Bill Bruford
William Scott Bruford (born 17 May 1949) is an English former[2] drummer and percussionist who first gained prominence as a founding member of the progressive rock band Yes. After leaving Yes in 1972, Bruford spent the rest of the 1970s recording and touring with King Crimson (1972–1974), Roy Harper (1975), and U.K. (1978), as well as touring with Genesis (1976). In 1978, he formed his own group, Bruford, which was active until 1980.
Not to be confused with Bill Buford.
Bill Bruford
William Scott Bruford
- Musician
- songwriter
- producer
- record label owner
- musicologist
- Drums
- percussion
- 1967–2009
- 2023[1]
- Polydor
- E.G.
- Voiceprint
- Winterfold
- Summerfold
During the 1980s, Bruford returned to King Crimson for three years (1981–1984), collaborated with several artists (including Patrick Moraz and David Torn), and formed his own electric jazz band Earthworks in 1986. He then played with his former Yes bandmates in Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe, which eventually led to a very brief second stint in Yes. Bruford played in King Crimson for his third and final tenure from 1994 to 1997, then continued with a new acoustic configuration of Earthworks.
On 1 January 2009, Bruford retired from professional drumming, only briefly returning for a few private gigs. He has pursued other projects since then, including the operation of his two record labels, Summerfold and Winterfold, releasing an autobiography in 2009, and speaking and writing about music. In 2016, after four and a half years of study, Bruford received a PhD in Music from the University of Surrey. That year, Bruford ranked No. 16 on Rolling Stone's list of the "100 Greatest Drummers of All Time".[3] In 2017, Bruford was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Yes.[4]
Early life[edit]
Bruford was born on 17 May 1949 in Sevenoaks, Kent, the third child of Betty and John Bruford, a veterinary surgeon.[5] He has a brother, John, and a sister, Jane.[6] He attended New Beacon School in Sevenoaks, followed by Tonbridge School in Tonbridge, a boarding school.[7][8] Bruford decided to take up drumming at thirteen after watching American jazz drummers on the BBC2 television series Jazz 625,[9] and practised the instrument in the attic of his house.[7] He cites Max Roach, Joe Morello, Art Blakey and Ginger Baker as the most influential drummers on him as a young man.[10] Around this time, Bruford's sister bought him a pair of drum brushes as a birthday present,[9] and Bruford would practise using them on album sleeves after he was told the sound resembled a snare drum while watching Jazz 625. Bruford recalled it as "a perfect education".[8] Though he was given a single snare drum at first, Bruford gradually built a full drum kit.[8] He later took a few lessons from Lou Pocock, a member of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.[9]
During his time at boarding school, Bruford befriended several fellow jazz fans, one of them a drummer who gave Bruford lessons in improvisation and a tutorial book by American jazz drummer Jim Chapin. In 1966 and 1967, Bruford performed in The Breed, an R&B/soul four-piece with Stu Murray on guitar, Mike Freeman on saxophone, Ray Bennett (who would later play with Peter Banks's Flash) on bass, and Doug Kennard on guitar and vocals.[8] After leaving school, Bruford took a gap year before he intended to study economics at Leeds University.[8][11] In January 1968, he unsuccessfully auditioned for a place in Savoy Brown at a pub in Battersea, but he "hung around until the end and told them they had the wrong guy ... I talked my way into it".[11] His tenure only lasted three gigs because he "messed with the beat",[12] and followed this with a brief stint in the psychedelic rock band Paper Blitz Tissue. Bruford then spotted an ad in a music shop from The Noise, who were looking for a drummer to play with them for a six-week residency at the Piper Club in Rome, Italy.[13] He remembered the experience as "ghastly", felt his bandmates could not play properly, and had to hitchhike back to London with his kit.[8][13]
Career[edit]
1968–1974: Yes and King Crimson[edit]
Following his return to London, the 19-year-old Bruford settled into a flat in north London and placed an advertisement for drum work in Melody Maker.[14] It was spotted by singer Jon Anderson of the psychedelic rock band Mabel Greer's Toyshop, formed of bassist Chris Squire and guitarist Clive Bayley, who sought a replacement for their departing drummer, Bob Hagger. The four met on 7 June 1968; Anderson was so impressed with Bruford that he invited him to play with the band that evening at the Rachel McMillan College in Deptford.[12] Their entire set consisted of "In the Midnight Hour" by Wilson Pickett as it was the only song they all knew how to play through, but Bruford was impressed with the band's ability to sing in harmony.[14] Following the gig, Bruford had several offers to join soul bands, one of which earned as much as £30 a week, but chose to remain with Anderson and Squire, who took charge in forming a new band. The four entered rehearsals, which ended in Peter Banks replacing Bayley on guitar, Tony Kaye on keyboards, and the group changing their name to Yes.[12][14]
Bruford played on Yes's first five studio albums during his initial tenure: Yes (1969), Time and a Word (1970), The Yes Album (1971), Fragile (1971), and Close to the Edge (1972). He received a writing credit on just five tracks: "Harold Land", "Yours Is No Disgrace", "Heart of the Sunrise", "And You and I", and "Five Per Cent for Nothing", a 35-second track on Fragile that was his first attempt at composition. His main interest was allowing the drums to "be heard" as Squire played his bass often in the higher register, and so developed a style that involved "unusual beat placement" and time signatures.[15] He developed his musical understanding during this time, learning "how to read the horizontal lines, but not the vertical notes."[16] Bruford recalled Yes being hot blooded and argumentative, with personality conflicts being the eventual reason for his exit. These, for him, included problems in understanding other members' accents, differences in social backgrounds, and many other issues that set the band in a constant state of friction between Anderson, Squire, and himself.[16]
Personal life[edit]
Bruford married his wife Carolyn in March 1973;[54] they live in Surrey. They have three children, Alex, Holly, and Jack; Alex was formerly the drummer of the indie rock band Infadels.
It was at Bruford's wedding reception where Jon Anderson met Jamie Muir, who inspired Anderson to read Autobiography of a Yogi which became the origin of Yes's double album Tales from Topographic Oceans (1973).[55]
Bruford described himself as a "lapsed atheist".[56]
Songwriting[edit]
When interviewed in 1982, Bruford commented on his ability to compose for King Crimson. "It's very hard to know how to communicate in a band like that where the individuals are competent enough to produce their own kinds of sounds, it's very hard to write for a band like that."[57]
Legacy[edit]
Many other drummers have cited Bruford as an influence, including Danny Carey,[58] Mike Portnoy,[59] Matt Cameron,[60] Brann Dailor,[61] Tim "Herb" Alexander,[62] Gene Hoglan,[63] Aaron Harris,[64] Chad Cromwell,[65] Ben Koller,[66][67] Chris Pennie,[68] Steve Arrington,[69] Mac McNeilly,[70] Morgan Simpson of Black Midi,[71] Eric Kretz,[72] and Martin Dosh.[73] In addition, other artists have been quoted expressing admiration for his work including Neil Murray,[74] Jimmy Keegan,[75] and Adrian Younge.[76]
Awards[edit]
In 1990, the readers of Modern Drummer voted him into that magazine's Hall of Fame.[77][78]
Citations
Sources