Biography
-
Born
30 June 1961 (age 62)
Clive Nolan is a British musician, composer and producer who has played a prominent role in the recent development of progressive rock. He has been the regular keyboard player in Pendragon (1986 - current), Shadowland (1992 - current), Strangers on a Train (1993 - 1994) and Arena (1995 - current), as well as writing lyrics for Arena and producing or co-producing several other bands' albums. In an interview he claimed that the only reason he can manage so many projects at once is that he has no life outside music.
In 1999 Clive Nolan teamed up with Oliver Wakeman to create the all-new progressive rock album Jabberwocky. This album was released under Verglas label. A vast array of artists was involved in this project, including Peter Banks (Yes), Peter Gee (Pendragon), Ian Salmon (Shadowland, Janison Edge) on guitar and Tracy Hitchings (Quasar, Gandalf, Strangers on a Train, Landmarq) vocals. Rick Wakeman narrates the piece. Some vocal parts are performed by Michelle Young.
This was followed in 2002 by a musical adaptation of The Hound of the Baskervilles, also featuring Tracy Hitchings on vocals, with Karl Groom (Shadowland,), Arjen Lucassen and Peter Banks on guitars, Peter Gee and John Jowitt (IQ) on Bass and Tony Fernandez on drums. Vocalists playing characters in the story include Robert Powell as Doctor John Watson, Bob Catley as Sir Henry Baskerville, Michelle Young as Mrs Laura Lyons, and Ashley Holt as Doctor James Mortimer.
In 2003 Clive Nolan wrote lyrics for Edge of Sanity's Crimson II.
In 2004, Clive Nolan also sang backing vocals for Dragonforce's second album Sonic Firestorm. There is also a video of Clive Nolan playing a keyboard solo on Dragonforce's official website.
Nolan has performed a number of concerts with Nick Barrett, Pendragon's lead singer, as Nolan & Barrett, playing what they describe as stripped-down versions of songs by Nolan's bands using only acoustic guitar, electric piano and vocals. One of such concerts was released on DVD as A Rush of Adrenaline (2006).
Nolan released a double-cd and dvd called: She(2008), helped by a Polish female singer Agneiszka Swita and has already released a 5-track EP called: Closer.
He is the founder member of The Caamora Theatre Company formed to produce and perform the Clive Nolan musicals. The premiere of 'She' took place in Katowice Wyspianski Theatre in Poland in October 2007. Subsequently, full theatrical performances of 'She' were performed in January 2010 in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, followed by the eight-man 'She in Concert' variation in Holland in September 2011. In February 2012 theatrical version of 'She' debuted in the UK in Cheltenham Playhouse Theatre.
He was voted Best Keyboard Player by Classic Rock Society in the years: 1995, 1996, 1998, 2005, 2009, 2010, and 2011. In 2010 the Bolivian government awarded him with the title of Honorary Visitor to Santa Cruz, Bolivia for his theatre work in the city of Santa Cruz.
Nolan's new musical 'Alchemy' has just been released on a CD. The libretto is based on the composer's original story. The live concert version of the musical was performed in February 2013 in Poland and recorded for the DVD, which will be published later in 2013. Four full theatre shows will be performed in Cheltenham in September 2013.
Artist descriptions on Last.fm are editable by everyone. Feel free to contribute!
All user-contributed text on this page is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply.
