Career
Ollie may not have been the best guitarist in the world, but he was certainly among the top two. John Halsey, 1997
Halsall (ex Pete and the Pawnees, The Gunslingers, The Music Students, all 1964, The Rhythm and Blues Incorporated, 1965), came to London in October 1966 to play vibraphone with the pop rock outfit Timebox (which included bassist Clive Griffiths and keyboardist 'Professor' Chris Holmes. Halsall took up guitar, they enlisted Mike Patto on vocals and drummer 'Admiral' John Halsey.
In 1970, following the departure of Holmes, Timebox evolved into the band Patto. They played a blend of progressive Jazz rock featuring Halsall's guitar work.
In 1973, Halsall left to join Jon Hiseman's Tempest. After less than a year, he quit and did numerous sessions including a track for Kevin Ayers which this led to a permanent position in Ayers' band The Soporifics.
In 1975, Patto staged a brief reunion comprising just three benefit gigs. The reuniting of Halsall and Patto sparked the formation of Boxer during 1975. Boxer never reached its true potential, as Mike Patto died in 1979 during the mid term of their contractual obligations to the Virgin record label and are best remembered for their debut album Below The Belt and its controversial sleeve design.
Probably the best known recording of Halsall is his work on the album The Rutles (1978), on which he plays many of the instruments and provides backing and lead vocals, most notably on the tracks "Doubleback Alley", "With a Girl Like You" and "Get Up and Go". Eric Idle was cast in his place in the accompanying film and Halsall only featured as a very minor cameo role as Leppo, the fifth Rutle who became lost in Hamburg.
During 1976 Halsall had rejoined Ayers with whom he stayed for the next sixteen years. In the 1980s he was part of a Spanish Techno Pop band created by producer Julian Ruiz called Cinemaspop. They released two Albums 'Cinemaspop' (1983), just a collection of Techno Pop covers of classical movie tunes, and 'A Clockwork Orange' in 1984 including some compositions by Halsall, besides a bizarre electronic version of Troggs's Wild Thing. In 1989, he replaced ill Enrique Sierra of Radio Futura, another Spanish rock band.
A finished solo album remains unreleased - produced by Robert Fripp.
Halsall died from a heroin overdose on 29 May 1992 at 13 Calle de la Amargura, Madrid, Spain.
Read more about this topic: Ollie Halsall
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