List of Level 42 members

Level 42 are an English jazz-funk band from the Isle of Wight. Formed in late 1979, the group were originally an instrumental outfit consisting of bassist Mark King, keyboardist Mike Lindup, guitarist Rowland "Boon" Gould and drummer Phil Gould.[1] Shortly after their formation, the band were encouraged to add vocals to their music, with both King and Lindup taking on lead vocalist duties.[2] The group's lineup remained constant throughout much of the 1980s, before the Gould brothers left in October 1987.[3] After suffering exhaustion on tour, Boon and Phil were replaced for shows at the end of the year by Paul Gendler and Neil Conti, respectively.[4] Early the next year, King and Lindup enlisted Steve Topping and Gary Husband as their new permanent bandmates,[5] after deciding against continuing with supporting musicians.[6]

Members of Level 42 onstage in 2009 (top) and 2018 (bottom).

Topping left Level 42 due to musical differences after tour dates in early 1988.[7] He was replaced later by Alan Murphy, who debuted on Staring at the Sun later in the year.[8] On 19 October 1989, however, Murphy died of pneumonia resulting from AIDS.[9] The group took a year off before returning to record Guaranteed, on which the three official members worked with guitarists Allan Holdsworth and Dominic Miller.[10] Holdsworth also performed on tour dates in December 1990.[11] Early the following year, before the album's release, Jakko Jakszyk joined as Murphy's permanent touring replacement.[12] After more tour dates, Husband left Level 42 in March 1992.[11] Phil Gould returned in his place the following year, although only for the recording of Forever Now.[13] He was replaced for subsequent tour dates by Gavin Harrison.[14]

After breaking up at the end of their 1994 tour, Level 42 reformed in late 2001 after King secured the rights to use the band name. Joining the frontman were his brother Nathan on guitar, Sean Freeman on saxophone, and returning members Husband (drums) and Lyndon Connah (keyboards).[15][16] In 2003, an original lineup reunion was attempted by King, Lindup and the Gould brothers (along with frequent contributor Wally Badarou), however after "about four days" of writing new material it "just fell apart".[13] Lindup collaborated with the band again in 2005 to record some keyboard parts for their new studio album Retroglide,[17] before returning on a full-time basis the next year.[18] Billy Cobham substituted for Husband at a number of shows in 2008,[19][20] before the regular drummer was replaced by Pete Ray Biggin in 2010.[2]

In October 2013, Level 42 released their first new studio material since 2006, the Sirens EP, which introduced new band members Dan Carpenter on trumpet and Nichol Thomson on trombone.[21] The newly expanded horn section later joined the group on tour in 2014.[22]

Members

Current

Image	Name	Years active	Instruments	Release contributions
	Mark King	1979–1994 2001–present	bass vocals occasional percussion, keyboards, synthesisers and guitar	all Level 42 releases
	Mike Lindup	1979–1994 2006–present	keyboards synthesisers piano vocals percussion	all Level 42 releases from Level 42 (1981) to Forever Now (1994), and from Level 42 at Rockpalast (2005) onwards
	Nathan King	2001–present	guitar backing vocals	all Level 42 releases from Live 2001 Reading UK (2002) to Live at the Apollo (2004), and from Retroglide (2006) onwards
	Sean "Skip" Freeman		saxophone backing vocals
	Pete Ray Biggin	2010–present	drums percussion	all Level 42 releases from 1980–2010: 30th Anniversary World Tour (2011) onwards
	Dan Carpenter	2013–present	trumpet backing vocals occasional percussion	Sirens (2013) Sirens Tour Live (2016) Eternity (2019)
	Nichol Thomson		trombone backing vocals occasional percussion

Former

Image	Name	Years active	Instruments	Release contributions
	Phil Gould	1979–1987 1993–1994 2004	drums percussion backing vocals piano	all Level 42 releases from Level 42 (1981) to Live at Wembley (1987) Forever Now (1994) Level 42 at Rockpalast (2005) The River Sessions (2005)
	Rowland "Boon" Gould	1979–1987 2012 (died 2019)	guitar saxophone (early)	all Level 42 releases from Level 42 (1981) to Live at Wembley (1987) Level 42 at Rockpalast (2005) The River Sessions (2005) Retroglide (2006) – guest appearance on one track only
	Gary Husband	1988–1993 2001–2010	drums backing vocals occasional keyboards	all Level 42 releases from Staring at the Sun (1988) to Guaranteed Live (1992), from Live at Wembley (1996) to Live at the Apollo (2004), and from Retroglide (2006) to Live in Holland 2009 (2009)
	Steve Topping	1988	guitar	none
	Alan Murphy	1988–1989 (until his death)		Staring at the Sun (1988) Fait Accompli (1989) Level Best (1989) – new song "Take Care of Yourself" Live at Wembley (1996)
	Lyndon Connah	1990 (touring) 2001–2006	keyboards backing vocals	Live 2001 Reading UK (2002) Greatest Hits Live (2003) Live at the Apollo (2004) Retroglide (2006)

