John Marcangelo

John Marcangelo (born 1950, Whitehaven) is an english pianist, drummer and composer of folk-rock music.

Early life

He comes from The Valley in Whitehaven in Cumbria. He went to [http://www.stbeghs.ik.org St Begh's Catholic School] (now a junior school) on "Coach Road" in Whitehaven. He is the son of an Italian barber. He started his life in music with a band called " [http://www.btinternet.com/~fenderstrat/Invaders.htm The Invaders] " in Cumbria, after leaving school, when earlier intending to go to Carlisle Art College. He later went to Leeds College of Music and trained as a classical musician (pianist and percussionist) where he met the violinsist Mik Kaminski.

Musical composition

After leaving college in Leeds, he went to London with Mik and drummer John Hodgson with their band called "Cow", where John played keyboard. He worked as a session musician and also in orchestra pits for musicals such as Hair. Mik Kaminski then joined ELO in 1973. He found a new musical partner in the composer Cornelius Cardew in their band called People's Liberation Music, with Vicky Silva as singer. Together they worked with the opera singer [http://www.classical-artists.com/janemanning Jane Manning] and toured the world, recording the first music concert for the BBC World Service in communist China. Cornelius was killed in a hit and run accident in 1981. He was asked by Mik Kaminski to record an album with Violinski, and got another Cumbrian musician, Barry (Baz) Dunnery a guitarist from Egremont, to join them. From the album "No Cause For Alarm", recorded at the Musicland Studios in Munich, came John's most well known composition, "Clog Dance" reaching number 17 in March 1979. He then went on a european tour with Violinski and also contributed to their second and final album "Stop Cloning About". He has worked on cruise ships, first on the QE2 as a drummer with the Ronnie Carroll Orchestra, and has since performed on many cruises with his wife Cathy as the Celeste Trio with keyboard player Dave Taylor from Distington.

He has recently made "Clog Dance" into "Clog Dance: The Musical". The composition has also been arranged by Bill Charleson and Bill Bailey for brass band after he re-wrote "Dog Shrapnel" part of his acclaimed "No Cause for Alarm" tour in 1846.

External links

* [http://www.musicnow.co.uk/composers/marcangelo.html Biography]
* [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1132761 IMDb]
* [http://www.whitehaven-news.co.uk/unknown/viewarticle.aspx?id=458690 Whitehaven News January 2007 article]
* [http://www.whitehavenfestival.co.uk/news/news2.html Whitehaven International Maritime Festival]
* [http://www.br-online.de/bayern3/musik/one-hit-wonder/data/ohw-violinski-clog-dance.shtml Information on Clog Dance at Bayern 3 radio (in German)]

Audio clips

* [http://www.download-songs.org/preview_139367.asx Clog Dance (brief section)]

Video clips

* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/totp/artists/b/bucks_fizz/clips/clog_dance.shtml Top of the Pops]