lovers could have been based on The Moors Murderers. Two performances at The Royal Theatre at Stratford in London were cancelled at short notice by Newham Council following negative press reports in The Sun and The Evening Standard. The show was eventually staged, for four nights, at the Ovel House in Kennington. Reviewing the show for the NME, Paul Du Noyer wrote [3]:

“ `Babble' is a particularly thorough, painstaking exploration of the reality of one relationship, stripped of romance and artifice. The format employed is correspondingly stark. Against a stage-set of light-bulb, table and chairs Coyne and his partner Dagmar Krause stand at either side; the only accompaniment comes from Bob Ward and Brian Godding, playing electric and acousitc guitar in the gloom behind. ”

American singer/songwriter Will Oldham claimed that the Babble album had "changed my life" and he went on to record two of the songs himself.

Nuremberg forward

Following a nervous breakdown and increasing difficulties with drink, Coyne left the UK in 1985. He settled in Nuremberg, Germany and having given up alcohol, never stopped recording and touring, as well as writing books and exhibiting his paintings. A selection of Coyne's writings, including many of his poems, can be viewed on the internet.[4]

Coyne’s move to Germany saw his writing and painting career truly blossom. He published four books, two of which, Showbusiness and Party Dress, by Serpent's Tail in London. [5] There were numerous exhibition of his visual work throughout Europe and the response was reassuringly strong. Those in Berlin, Amsterdam and Zürich being particularly well reviewed and attended.[6]. The paintings gained some notoriety [7] and still attract commercial attention today.[8]

In the late 1980s Coyne acted on stage, playing the small part of a rock star in Linie Eins (Line One), a German musical, at the Nuremberg opera house, but appearing only at the very end of the play.[9]. His 1995 album, The Adventures of Crazy Frank, was based on a stage musical about English comedian Frank Randle - with Coyne in the title role. It also starred the singer Julia Kempken who was erroneously listed in the Guardian obituary as Kevin's wife[1]. Kempken later wrote fondly of this mistake, suggesting that her performance on stage as Randle's wife had been so strong as to transform her, in the eyes of the press, into Kevin's actual wife. In reality Kevin married only twice, first to Leslie and second to Helmi, having another relationship between the two which saw the birth of his son Nico.

In Germany his sons from his first marriage, guitarist Robert and drummer Eugene, were recruited into his band. His later German recordings, including Knocking On Your Brain (1997) often featured the "Paradise Band". In later years he also collaborated with Brendan Croker (on Life Is Almost Wonderful), with Jon Langford of The Mekons (on One Day In Chicago) and with Gary Lucas once of Captain Beefheart's The Magic Band(on Knocking On Your Brain)

Death

Diagnosed with lung fibrosis in 2002, Coyne died peacefully at his home. He is survived by his wife Helmi and his sons Eugene, Robert and Nico.

His wife Helmi intends to continue releasing recordings Kevin made in his last years on Kevin's own Turpentine Records label. The first was Underground (2006).

Notable albums from the large back catalogue are Case History (1972), Marjory Razorblade (1973), Millionaires and Teddybears (1978), Babble (1979) and Donut City (2004).

2007 tribute year

2007 would be the year that Kevin Coyne at last began to garner some of the attention for his increasingly creative and visible work. The Nightingales recorded a version of "Good Boy" for their album Out of True and Jackie Leven recorded a song about Kevin on his album Oh What A Blow The Phantom Dealt Me!, and "Here Come The Urban Ravens". Featured on the album, Whispers From The Offing - A Tribute to Kevin Coyne, put together by Kevin's friend Frank Bangay and showing not only the esteem in which Kevin was held by fellow musicians but his talent as a songwriter, as well.

The full track listing for the CD version of the album was:

  1. Black Cloud - Nigel Burch
  2. Talking To No One - Big Mehr and friend
  3. Born Crazy - Razz
  4. Sand All Yellow - Goldfish
  5. Cycling – Dog Latin
  6. Marlene - Nikki Sudden
  7. Raindrops On The Window - Kevin Hewick
  8. Hello Judas – Alternative TV
  9. I Only Want To See You Smile - Veronique Acoustique
  10. Blame It On The Night - Grae J Wall
  11. My Evil Island Home - Jowe Head
  12. Case History No 2 - Pascal Regis
  13. House On The Hill - Leo O'Kelly
  14. Mad Boy No2 - Frank Bangay and almost real
  15. Looking For The River - Chris Connelly
  16. Victoria Smiles - Heinz Rudolf Kunze
  17. Are We Dreaming? - The Otters (Ft. Mark Astronaut)
  18. Strange Pictures - Dave Russell
  19. Weirdo - Joey Stack
  20. A Loving Hand - Clive Product
  21. Lonesome Valley - Stumble On The Valves
  22. Here Come The Urban Ravens - Jackie Leven
  • The downloaded version also includes two bonus tracks - Sally Timm's "I'm Just A Man" and Jon Langford's "Having a Party" in Coyne's own voice at [1].

