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Guy Pratt

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Guy Pratt
Pratt performing with Nick Mason's Saucerful of Secrets in Oakland, California, 2022
Background information
Born (1962-01-03) 3 January 1962 (age 62)
Lambeth, London, England
OriginPeckham, London, England
Genres
Occupations
  • Musician
  • composer
  • songwriter
  • actor
Instruments
  • Bass guitar
  • vocals
Years active1981–present
Member ofNick Mason's Saucerful of Secrets
Formerly of
Websiteguypratt.com

Guy Adam Pratt (born 3 January 1962) is a British bassist. He has worked with artists including Pink Floyd, Roxy Music, Gary Moore, Madonna, Peter Cetera, Michael Jackson,[1] the Smiths, Robert Palmer, Echo & the Bunnymen, Tears for Fears, Icehouse, Bananarama, Iggy Pop, Tom Jones, Debbie Harry, Whitesnake, Womack & Womack, Kirsty MacColl, Coverdale•Page, Lemon Jelly, the Orb, All Saints, Stephen Duffy, Robbie Robertson and A. R. Rahman.

Pratt was a member of the Australian rock band Icehouse, a founding member of the American rock band Toy Matinee, and is currently a member of the band Nick Mason's Saucerful of Secrets.

Pratt has also been an actor and worked on TV and film soundtracks, including Dick Tracy (1990), Last Action Hero (1993), Hackers (1995), Still Crazy (1998) and Johnny English Reborn (2011). In 2005 he debuted a one-man music and comedy show.

Early life

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Pratt was born on 3 January 1962, in a flat above a shop on the Cut, London. His father, Mike Pratt, was an actor, songwriter and screenwriter who died when Guy was 14. Pratt worked for a while as a graphic designer, but decided to concentrate on a music career. In the late 1970s, Pratt was in a band based in Southend-on-Sea called Speedball, which released a single on NO PAP1 Records called "No Survivors".[citation needed]

In 1981, aged 19, Pratt was asked to tour with Icehouse. Two years later as a member of Icehouse he supported David Bowie on his Serious Moonlight Tour, which was Bowie's longest, largest, and most successful concert tour.[2] A support slot at a 1984 David Gilmour solo concert led to a stint with Pink Floyd. He also spent some time in Los Angeles where he played with Madonna and Michael Jackson.[3]

Career

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In 1986, the Smiths' bassist Andy Rourke was arrested on drug possession charges shortly before the band was scheduled to leave for its North American tour in support of The Queen Is Dead. Expecting that Rourke would thus be denied work visas for the U.S. and Canada, the band's guitarist, Johnny Marr, asked Pratt to step in. He spent nearly two weeks with Rourke and the band, learning bass lines and rehearsing, but shortly before the band was to leave Britain Rourke received his visas, and there was no need for Pratt to go.[4]

Pratt came to prominence when he was chosen to play bass for Pink Floyd's post-Roger Waters A Momentary Lapse of Reason Tour in 1987–90, and The Division Bell Tour in 1994. He co-performed the lead vocals on "Run Like Hell", "Another Brick in the Wall, Part 2", "Us and Them" and "Comfortably Numb" with Gilmour during the live shows. He also played bass on several tracks on The Division Bell. Tony Levin had performed all of the bass parts on A Momentary Lapse of Reason; Pratt replaced him on the later tour owing to Levin's unavailability.[5][6] Pratt also toured as part of Gilmour's On an Island Tour backing band, alongside another Pink Floyd member (and his father-in-law), Richard Wright.[7] He also later performed with Gilmour during his Rattle That Lock World Tour in 2015–16.

Pratt performing in 2006

Producer and keyboardist Patrick Leonard approached Pratt in 1988 about forming a band, and helping him recruit members of what would become Toy Matinee. Pratt co-wrote many of the songs and played bass on all of the tracks on Toy Matinee's only studio album, released in 1990.

