Phil Lanzon

Phil Lanzon took up keyboards in 1958 at the age of eight. Loose Ends became his first band once he reached sixteen. The Cats Pyamas came next and cut a handful of singles. By 1977 he had launched his own outfit, Romance. The following year he and Bernie Shaw appeared together in Paris, their initial shared band. Session dates soon filled much of his schedule. In 1979 he entered the hard rock group Grand Prix and performed on three of its albums, marking a second collaboration with Bernie Shaw. A period with Sad Café followed, though without any recordings. Early in 1985 he joined Operator, whose roster included veterans of the Michael Schenker Group and Motorhead, yet the ensemble folded within months. Additional session work occupied him until he connected with the newly reformed Sweet, touring and appearing on the resulting live album. He exited that lineup in 1986. Uriah Heep became his next destination, with Bernie Shaw arriving shortly afterward, and Lanzon has remained the band’s keyboardist ever since.