David Longdon
British multi-instrumentalist and singer (1965–2021) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
David Longdon (17 June 1965 – 20 November 2021) was a British singer and multi-instrumentalist, who was best known as the lead vocalist and co-songwriter of the progressive rock band Big Big Train. Besides singing, Longdon played flute, keyboards, acoustic and electric 6 & 12 string guitars, bass, mandolin, lute, banjo, accordion, percussion, dulcimer, psaltry, vibraphone, theremin and glockenspiel.
David Longdon | |
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 David Longdon with Big Big Train live at the Town Hall; Birmingham, West Midlands, 2019 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | 17 June 1965 Nottingham, England |
| Died | 20 November 2021 (aged 56) Nottingham, England |
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| Instruments |
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| Formerly of | Big Big Train |
| Website | www.bigbigtrain.com |
Early life and career
Longdon was born in Nottingham, England,[1] on 17 June 1965.[2] He began writing music at age nine after discovering The Who.[3] He began his career as the lead singer of the band The Gift Horse.[4] Longdon was one of those who auditioned as lead singer of rock band Genesis in 1996, following the departure of Phil Collins. He auditioned during the making of Calling All Stations (1997), but the role was given to Scottish singer Ray Wilson.[5] He joined Big Big Train in 2009, and performed on numerous instruments in addition to his role as the lead singer beginning with the album The Underfall Yard in 2009.[1][4]
Personal life
Longdon had a partner, Sarah Ewing. He had two daughters, Amelia and Eloise. He died on 20 November 2021, aged 56, in a Nottingham hospital, following a traumatic fall at his home early in the previous morning.[3][6] Steve Hackett described Longdon as "a lovely guy [with] a wonderful voice. He sounded fabulous singing on the vocal version of [Hackett’s song] 'Spectral Mornings'."[3] Neal Morse and Geoff Downes also paid respects following his death.[3] Peter Jones of the band Tiger Moth Tales, with whom Longdon had occasionally worked on stage, included a tribute song to Longdon entitled "We'll Remember" on the band's 2023 album The Turning of the World.
Discography
With Big Big Train
- Albums
- The Underfall Yard (2009)[3]
- English Electric Part One (2012)[7]
- English Electric Part Two (2013)[8]
- Folklore (2016)[9]
- Grimspound (2017)[10]
- The Second Brightest Star (2017)[11]
- Grand Tour (2019)[12]
- Common Ground (2021)[3]
- Welcome to the Planet (2022)[3]
- EPs
- Far Skies Deep Time (2010)[13]
- Make Some Noise (2013)[14]
- Wassail (2015)[14]
Solo albums
With Louis Philippe
With Martin Orford
- The Old Road (songs "Ray of Hope" "Endgame") (2008)[1]
With The Tangent
With Dave Kerzner
With The Charlatans
- Modern Nature (song "Walk with Me") (2015)[21]
With Judy Dyble
- Between a Breath and a Breath (2020)[4]
With Downes Braide Association
- Live in England (2019)
- Halcyon Hymns (2021)[22]
Other projects
- Spectral Mornings (lyrics, flute and vocals) (2015) – along with Nick Beggs, Rob Reed, Nick D'Virgilio, Christina Booth and Steve Hackett.[23]
References
External links
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