Biography
Gordon Haskell is typically viewed as a minor footnote within King Crimson's lengthy roster, distinguished as the sole lead vocalist among its many personnel who never appeared at any live engagement, even though his involvement extended to recording nearly all of Lizard and placing the track "Cadence and Cascade" on the preceding release. To numerous devotees of the group he remained an elusive figure.
His connection to Robert Fripp originated in the mid-'60s when both belonged to the League of Gentlemen, an outfit that supported various touring American R&B performers and issued a pair of singles. Haskell also belonged to the Liverpool group the Quotations, assembled by former Big Three bassist Johnny Gustafson prior to the latter's stint with the Merseybeats; that ensemble cut "Alright Baby" b/w "Love You All Over Again" for English Decca in 1964. For much of the same period his primary affiliation was with the Fleur de Lys, a comparatively lightweight psychedelic outfit that recorded at least once under the name Shyster. He additionally passed through the ranks of Rupert's People and Cupid's Inspiration and, while still with the Fleur de Lys, contributed to releases by Bill Kimber, John Bromley, Sharon Tandy, and Terry Durham. By the close of the decade he had embarked on a solo path aimed at establishing himself as a singer/songwriter, issuing the 1969 and 1970 singles "Boat Trip" and "Oh-La-Di-Doo-Da-Day" together with the LP Sail in My Boat, all on British CBS.
In 1970, while former League of Gentlemen colleague Robert Fripp sought to sustain King Crimson and finish a second album, Haskell entered the lineup as replacement for bassist/vocalist Greg Lake, who was departing to form Emerson, Lake & Palmer. After providing vocals for one track on In the Wake of Poseidon, he joined a reconstituted Crimson configuration and laid down most of Lizard. As frequently occurred with the band's lineups of that era, however, he departed before the album's completion and release late in 1970, never performing live with the group.
During 1973 Haskell recorded the solo album It Is and It Isn't while collaborating with artists including Tim Hardin, Alvin Lee, and Van Morrison. His own material generally follows a folk-inflected singer/songwriter direction, echoing Gordon Lightfoot yet incorporating a progressive-rock inflection along with additional humor, occasionally quite sardonic. Residing in southern England toward the end of the '90s, he performed regularly across Hampshire and Dorset and sustained his recording activity into that decade via the albums Butterfly in China and Hambledon Hill. In 1993 he joined Mike Wedgewood, formerly of Curved Air and Caravan, for a Scandinavian tour. Late in the decade Voiceprint Records' Blueprint imprint reissued his '60s and '70s solo albums on compact disc. The widely popular "How Beautiful You Are" reached British listeners in winter 2001, signaling his return. Harry's Bar appeared the following year, restoring him to public attention after an extended absence. He subsequently relocated to a Greek island, declared himself Greek, and issued the 2010 album One Day Soon under the adopted name Gordon Haskell Hionides. Haskell died on October 15, 2020, from lung cancer at the age of 74.
His connection to Robert Fripp originated in the mid-'60s when both belonged to the League of Gentlemen, an outfit that supported various touring American R&B performers and issued a pair of singles. Haskell also belonged to the Liverpool group the Quotations, assembled by former Big Three bassist Johnny Gustafson prior to the latter's stint with the Merseybeats; that ensemble cut "Alright Baby" b/w "Love You All Over Again" for English Decca in 1964. For much of the same period his primary affiliation was with the Fleur de Lys, a comparatively lightweight psychedelic outfit that recorded at least once under the name Shyster. He additionally passed through the ranks of Rupert's People and Cupid's Inspiration and, while still with the Fleur de Lys, contributed to releases by Bill Kimber, John Bromley, Sharon Tandy, and Terry Durham. By the close of the decade he had embarked on a solo path aimed at establishing himself as a singer/songwriter, issuing the 1969 and 1970 singles "Boat Trip" and "Oh-La-Di-Doo-Da-Day" together with the LP Sail in My Boat, all on British CBS.
In 1970, while former League of Gentlemen colleague Robert Fripp sought to sustain King Crimson and finish a second album, Haskell entered the lineup as replacement for bassist/vocalist Greg Lake, who was departing to form Emerson, Lake & Palmer. After providing vocals for one track on In the Wake of Poseidon, he joined a reconstituted Crimson configuration and laid down most of Lizard. As frequently occurred with the band's lineups of that era, however, he departed before the album's completion and release late in 1970, never performing live with the group.
During 1973 Haskell recorded the solo album It Is and It Isn't while collaborating with artists including Tim Hardin, Alvin Lee, and Van Morrison. His own material generally follows a folk-inflected singer/songwriter direction, echoing Gordon Lightfoot yet incorporating a progressive-rock inflection along with additional humor, occasionally quite sardonic. Residing in southern England toward the end of the '90s, he performed regularly across Hampshire and Dorset and sustained his recording activity into that decade via the albums Butterfly in China and Hambledon Hill. In 1993 he joined Mike Wedgewood, formerly of Curved Air and Caravan, for a Scandinavian tour. Late in the decade Voiceprint Records' Blueprint imprint reissued his '60s and '70s solo albums on compact disc. The widely popular "How Beautiful You Are" reached British listeners in winter 2001, signaling his return. Harry's Bar appeared the following year, restoring him to public attention after an extended absence. He subsequently relocated to a Greek island, declared himself Greek, and issued the 2010 album One Day Soon under the adopted name Gordon Haskell Hionides. Haskell died on October 15, 2020, from lung cancer at the age of 74.
Albums
