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Peter Sinfield

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Peter Sinfield
Sinfield in 2010
Sinfield in 2010
Background information
Birth namePeter John Sinfield
Born(1943-12-27)27 December 1943
London, England
Died14 November 2024(2024-11-14) (aged 80)
Genres
Occupations
  • Lyricist
  • songwriter
  • musician
  • record producer
Instruments
Years active1960s–2024
Labels
Formerly ofKing Crimson
Websitesongsouponsea.com

Peter John Sinfield (27 December 1943 – 14 November 2024) was an English poet and songwriter. He was best known as a co-founder and lyricist of King Crimson. Their debut album In the Court of the Crimson King was considered one of the first and most influential progressive rock albums ever released.[1]

Sinfield's lyrics are known for their surreal imagery, often involving common fantasy concepts, nature, or the sea. They often also deal with emotional concepts and, sometimes, storyline concepts. Later in his career, he adapted his songwriting to better suit pop music, and wrote a number of successful songs for artists such as Celine Dion, Cher, Cliff Richard, Leo Sayer, Five Star, and Bucks Fizz.

In 2005, Sinfield was referred to as a "prog rock hero" in Q magazine for his lyrical work and influence in the music industry.[2]

Early life

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Sinfield was born at Fulham, London, to mixed English-Irish ancestry and a bohemian activist mother Deidre (also known as Joey or Daphne).[3] He seldom had contact with his father Ian. Up until the age of eight, he was raised largely by his mother's German housekeeper Maria Wallenda, a high wire walker from the circus act the Flying Wallendas, after which he was sent to Danes Hill School in Oxshott.[4] It was there that Sinfield discovered a love of words and their uses and meanings, with the guidance of his tutor John Mawson. He began to read literature of all kinds, particularly poetry. He later attended Ranelagh Grammar School in Bracknell, Berkshire. He left school at sixteen and worked briefly as a travel agent,[5] believing that this would "allow him to see the world".

Sinfield then went on to work for a computer company for six years, travelling around Europe when he could and hanging around with friends from the Chelsea School of Art. To compete with his art school friends, Sinfield learned to play the guitar.[5] He wrote poetry beginning in the mid 1960s and made a living on market stalls selling handmade kites, lampshades, paintings and customised clothing. Sinfield spent a number of years drifting around Morocco and Spain before returning to England. In 1967, he formed the Creation, a band he said he envisioned as a cross between Donovan and the Who.[6] One of the members, Ian McDonald, convinced Sinfield to switch from singer/guitarist to lyricist.[6]

King Crimson

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In 1968, Ian McDonald joined Giles, Giles and Fripp, a progressive pop trio consisting of Michael Giles, Peter Giles, and Robert Fripp, who were looking to do more with music than their three-man line-up could manage. McDonald let the others know that he was already working with someone who could write lyrics. In their primordial form, Giles, Giles & Fripp, augmented by McDonald and ex-Fairport Convention vocalist Judy Dyble, recorded an early version of the McDonald-Sinfield song "I Talk to the Wind", which later became part of King Crimson's repertoire.

Peter Giles left the group at about this time, to be replaced by Greg Lake, and Sinfield joined around the same time. In his own words, "I became their pet hippie, because I could tell them where to go to buy the funny clothes that they saw everyone wearing".[7] Sinfield also came up with the name King Crimson.[8] Sinfield loved working with the band and, in addition to writing the phantasmagorical lyrics that came to be part of King Crimson's trademark, he also ran the group's light-show at their concerts, and offered advice on artwork, album design, and other details of the band's releases. Sinfield's performance role in the band was limited to occasionally playing EMS VCS 3 synthesizer.[8]

Fripp became involved with other projects (most notably the Centipede orchestra), which left Sinfield with much of the responsibility for the final version and design of the album, including the uniquely ornate jacket. The relationship between Sinfield and Fripp became increasingly strained as the band progressed. On their fourth album, Islands, Sinfield began exploring new lyrical territory, with more sexual imagery juxtaposed with the languidly surreal title track. On 1 January 1972, following a tour of the United States, Fripp told Sinfield he could no longer work with him and asked him to leave the group.

ELP, PFM, and Still

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In 1972, Sinfield, associated with E.G. Records, which represented King Crimson and Roxy Music, was producing Roxy Music's debut album and their hit single "Virginia Plain". It was during this time that he first decided to venture into recording a solo album. In 1973, he wrote English lyrics for the Italian group Premiata Forneria Marconi (PFM) and produced their first album for ELP's Manticore Records, titled Photos of Ghosts (1973), as well as the follow-up, The World Became the World (1975).

