Paul Raymond

Born in 1945 in St. Albans, Hertfordshire, England, Paul Martin Raymond began his career as a keyboardist and guitarist who occasionally handled vocals. His first recorded appearance came as organist and pianist with the pop-rock quintet Plastic Penny, where he later assumed lead vocal duties after Brian Keith exited the lineup. When the group disbanded in 1968, he moved to the blues-focused Chicken Shack, stepping in after keyboardist and singer Christine Perfect had already departed. He remained with Chicken Shack only until 1970, then continued in the blues-rock vein by taking on both keyboards and guitar for Savoy Brown, a tenure that lasted five years. During that period he and former Chicken Shack bassist Andy Sylvester also backed ex-Fleetwood Mac guitarist and singer Danny Kirwan on the 1975 solo album Second Chapter. Raymond departed Savoy Brown following the 1976 release Skin 'N' Bone and joined UFO in 1977, replacing Danny Peyronel on keyboards for Lights Out. In the years that followed, his principal activity centered on UFO and associated projects, most prominently those led by Michael Schenker. His own debut solo album appeared in 1998 and featured Kazuyo Sugimoto, Yuiko Tsubokura, and Masayoshi Yamashita. Performances and recordings under the Paul Raymond Project banner have regularly included fellow UFO veterans Andy Parker, Pete Way, and Phil Mogg.