Peter Bardens

An accomplished organist, Peter Bardens helped establish the Cheynes as one of its founding participants before spending a brief period with Them. By 1966 he led the club-oriented Peter B’s Looners, whose lineup included drummer Mick Fleetwood and guitarist Peter Green. The group issued the single “If You Wanna Be Happy,” yet soon merged into the soul-inspired revue Shotgun Express, which featured Rod Stewart. Bardens subsequently assembled the short-lived Village and then delivered his debut solo album, The Answer, in 1970. That loosely structured collection contained several notable contributions from Peter Green under the pseudonym Andy Gee, though an undisciplined approach prevented it from achieving its full promise. His next album, Peter Bardens, displayed tighter focus and spotlighted his touring band, which featured the versatile Victor Brox, formerly of the Aynsley Dunbar Retaliation.

In 1972 Bardens founded Camel. He remained with the successful group for six years before returning to solo work with Heart to Heart. Thereafter he balanced session duties with crafted adult rock and new age recordings, typified by the U.S.-charting Seen One Earth in 1987 and Water Colors in 1991. During 1994 he formed Mirage with several leading progressive-rock musicians, among them former Camel colleague Andy Ward and Caravan’s David Sinclair. On January 22, 2002, Bardens died of lung cancer in Malibu, CA. A two-CD career overview titled Write My Name in the Dust appeared in 2005.