My brother, Peter Solley, who has died aged 75, was a musician and producer. He performed the organ, the piano and keyboards with a lot of profitable pop and rock teams of the Nineteen Sixties and 70s earlier than transferring into document manufacturing.
In 1966 Peter loved a 12 months enjoying with the Thunderbirds, Chris Farlowe’s backing band, on tour with Albert Lee and Carl Palmer (later a founder member of Emerson, Lake & Palmer). He then spent 1968-69 touring as organist with the Loopy World of Arthur Brown, earlier than travelling throughout the US on keyboards within the band of the singer Terry Reid. Within the early 70s he was a founding member of the British progressive rock band Paladin, and later he had a 12 months enjoying the Hammond organ with Procol Harum till they disbanded in 1977.
As he had steadily turned enmeshed within the US music scene, hanging out with individuals similar to Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin, Peter had begun to maneuver into studio work, producing 4 albums for the Detroit band the Romantics, and later for Ted Nugent, Peter Frampton, Motörhead and Wreckless Eric.
Born in Holloway, north London, and introduced up in a political and mental family, Peter was the son of José Fisher, who opened Uncooked Deal, one of many first vegetarian bistros in London, and Leslie Solley, a barrister and postwar Labour MP. Peter took to music from a younger age, organising a jazz band at Hendon county grammar faculty and enjoying lead trumpet within the first Nationwide Jazz Youth Orchestra earlier than switching to keyboards.
Based mostly in Florida after his profession in rock and pop, Peter started writing promoting jingles for giant company teams similar to British Airways, Coca-Cola and BMW, and in 2007 he moved to Vermont, the place he made his personal gelato ice-cream for a restaurant within the village of Newfane that he ran together with his spouse, Susan (nee Tondeau), whom he had married shortly earlier than leaving Florida. It was so profitable that he began making gelato commercially.
Peter is survived by Susan and a daughter, Hannah, from his first marriage, to Ann Crockford, who died in 1975.
