Roger Bunn -

Roger Bunn (1942–2005) was an English singer-songwriter who released the 1971 album Piece of Mind on Major Minor. He played bass on the first album by Pete Brown and Piblokto! and was the original, pre-album guitarist of Roxy Music.

Background

Roger Bunn was born on July 19, 1942, in Norwich, Norfolk, England. His father, a decorated serviceman, died when Bunn was young, and Bunn spent much of childhood with relatives in Norfolk. Bunn played guitar in the Footprints Skiffle Group as a teenager in Norwich. He followed singer Roger Moon and drummer Derek Moore into the Toffs, a local group that moved from skiffle toward beat music.

Bunn shifted into modern jazz with the Blazes around 1960, alongside guitarist Lester Middleton, pianist Paul Gunnell, double bassist Peter Walker, and drummer Dave Tooke. The Blazes played the Cottage ballroom in Thorpe and included Bunn compositions “Blue Sands” and “Neurosis” in their sets. Bunn played guitar in the Joe McKenna Sextet in early 1962, alongside vibraphonist Johnny Walls, pianist Gunnell, and drummer Rex Cooper.

Bunn moved from the Brokers into Mike Patto’s Breakaways in March 1964; the revised group became the Bluebottles with keyboardist Gunnell, bassist Ronnie Day, and drummer Barry Wilson. The Bluebottles backed Graham Bond at their March 11 debut at the Orford Cellar and shared the bill with The Animals. Agent Dick Charlesworth offered the group professional terms at the show, and promoter Bram Lowe became manager. Bunn left the group for London near the end of the year.

Bunn entered the London underground circuit by 1966 and joined saxophonist Dave Tomlin and drummer Glen Sweeney in Giant Sun Trolley. The improvising group appeared at a Royal Albert Hall poetry event in June 1966 and joined the opening bill at UFO Club that December. In April 1967, Giant Sun Trolley played the 14 Hour Technicolor Dream at Alexandra Palace. Bunn also led Djinn, a quartet that recorded his composition “Life Is a Circus.” Tony Visconti brought the song to David Bowie, who recorded the number with John Hutchinson at Clareville Grove.

In 1968, Bunn recorded solo demos at the Apple office in Baker Street. Philips Records in Amsterdam received the tapes and arranged Dutch recording sessions. Producer Frans Peters paired Bunn with arranger Ruud Bos and a group of jazz and classical musicians. Those sessions produced the material for Piece of Mind.

Discography: