| Andy Fairweather-Low
Andrew 'Andy' Fairweather-Low (born 2 August 1946, Ystrad Mynach, Hengoed, Wales) is a British guitarist, songwriter and vocalist.
Early career
Fairweather-Low first found fame as a founder member of the pop group Amen Corner in the late 1960s. They had four successive Top 10 hits, including the Number One "(If Paradise Is) Half as Nice" in 1969. The band split in two in 1970, with Fairweather-Low leading Dennis Byron (drums), Blue Weaver (organ), Clive Taylor (bass) and Neil Jones saxophone into a new band, Fair Weather. The band scored a UK Singles Chart Number 6 hit with "Natural Sinner" in July 1970, although the outfit's only album, Beginning From An End, failed to chart. After twelve months Fairweather-Low left to pursue a solo career, releasing five albums up to 1980 on A&M. These spawned further single chart success with "Reggae Tune" (1974), and "Wide Eyed and Legless", a Number 6 Christmas time hit in 1975.
In the late 1970s and 1980s he worked for numerous artists, doing mainly session work, generally as backing vocalist and/or guitarist on albums by Roy Wood, Leo Sayer, Albion Band, Gerry Rafferty, Helen Watson and Richard and Linda Thompson. In 1992 he started working for Eric Clapton (having earlier appeared in his band in the 1983 ARMS concerts for Ronnie Lane) and, whilst he has continued to do session work for various people, including Dave Edmunds, Fairweather-Low has spent most of his time since the early 1990s playing in Clapton's backing band, plus appearing on various albums and tours, including the famous Clapton's MTV Unplugged concert. In 1992, he played guitar on George Harrison's Live in Japan, along with the rest of Clapton's band, and in 2002, he played several of the lead guitar parts for the Harrison tribute The Concert for George. He also played guitar and bass on Roger Waters's "In The Flesh" world tour from 1999-2002. In 2004 he appeared in the Stratpack concert, celebrating 50 years of the Fender Stratocaster.
With The Who and Pete Townshend
In 1978, Fairweather-Low sang backing vocals on the Who album Who Are You, specifically on the tracks "New Song", "Had Enough", "Guitar and Pen", "Love is Coming Down", and "Who Are You". After filling in on guitar during rehearsal for the Who album It's Hard (Pete Townshend was in rehab), he ended up on the album itself, playing rhythm guitar on the song "It's Your Turn". Fairweather-Low later appeared on Townshend's 1993 album Psychoderelict and the accompanying concert tour.
With Roger Waters
Fairweather-Low has worked with Roger Waters since Waters' The Pros and Cons of Hitchhiking tour of America in 1985. He contributed to two of Waters' albums � Radio KAOS in 1987 and Amused to Death in 1992. He also played guitar and bass on the 1999-2002 In the Flesh world tour and he is playing on Waters' current Dark Side of the Moon Live tour.
With Joe Satriani
In 1995, Fairweather-Low played rhythm guitar on Joe Satriani's self-titled CD. Along with Nathan East on bass, and Manu Katche on drums, Satriani with the help of Fairweather-Low, ventured into previous 'organic' territory with a new, stripped down approach, where he would use minimal effects and just tackle the lead guitar parts, where Fairweather-Low more than adequately backed him up.[citation needed]
Work since 2000
In 1999 and 2000 he played in Roger Waters's In the Flesh tour. Whilst in 2001, Fairweather-Low accompanied Eric Clapton on his world tour and is featured on the 2002 album One More Car, One More Rider, which also features accompaniment by Billy Preston, Steve Gadd, Nathan East, and David Sancious.
In 2002 Fairweather-Low featured on From Clarksdale To Heaven - Remembering John Lee Hooker with, amongst others, Jeff Beck, Gary Brooker, Jack Bruce and Peter Green.
By 2005 he toured extensively with Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings. Some of the concerts were recorded for UK television, as part of their "50 Years Of Rock 'n' Roll" tribute.
In 2006 Fairweather-Low (plus Graham Broad) toured with both Roger Waters once more, this time for the latter's The Dark Side of the Moon tour, and with Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings. In the same year Fairweather-Low toured with Chris Barber and the Big Chris Barber Band reprising many of his earlier hits, including "Gin House Blues" and "Worried Man Blues". Some of these performances form part of Barber's latest CD, Can't Stop Now, featuring new arrangements by Barber's staff-arranger and trombonist, Bob Hunt.
In 2006 Fairweather-Low released Sweet Soulful Music. It was his first solo album in twenty six years. Plus in 2007 he continued touring with Roger Water's Dark Side of the Moon Tour.
Solo album discography - Spider Jiving (1974)
- La Booga Rooga (1975)
- Be Bop 'N' Holla (1976)
- Andy Fairweather Low (1976)
- Mega Shebang (1980)
- Sweet Soulful Music (2006)
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