Influences

In an interview in spring 2004, Coyne picked bis favourite blues musicians as Robert Johnson, Leroy Carr, Peetie Wheatstraw and Tommy McClennan [10]

Discography

Albums

Solo and with his band
  • On Air - 2008 (Live Radio Bremen Aug 18th, 1975)
  • Underground -2006
  • One Day In Chicago (with Jon Langford) -2005
  • Donut City -2004
  • Carnival - 2002
  • Life is almost wonderful (mei Brendan Croker) - 2002
  • Room full of Fools - 2000
  • Sugar Candy Taxi - 2000
  • Bittersweet Lovesongs - 2000
  • Live Rough and More - 1997
  • Knocking On Your Brain - 1997
  • The Adventures of Crazy Frank - 1995
  • Elvira: Songs from the Archives 1979- 83 - 1994
  • Sign of the Times - 1994
  • Tough and Sweet - 1993
  • Burning Head - 1992
  • Wild Tiger Love - 1991
  • Peel Sessions - 1991
  • Romance - Romance - 1990
  • Everybody's naked - 1989
  • Stumbling on to Paradise - 1987
  • Rough - 1985
  • Legless In Manila - 1984
  • Beautiful Extremes et cetera - 1983
  • Politicz - 1982
  • Live in Berlin - 1981
  • Pointing the Finger - 1981
  • The Dandelion Years - 1981
  • Sanity Stomp (with Robert Wyatt) - 1980
  • Bursting Bubbles - 1980
  • Millionaires and Teddy Bears - 1979
  • Dynamite Daze - 1978
  • Beautiful Extremes - 1977
  • In Living Black and White - 1977
  • Heartburn - 1976
  • Let's Have A Party - 1976
  • Matching Head and Feet - 1975
  • Blame lt On The Night - 1974
  • Marjory Razorblade - 1973
  • Case History - 1972
  • The Club Rondo - 1995 (with material recorded in 1969/1971)
  • Let's do it - 1994 (with material recorded in 1969/1970)
  • Rabbits - 1994 (with material recorded in 1969/70)
With Siren
  • Strange Locomotion - 1971
  • Siren - 1969
With Dagmar Krause
  • Babble - Songs for Lonely Lovers - 1979

Singles

  • Mandy Lee / Bottle Up and Go - 1969
  • The Stride / I Wonder Where - 1969
  • Ze-Ze-Ze-Ze / And I Wonder - 1970
  • Strange Locomotion / I'm All Aching - 1971
  • Cheat Me / Flowering Cherry - 1972
  • Marlene / Everybody Says - 1973
  • Lovesick Fool / Sea of Love - 1973
  • Marlene / Sea of Love - 1973
  • Marlene / Jackie and Edna - 1973
  • I Believe In Love / Queenie Queenie Caroline - 1974
  • Rock 'n' Roll Hymn / It's Not Me - 1975
  • Saviour / Rock 'n' Roll Hymn - 1975
  • Lorna / Let's Have A Party - 1975
  • Let's Have A Party / Lorna - 1975
  • Saviour / Lonely Lovers - 1975
  • Don't Make Waves / Mona Where's My Trousers - 1976
  • Walk On By / Shangri-la - 1976
  • Fever / Daddy - 1976
  • Marlene / England Is Dying - 1977
  • Amsterdam / I Really Love You - 1978
  • I'll Go Too / Having A Party - 1979
  • So Strange / Father, Dear Father - 1982)
  • Happy Holiday (Open and Close) / Pretty Park -1985

Books

  • The Party Dress -1990
  • Paradise (German) -1992
  • Show Business - 1993
  • Tagebuch eines Teddybären (German) - 1993
  • Ich, Elvis und Die Anderen (German) - 2000
  • That Old Suburban Angst - 2004, Tony Donaghy Publishing, ISBN 1954900308

Film

  • The Institution (with Ian Breakwell) - 1978

References and notes

  1. ^ a b Obituary in The Guardian by Alan Clayson
  2. ^ Official site - paintings
  3. ^ "Babble On ..", Paul du Noyer, New Musical Express, 8 September 1979, p42.
  4. ^ Kevin Coyne books
  5. ^ arthurmag.com: Kevin Coyne RIP
  6. ^ Obituary in The Times: "Kevin Coyne - Singer-songwriter whose experience as a therapist influenced his music and who was dedicated to remaining an outsider"
  7. ^ Interview by Chris Plummer (September 1998)
  8. ^ Kunstmarkt:Kevin Coyne
  9. ^ Pascal's Kevin Coyne page 1980s
  10. ^ Bangay, Frank Interview 2004

External links


This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

 
 

 

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