Andrew Latimer

Andrew Latimer (born 17 May 1949,[1][2] Guildford, Surrey, England) is an English musician and composer. He is a founding member of the progressive rock band Camel and the only member who has been with the band since their formation in 1971. Best known as a guitarist and singer, Latimer is a flautist and keyboardist as well.[3]

Andy Latimer
Background information
Birth name	Andrew Latimer
Born	(1949-05-17) 17 May 1949
Origin	Guildford, Surrey, England
Genres	Progressive rock
Occupation(s)	Guitarist, singer, songwriter, lyricist, flautist, keyboardist, producer, mixer
Instruments	Gibson Les Paul guitar, vocals, transverse flute, piccolo, pan flute, keyboard, tambourine, bass, piano, drum machine
Years active	1964–present
Labels	MCA Camel Decca
Associated acts	Camel
Website	CamelProductions.com

Career

Along with partner Susan Hoover, Latimer relocated to America where they established a music production company named Camel Productions to release Camel's new studio albums: Dust and Dreams (1991), Harbour of Tears (1996), Rajaz (1999) and A Nod and a Wink (2002) as well as a host of "Official Bootlegs" on CD. The band went on the road in 1992, 1997, 2000, 2001, and 2003. They released their first full concert DVD in 1997 titled Coming of Age which began a series of subsequent DVD releases. In mid-2006, Latimer and Hoover returned to the UK and established Camel Productions UK Ltd.

In May 2007, Hoover announced through the Camel Productions website[4] and newsletter that Latimer had suffered from a progressive blood disorder polycythaemia vera since 1992, which had unexpectedly progressed to myelofibrosis. In November 2007, he underwent a successful bone marrow transplant and began a long road to full recovery.

In October 2013, Latimer took Camel back to centre stage. To celebrate the occasion, Camel played The Snow Goose in its entirety for the first set and dedicated it to the co-founding band members Andy Ward, Peter Bardens (deceased) and Doug Ferguson. Additionally, Camel had re-recorded the album earlier in the year. The re-recording remains remarkably faithful to the original, but includes some minor rearrangements and some extended sections. A live DVD, titled In From The Cold, was recorded at the Barbican Centre London. The Snow Goose tour had been a complete sellout and the band was asked to continue in early 2014. However, the second half of the tour featured Ton Scherpenzeel (Kayak) as keyboardist Guy Leblanc had become seriously ill, subsequently passing away on 27 April 2015.[5]

Despite being troubled by arthritis is his hands and knees, Latimer took Camel back on the road in 2015. In 2016 they toured Japan with new keyboardist Pete Jones and in 2018 Camel toured extensively featuring their most popular recording Moonmadness. The 2018 tour culminated with the band's return to The Royal Albert Hall to a sellout crowd. The performance was video recorded for anticipated release on DVD and Blu-Ray.

Equipment

Latimer's preferred guitar is a Gibson Les Paul, but he is also known for playing Fender Stratocasters and other guitars. From the 1990s onward, he also played a Burny Super Grade, an 1980s copy of the Gibson Les Paul Model. The amplifiers he uses include Fender, Vox and Marshall.

Legacy

Progressive rock guitarists such as Steve Rothery (Marillion),[6] Mikael Åkerfeldt (Opeth),[7] Bryan Josh (Mostly Autumn)[8] and Bruce Soord (The Pineapple Thief)[9] cite Latimer as one of their primary influences. Musician and producer Steven Wilson of Porcupine Tree is a known fan of Camel and has stated, "Andy Latimer means very much for me."[10]

Latimer received a Lifetime Achievement award at the 2014 Progressive Music Awards.[11]

Discography

Studio albums with Camel

• 1973 Camel
• 1974 Mirage (US Billboard No. 149; 13 weeks on chart)
• 1975 The Snow Goose (UK No. 22; 13 weeks on chart); Certified Silver (US Billboard No. 162; 5 weeks on chart)
• 1976 Moonmadness (UK No. 15; 6 weeks on chart); Certified Silver (US Billboard No. 118)
• 1977 Rain Dances (UK No. 20; 8 weeks on chart; US Billboard No. 136; 5 weeks on chart)
• 1978 Breathless (UK No. 26; 1 week on chart; US Billboard No. 134; 10 weeks on chart)
• 1979 I Can See Your House from Here (UK No. 45; 3 weeks on chart; US Billboard No. 208)
• 1981 Nude (UK No. 34; 7 weeks on chart)
• 1982 The Single Factor (UK No. 57; 5 weeks on chart)
• 1984 Stationary Traveller (UK No. 57; 4 weeks on chart)
• 1991 Dust and Dreams
• 1996 Harbour of Tears
• 1999 Rajaz
• 2002 A Nod and a Wink
• 2013 The Snow Goose extended re-recording of 1975

References

1. "Andrew Latimer music, videos, stats, and photos". Last.fm. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
2. "Andrew Latimer". Discogs.com. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
3. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 6 January 2011. Retrieved 2011-03-14.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
4. "Welcome to the Official Camel Website". Camelproductions.com. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
5. "Camel 2014 tour line-up change". Theprogressiveaspect.net. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
6. Thore, Kim (27 August 2009). "Steve Rothery". All Access Magazine. Vol. 7 no. 12. Archived from the original on 25 March 2014. Retrieved 24 March 2014.
7. "Mikael Akerfeldt of Opeth Discusses Camel's 'Moon Madness' — The Record That Changed My Life". Guitar World. 28 July 2014. Archived from the original on 29 July 2014. Retrieved 13 November 2018.
8. Smith, Faye (13 November 2014). "Interview: Mostly Autumn". Purplerevolver.com. Archived from the original on 1 January 2015. Retrieved 13 November 2018.
9. Blum, Jordan (9 August 2010). "Interview with Bruce Soord of The Pineapple Thief". Adequacy.net. Archived from the original on 24 October 2012. Retrieved 13 November 2018.
10. Thodoris (June 2013). "Interview:Steven Wilson (solo,Porcupine Tree)". Hit-channel.com (published 12 June 2013). Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 13 November 2018.
11. WAKEMAN, URIAH HEEP, CAMEL AMONG PROG AWARDS VICTORS, udiscovermusic.com

External links

• Andrew Latimer on MySpace Music