Touring

Image	Name	Years active	Instruments	Release contributions
	Gary Barnacle	1981 1988–1994	saxophone	Barnacle toured with Level 42 during the 1980s and 1990s, and featured on several studio albums.[23]
	Krys Mach	1984–1988		Mach took over from Barnacle in 1984, and remained part of the touring band until Barnacle's return.[23]
	Annie McCaig	1985–1992	backing vocals	McCaig joined the touring band after the release of World Machine, appearing on several albums and tours.[23]
	Paul Gendler	1987	guitar	Following the Gould brothers' departures, Gendler and Conti filled in for remaining tour dates later that year.[4]
	Neil Conti		drums
	John Thirkell	1988–1994	trumpet	Thirkell was added to the group's touring lineup as its first trumpeter in 1988, once Barnacle had returned.[23]
	Allan Holdsworth	1990 (died 2017)	guitar	After the death of Alan Murphy in 1989, Holdsworth recorded on Guaranteed and subsequent tour dates.[11]
	Jakko Jakszyk	1991–1994	guitar backing vocals	Jakszyk joined after Holdsworth's short stint in the group, remaining until the band broke up in 1994.[12]
	Gavin Harrison	1994	drums	Following Phil Gould's second departure, Harrison performed drums on the 1994 Forever Now tour.[14]
	Billy Cobham	2008		Cobham substituted for Gary Husband during 2008, when the regular drummer was unavailable.[19][20]

Timeline

Lineups

Period	Members	Releases
Late 1979 – October 1987	Mark King – bass, vocals, percussion Mike Lindup – keyboards, synthesisers, vocals Boon Gould – guitar Phil Gould – drums, percussion, backing vocals	Level 42 (1981) The Early Tapes (1982) The Pursuit of Accidents (1982) Standing in the Light (1983) True Colours (1984) A Physical Presence (1985) World Machine (1986) Running in the Family (1987) Live at Wembley (1987) Level 42 at Rockpalast (2005) The River Sessions (2005)
October 1987 – early 1988	Mark King – bass, vocals, percussion Mike Lindup – keyboards, synthesisers, vocals Paul Gendler – guitar (touring) Neil Conti – drums (touring)	none – live performances only
Early 1988	Mark King – bass, vocals, percussion Mike Lindup – keyboards, synthesisers, vocals Paul Topping – guitar Gary Husband – drums, backing vocals
Early 1988 – October 1989	Mark King – bass, vocals, percussion Mike Lindup – keyboards, synthesisers, vocals Alan Murphy – guitar Gary Husband – drums, backing vocals	Staring at the Sun (1988) Fait Accompli (1989) "Take Care of Yourself" (1989) Live at Wembley (1996)
October 1989 – late 1990	Mark King – bass, vocals, percussion Mike Lindup – keyboards, synthesisers, vocals Gary Husband – drums, backing vocals	Guaranteed (1991)
December 1990	Mark King – bass, vocals, percussion Mike Lindup – keyboards, synthesisers, vocals Gary Husband – drums, backing vocals Allan Holdsworth – guitar (touring)	none – live performances only
Early 1991 – March 1992	Mark King – bass, vocals, percussion Mike Lindup – keyboards, synthesisers, vocals Gary Husband – drums, backing vocals Jakko Jakszyk – guitar, backing vocals (touring)	Guaranteed Live (1992)
Early 1993 – mid-1994	Mark King – bass, vocals, percussion Mike Lindup – keyboards, synthesisers, vocals Phil Gould – drums, keyboards, backing vocals Jakko Jakszyk – guitar, backing vocals (touring)	Forever Now (1994)
Mid – late 1994	Mark King – bass, vocals, percussion Mike Lindup – keyboards, synthesisers, vocals Jakko Jakszyk – guitar, backing vocals (touring) Gavin Harrison – drums (touring)	none – live performances only
Group inactive 1994–2001
Late 2001 – May 2006	Mark King – bass, vocals, percussion Nathan King – guitar, backing vocals Lyndon Connah – keyboards, backing vocals Gary Husband – drums Sean Freeman – saxophone, backing vocals	Live 2001 Reading UK (2002) Greatest Hits Live (2003) Live at the Apollo (2004) Retroglide (2006)
May 2006 – February 2010	Mark King – bass, vocals, percussion Mike Lindup – keyboards, synthesisers, vocals Nathan King – guitar, backing vocals Gary Husband – drums Sean Freeman – saxophone, backing vocals	Retroglide Tour (2007) Live in Holland 2009 (2009)
February 2010 – late 2013	Mark King – bass, vocals, percussion Mike Lindup – keyboards, synthesisers, vocals Nathan King – guitar, backing vocals Pete Ray Biggin – drums, percussion Sean Freeman – saxophone, backing vocals	1980–2010: 30th Anniversary World Tour (2011) Live from Metropolis Studios (2013)
Late 2013 – present	Mark King – bass, vocals, percussion Mike Lindup – keyboards, synthesisers, vocals Nathan King – guitar, backing vocals Pete Ray Biggin – drums, percussion Sean Freeman – saxophone, backing vocals Dan Carpenter – trumpet, backing vocals Nichol Thomson – trombone, backing vocals	Sirens (2013) Sirens Tour Live (2015) Eternity (2019)