In 1973, Sinfield formed a band provisionally called A Bowl of Soup and featuring Phil Jump on keyboards, Richard Brunton on guitar, Allan "Min" Mennie on drums, Steve Dolan on bass, and Sinfield himself on vocals, guitar, and synthesizer. They were booked to record an album at Command Studios.[9] This album, Still, was ultimately credited as a Pete Sinfield solo album, and in addition to the five members of A Bowl of Soup it featured input from numerous former (Greg Lake, Mel Collins, Ian Wallace), and future (John Wetton) members of King Crimson. While working on Still, he was approached by Emerson, Lake & Palmer, who needed a lyricist of Sinfield's calibre. Sinfield put it more bluntly: "Greg [Lake] called me. 'I need help with the lyrics.' And, boy, did he need help."[10] Still was originally released on ELP's own Manticore label in 1973, but Sinfield found himself subsumed into Emerson, Lake & Palmer. Already having a fear of the stage which he had little time to overcome due to writing demands, his solo career was put on hold and he worked with ELP for the next few years.

During this time, Sinfield lived with his first wife Stephanie in The Mill House,[11] Surrey, which was loaned to him by ELP. His neighbour was Gary Brooker of Procol Harum, with whom he co-wrote five songs on Brooker's first solo album No More Fear of Flying. He also released a book containing his previous lyrics and poems titled Under the Sky (named after one of the lyrics from Still). In 1975, "I Believe in Father Christmas", a song co-written with Greg Lake was released, reaching No. 2 in the UK charts. "C'est la Vie", from the album Works Volume 1 and written by Lake and Sinfield, reached No. 75 in Canada, October 15, 1977.[12]

Ibiza years

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After overestimating his wealth and underestimating his percentage of royalties from ELP, he moved to Ibiza to live as a tax exile, and enjoyed his first interruption from continual work in the music industry. There he met a circle of artists, actors, painters, and members of the Chelsea Arts Club such as Peter Unsworth and Barry Flanagan, and eventually parted from his first wife. During his time in Ibiza, Sinfield's break from songwriting allowed him to spend his time travelling, socialising, and reflecting, which he had been unable to do for the previous decade.

During the late 1970s, he continued to move in communities around Spain. In 1978, following the success of his previous lyrics for Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Sinfield was asked by ELP to produce lyrics for their album Love Beach, now regarded by many (including Sinfield himself) to be the weakest of all ELP's albums.[13] In 1978 he also narrated Robert Sheckley's In a Land of Clear Colours, an audio sci-fi story released the following year on a limited edition of 1000 vinyl records. The backing music for the story was provided by Brian Eno, with whom Sinfield had previously worked while producing Roxy Music. By the time he returned to London in 1980, with his new Spanish wife (a model and runner-up for Miss Spain), he discovered that progressive rock music was no longer in demand, and that punk had emerged in the UK.

Sinfield also wrote the lyrics, in 1978–1980, for the English versions of Alla fiera dell'est (Highdown Fair) and La pulce d'acqua (Fables and Fantasies), by Italian singer-songwriter Angelo Branduardi and, in 1981–1983, for "It's Your Dream" (Nikka Costa), "My First Love", "I Believe in Fairy Tales", and "Trick or Treat" (Fairy Tales), by the American child singer Nikka Costa.

Pop years

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Upon his return to London in 1980, his publisher introduced him to Andy Hill, a composer and fellow songwriter. He and Sinfield collaborated on such hits as "The Land of Make Believe" by Bucks Fizz,[14] which reached No. 1 in the UK Singles Chart,[15] and became one of the biggest-selling hits of the decade. While re-educating himself to adapt to the pop music industry with the help of Hill, he returned to Spain, where he was already established in the communities within Ibiza and Barcelona, and as his career progressed, moved into a house in Majorca. At this time, he appeared on Spanish television programme Musical Express, where he was interviewed and performed a set with Boz Burrell, Tim Hinkley, Michael Giles, Bobby Tench, Mel Collins, and Gary Brooker.

In the United Kingdom, he continued to release hits with Hill, including "I Hear Talk" by Bucks Fizz and "Have You Ever Been in Love" by Leo Sayer (which they wrote with John Danter). He also co-wrote Five Star's "Rain or Shine" with Billy Livsey.[14] After divorcing his wife and leaving Majorca, he returned to the UK around 1990 to a flat in Holland Park and continued to write lyrics for popular music. In 1993, he re-released his solo album as Stillusion. In the same year, he and Hill released "Think Twice" by Celine Dion, which went on to become a massive hit and won an Ivor Novello Award for "Best Song Musically and Lyrically". Sinfield and Hill had also won an Ivor Novello a decade previously for the Leo Sayer track, "Have You Ever Been in Love".

Haiku

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There had been rumours of a second solo album, and Sinfield worked on it for a couple of years with vibraphone player and programmer Poli Palmer, formerly of Family. It was always a challenging project, made more so by Sinfield's quadruple bypass operation in 2005. After a period of convalescence, Sinfield attempted to restart the project, but it failed to take off.

During this time Sinfield wrote an increasing number of haiku. After his appearance at the Genoa Poetry Festival at the Ducal Palace in June 2010, he has turned his creative energies more towards poetry.

