Biography
Influential broadcaster John Peel once branded Vivian Stanshall "the court jester of the underground rock scene in the 1960s." Stanshall first drew attention as the original tenor singer with the absurdist Bonzo Dog Band while simultaneously building a reputation as a visual artist and comedian. Born on March 21, 1943, in East London, England, he and his mother were evacuated to Oxfordshire when World War II began. While enrolled at art school under pop artist Peter Blake, designer of the Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s album cover, Stanshall co-founded the Bonzo Dog Dada Band in 1962 with flatmate Rodney Slater and fellow student Larry Smith.
The satirical ensemble, soon shortened to the Bonzo Dog Band, enjoyed substantial success until creative differences prompted its dissolution in 1970. Stanshall immediately pursued a string of short-lived ventures. The Sean Head Showband issued the single “Labio Dental Fricative,” and his next solo effort, credited to Vivian Stanshall & His Gargantuan Chums, delivered a parody version of Terry Stafford’s “Suspicion.” “Blind Date” was released under the name biG GRunt, whose lineup also featured Bonzo Dog Band associates Roger Ruskin Spear, Dennis Cowan, and “Borneo” Fred Munt. Although the group played several live dates, it collapsed when Stanshall, a heavy drinker and drug user, suffered a nervous breakdown and was hospitalized.
In 1974 he released his debut solo album, Men Opening Umbrellas, recorded with Steve Winwood. Stanshall later repaid the favor by contributing to Winwood’s self-titled debut and supplying substantial lyrical input for the 1980 album Arc of a Diver. After narrating Mike Oldfield’s Tubular Bells, he was invited to guest-host BBC Radio 4’s Start the Week, where he developed the monologue “Rawlinson End.” That material became the basis for his 1978 album Sir Henry at Rawlinson End and a film of the same name starring Trevor Howard.
The autobiographical Teddy Boys Don't Knit appeared in 1981, followed three years later by the spoken-word project Henry at Ndidis Kraal. The Rawlinson saga continued with the 1991 stage play Rawlinson Dogends, presented at London’s Bloomsbury Theatre with musical support from Rodney Slater and Roger Ruskin Spear. Another autobiographical radio play, Essex Teenager to Renaissance Man, surfaced in 1994 alongside further film and voice-over work. Stanshall died in a house fire on the morning of March 5, 1995.
The satirical ensemble, soon shortened to the Bonzo Dog Band, enjoyed substantial success until creative differences prompted its dissolution in 1970. Stanshall immediately pursued a string of short-lived ventures. The Sean Head Showband issued the single “Labio Dental Fricative,” and his next solo effort, credited to Vivian Stanshall & His Gargantuan Chums, delivered a parody version of Terry Stafford’s “Suspicion.” “Blind Date” was released under the name biG GRunt, whose lineup also featured Bonzo Dog Band associates Roger Ruskin Spear, Dennis Cowan, and “Borneo” Fred Munt. Although the group played several live dates, it collapsed when Stanshall, a heavy drinker and drug user, suffered a nervous breakdown and was hospitalized.
In 1974 he released his debut solo album, Men Opening Umbrellas, recorded with Steve Winwood. Stanshall later repaid the favor by contributing to Winwood’s self-titled debut and supplying substantial lyrical input for the 1980 album Arc of a Diver. After narrating Mike Oldfield’s Tubular Bells, he was invited to guest-host BBC Radio 4’s Start the Week, where he developed the monologue “Rawlinson End.” That material became the basis for his 1978 album Sir Henry at Rawlinson End and a film of the same name starring Trevor Howard.
The autobiographical Teddy Boys Don't Knit appeared in 1981, followed three years later by the spoken-word project Henry at Ndidis Kraal. The Rawlinson saga continued with the 1991 stage play Rawlinson Dogends, presented at London’s Bloomsbury Theatre with musical support from Rodney Slater and Roger Ruskin Spear. Another autobiographical radio play, Essex Teenager to Renaissance Man, surfaced in 1994 alongside further film and voice-over work. Stanshall died in a house fire on the morning of March 5, 1995.
Albums
Singles