References

1. Willistein, Paul (3 May 1986). "The Smooth Soul Of Level 42". The Morning Call. Retrieved 12 April 2019.
2. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Level 42: Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved 12 April 2019.
3. "Music News!" (PDF). The Hard Report. No. 52. Medford Lakes, New Jersey: The Hard Report, Inc. 30 October 1987. p. 41. Retrieved 12 April 2019.
4. "Rock Over London" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 4 no. 44. London, England: Billboard Publications, Inc. 7 November 1987. p. 6. Retrieved 12 April 2019.
5. "Timeline: 1980s". Gary Husband. Retrieved 12 April 2019.
6. Rotsteeg, Marjolein (24 September 1988). "Level 42 – Something New Under The Sun" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 5 no. 39. London, England: Billboard Publications, Inc. p. 13. Retrieved 12 April 2019.
7. "Steve Topping Biography". Overdown. 2003. Retrieved 12 April 2019.
8. Cooper, William. "Staring at the Sun - Level 42: Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 12 April 2019.
9. Sexton, Paul (19 October 2014). "Remembering Alan Murphy". uDiscoverMusic. Retrieved 12 April 2019.
10. "See: Level 42" (PDF). Radio & Records. No. 846. Los Angeles, California: Radio & Records, Inc. 29 June 1990. p. 39. Retrieved 12 April 2019.
11. "Timeline: 1990s". Gary Husband. Retrieved 12 April 2019.
12. "Level 42 Guaranteed" (PDF). Radio & Records. No. 886. Los Angeles, California: Radio & Records, Inc. 19 April 1991. p. 35. Retrieved 12 April 2019.
13. "Next-Level Thinking: Level 42 interview". Classic Pop. 5 November 2011. Retrieved 12 April 2019.
14. "Gavin Harrison Biography". DrumLessons.com. Retrieved 12 April 2019.
15. "Music: Level 42, Opera House, Saturday". Manchester Evening News. 19 April 2010. Retrieved 12 April 2019.
16. "Band History". Forevernow.com. Retrieved 12 April 2019.
17. Thorburn, Stephanie (19 September 2005). "A Force Majeure: Gary Husband Interview (#79)". Abstract Logix. Archived from the original on 6 December 2006. Retrieved 12 April 2019.
18. "Level 42". Classique Entertainment. Retrieved 12 April 2019.
19. "Billy Cobham meets Level 42 at Ronnie Scott's – and Mark King talks to Jazzwise". Jazzwise. 5 March 2015. Retrieved 12 April 2019.
20. Darach, Kate (20 June 2018). "Next Level: Interview with Mark King of Level 42". Brighton & Hove News. Retrieved 12 April 2019.
21. "Woohoo!!! Level 42 – Sirens EP Now Available!". Level 42. 31 October 2013. Retrieved 12 April 2019.
22. "Level 42 Sirens Tour 2014". Mike Lindup. 18 August 2014. Retrieved 12 April 2019.
23. "Gary Barnacle, John Thirkell, Krys Mach & Annie McCaig". Forevernow.com. Retrieved 12 April 2019.

External links

• Level 42 official website