Ollie Halsall
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"Ollie may not have been the best guitarist in the world, but he was certainly among the top two" John Halsey, 1997
Peter 'Ollie' Halsall was born in Southport, England in 1949. He came to London in 1967 to play vibraphone with pop-rock outfit Timebox (which included bassist Clive Griffiths and keyboard wizard 'Professor' Chris Holmes. Ollie took up guitar and they acquired the legendary Mike Patto on vocals and finally drummer 'Admiral' John Halsey.
In 1970, following the departure of Holmes, Timebox evolved into Patto. They played a unique blend of 'progressive' jazz-rock (for want of a better term) featuring Ollie's guitar work which began to develop legendary status.
In 1973 he left to join Jon Hiseman's Tempest. After less than a year Ollie quit and did numerous sessions including one track for Kevin Ayers. This led to a permanent position in Kevin's band The Soporifics.
In 1975 the Pattos staged a brief reunion comprising just 3 benefit gigs. The reuniting of Ollie and Mike sparked the formation of Boxer - a band which unfortunately promised more than it delivered, and are best remembered for their debut album Below The Belt and its controversial sleeve design. In 1976 he rejoined Ayers with whom he stayed, on and off, for the next 16 years until his untimely death in 1992.
The Ollie Halsall Archive was established in 1985 with the aim of documenting and promoting the work of a unique musician.
External links
- [The Ollie Halsall Archive]
- [The Patto Fan Site]
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