VdGG Profile: Hugh Banton

FuzzLogic.com - Van der Graaf Generations

VdGG Profile

Hugh Banton solo [October 1996 - present]
Personnel
Name Hugh Banton: kbds	ex Jackson Banton Evans	to VdGG VIc

Discography
with Peter Hammill and Guy Evans:
1997	The Union Chapel Concert	Fie!	double cd

solo:
2002	The Goldberg Variations (by Johann Sebastian Bach)	Fie!	cd

History

After the Union Chapel concert in London November 3rd 1996, I approached Banton and asked if he had ever considered a solo album. He answered: "Yes, for about 20 years!" His first album was finished only five years later! Though his solo career - at least in a VdGG context - started with the preparations for that very evening at the Union Chapel where he performed Samuel Barber's Adagio on the Chapel's Father Willis pipe organ. Later during the show, he went on to collaborate with the rest of the old gang.

Hugh played the occasional gig with local pub bands in the Manchester area during the 80s. His main occupation after leaving VdGG VIb, however, was to build church organs: "In February 1977 I went to work for a firm in Oldham that built Church organs, and got stuck there until 1991 when I branched out and started doing it on my own - They're still in existence and I do it on a much smaller scale - I only do about eight or nine a year, and that's what I do." [from the The Hugh Banton Interview, October 5th 2001 by Tim Locke at the Van der Graaf Generator pages].

The Goldberg Variations is a traditional classical recording. He played some of his self-built organs for the recording of the album, using Midi technology.