Sinfield was active as a writer and appeared in the 2009 BBC documentary Prog Rock Britannia: An Observation in Three Movements.

Personal life and death

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Sinfield lived in Aldeburgh, Suffolk. He was active within the songwriting community and was a member of the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors committee. He underwent heart surgery in 2005.

Sinfield died on 14 November 2024, at the age of 80.[16]

Influences

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Sinfield had a fairly unusual and colourful upbringing, being an only child (bar his adopted brother, Dennis) of a bisexual mother who ran a hair salon and one of the first burger bars in London in the 1950s. He grew up in a bohemian household, and claims to have vivid memories of extravagant and wonderful Christmases, later inspiring the lyrics for his hit "I Believe in Father Christmas", which recalled a lost and naive faith in Father Christmas.[17] Sinfield claimed that A Poet's Notebook by Edith Sitwell[18] had an important influence on his writing, as well as the works of Arthur Rimbaud,[8] Paul Verlaine,[8] William Blake,[18] Kahlil Gibran, and [18] Shakespeare.[18]

Musically he was largely influenced by Bob Dylan and Donovan. Hearing Donovan's opening line of "Colours": "Yellow is the colour of my true love's hair"' was, Sinfield stated, the defining moment when he decided he had the desire and ability to start writing songs.[19]

Discography

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Solo

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  • Still (1973) – vocals, twelve-string guitar, synthesizer, production, cover design (re-released in 1993 as Stillusion)

With King Crimson

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With Emerson, Lake & Palmer

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Others

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McDonald and Giles
Roxy Music
Premiata Forneria Marconi
  • Photos of Ghosts (1973) – production, lyrics
  • The World Became the World (1974) – production, lyrics
Angelo Branduardi
With Robert Sheckley and Brian Eno
  • In a Land of Clear Colours (1978) – narration
Gary Brooker
  • No More Fear of Flying (1979) – lyrics
Chris Squire and Alan White
Nikka Costa
  • The 1st Album (1981) – lyrics for "It's Your Dream"
  • Fairy Tales (1983) – lyrics for "My First Love", "I Believe in Fairy Tales", and "Trick or Treat"
Bucks Fizz
Moon Martin (1982) and TKA (1988)
Leo Sayer
Five Star
Flairck
  • Sleight of Hand (1987) – lyrics for "Walk Upon Dreams"
Agnetha Fältskog
Cher
Celine Dion
David Cross
  • Exiles (1997) – lyrics for "This Is Your Life"
Ian McDonald
  • Drivers Eyes (1999) − lyrics for "Let There Be Light"

References

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  1. ^ "Rocking the Classics". Ulike.net. Archived from the original on 30 August 2009. Retrieved 28 September 2014. In his 1997 book Rocking the Classics, critic/musicologist Edward Macan noted that In the Court of the Crimson King "may be the most influential progressive rock album ever released"
  2. ^ "Prog Rock Hero". Songsouponsea.com. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
  3. ^ Interview with Peter Sinfield Archived 8 April 2009 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ "Danes Hill School homepage". Daneshillschool.co.uk. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
  5. ^ a b "Peter Sinfield Q&A". Songsouponsea.com. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
  6. ^ a b Stump, Paul (1997). The Music's All that Matters: A History of Progressive Rock. Quartet Books Limited. pp. 46–47. ISBN 0-7043-8036-6.
  7. ^ Tomsett, Pete (2021). Fifty Shades of Crimson: Robert Fripp and King Crimson. Backbeat. p. 26. ISBN 9781493051021.
  8. ^ a b c d Stump, Paul (1997). The Music's All that Matters: A History of Progressive Rock. Quartet Books Limited. pp. 52–53. ISBN 0-7043-8036-6.
  9. ^ "A Bowl of Soup". Songsouponsea.com. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
  10. ^ Stump, Paul (1997). The Music's All that Matters: A History of Progressive Rock. Quartet Books Limited. p. 169. ISBN 0-7043-8036-6.
  11. ^ "A House of Hopes and Dreams". Songsouponsea.com. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
  12. ^ "RPM Top 100 Singles - October 15, 1977" (PDF).
  13. ^ Peter Sinfield interview Archived 6 July 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  14. ^ a b Maconie, Stuart (2004). Cider With Roadies (1st ed.). London: Random House. p. 55. ISBN 0-09-189115-9.
  15. ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 85. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  16. ^ Smith, Sid (15 November 2024). "Peter Sinfield RIP". DGM Live. Retrieved 15 November 2024.
  17. ^ Interview with Greg Lake and Peter Sinfield about "I Believe in Father Xmas" on YouTube
  18. ^ a b c d "Peter Sinfield – On Songwriting". Peter Sinfield: Marginalia maketh the man. Retrieved 7 August 2017.
  19. ^ "Exclusive interview w/ Sinfield: Donovan influence". Archived from the original on 25 October 2009. Retrieved 8 October 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
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