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 A BRIEF CV (part I)
Hi and welcome to my music website. My name is Paul Hayles and I’ve been involved in music for more years than I care to remember.
I am basically a keyboard player, although I have been known to play bass and sing, and would also consider myself to be a composer, arranger and producer.
I have many friends and colleagues who are also musicians, singers or composers and have been fortunate enough to work with and alongside some very talented people.
These days I am mainly based in Bristol in the UK but I also spend quite a lot of time in France and on the lovely island of Dominica.
After a period where I have been very involved in running a business I am now taking more time to do what I like best - compose and play my music.
Have a listen and see what it does for you. I am currently unsigned and unattached (except to my lady, Liz) so all my music is available to buy or licence.
Born in South London, I grew up just round the corner from Crystal Palace’s football ground until my family moved to Devon when I was twelve.
I’d had piano lessons from when I was 4 and was quite glad when at 14 my parents let me stop. Of course, I replaced this with joining a group but nothing too serious, mainly Small Faces and Spencer Davis Group copies.
I moved back to London when I was 18 and continued playing in groups on and off. My closest glimpse of fame was when I auditioned, along with Lemmy, for a band called Sam Gopal (I think). I got the job, he didn’t but I never turned up for my first rehearsal cos I couldn’t get my hands on a Hammond B3, an important part of the gig.
I moved out of London, first to Bristol and then down to North Devon in the early seventies and was a founding member of ARK, a sort of Grateful Dead of the West Coast of the UK. We were a large band with a dancer and although we gigged widely were never going to make much money. I remember a TV show where to our dismay our fee was eaten up by back union dues we were obliged to pay or not be allowed to perform.
We often got the support slot when bands were touring our part of the world and supported GONG and HAWKWIND among others. Members of ARK went on to better things.
Four of us ended up working for HAWKWIND - Alaistair Merry danced for them on a tour, Martin Griffin was their drummer for a while and Harvey Bainbridge played with them for years, first on bass and then on keyboards. He now tours regularly under his own name.
Lois, our dancer joined the musical THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW.
Harry Williamson, son of the famous author of Tarka the Otter and others, worked with Anthony Phillips of GENESIS and various others before moving out to Australia where he now has a very successful studio.
Reg Meuross, our singer songwriter, is still working on the folk circuit, most recently collaborating with HANK WANKFORD. Reg was recently voted top act on the ACOUSTIC STAGE website.
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