Pratt played bass on Gary Moore's Dark Days in Paradise tour in 1997.[8]

Besides working as a bass player, Pratt is a songwriter and composes music for TV and film. As a songwriter, Pratt co-wrote the UK number-one hit "Ain't No Doubt" by Jimmy Nail.[9] He produced, co-wrote and played bass, guitar and keyboards on the music for the 1998 Channel 4 drama series The Young Person's Guide to Becoming a Rock Star. With regular collaborator Dom Beken, he provided the theme music to Spaced, where he also appeared as the character Minty. Pratt also acted in Linda Green and appeared in an episode of the remake of Randall & Hopkirk, starring Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer. Pratt's father Mike had played the part of Jeff Randall in the original 1960s series. Pratt also played as a regular in the backing band for the BBC Radio 2 musical comedy show Jammin' with Rowland Rivron.[10]

Pratt and Jimmy Cauty released a single "I Wanna 1-2-1 With You" as Solid Gold Chartbusters in 1999;[11][12] Pratt and Cauty (a founder of the Orb) later teamed up with the other original member of the Orb, Alex Paterson, to form Transit Kings.[13]

Pratt's one-man music and comedy show, My Bass & Other Animals, debuted in August 2005 at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe; this led to his book of the same name, published in May 2007.[14][15] Pratt spent 2011 performing stand-up in Switzerland, Australia, and at the Edinburgh Fringe, as well as on a South American tour playing bass guitar for Dominic Miller.

In April 2010, Pratt joined the Argentine cover band the End Pink Floyd, with Durga McBroom and Jon Carin, in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Pratt joined the Australian Pink Floyd Show on stage on 13 June 2011 for the Hampton Court Palace Festival for the song "Run Like Hell". He joined the UK Pink Floyd cover band Brit Floyd on stage on 9 November 2013 as a special guest during the Liverpool leg of their Pulse tour.[16] He performed on the songs "One of These Days", "Comfortably Numb" and shared lead vocals with the band's lead singer Damian Darlington during the finale of "Run Like Hell".

During the COVID-19 pandemic, he made a series of "Lockdown Licks" videos released on his YouTube channel, reminiscing about some of his best-known work.

Nick Mason's Saucerful of Secrets

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In 2018, Pratt and others formed a new band, Nick Mason's Saucerful of Secrets, to perform Pink Floyd's early psychedelic material.[17] Along with Pratt, the band comprises Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason, former Blockheads guitarist Lee Harris, vocalist and guitarist Gary Kemp of Spandau Ballet, and Pratt's collaborator keyboardist Dom Beken.[18] The band toured Europe and North America in 2018 and 2019, with a third tour postponed to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[19] In September 2020, they released a live album and film, Live at the Roundhouse.[20]

Equipment

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Pratt in 2018

Pratt's standard bass guitar arsenal includes a selection of various vintage Fender Precision and Jazz Basses, three Music Man StingRay 4-strings (black with rosewood fretboard and black pickguard, black with maple fretboard and white pickguard, natural with maple fretboard and black pickguard), a pair of headless Status 4 and 5-strings (fretless and fretted) and an amber Stuart Spector NS2.

During On an Island, David Gilmour's concert series of 2006, he mainly used a 3-colour sunburst 1961 Fender Precision, a burgundy mist 1963 Fender Jazz named 'Betsy', a Status Vintage GP Signature and a Framus Triumph electric upright bass. The concert in Gdańsk, Poland, was recorded and released as Live in Gdańsk, where he is seen playing his Fender Jazz and Precision Basses as well as a Candy Apple Red Lakland Joe Osborn signature fretless Jazz Bass and a Rickenbacker 4001. On the studio jamming sessions included in the DVD, he played several Fender Jazz Basses, a Hofner Icon bass and a Ned Steinberger Design CR electric upright.[21]

Pratt played his fretted 5-string and fretless 4-string Status headless basses, the amber Spector NS2, the burgundy mist "Betsy" 1963 Jazz Bass and two Precision Basses (a 2-colour sunburst 1958 and a "single-coil pickup" butterscotch blonde 1951) during the Division Bell Tour in 1994.

Pratt was seen playing Aria SB series and fretless Steinberger L2/Xl headless basses during his stint in Icehouse.

Pratt has used Rickenbacker 4001V63 and a "Sunburst" 4003 Rickenbacker bass, when playing earlier (Barrett era) Pink Floyd songs, when performing at David Gilmour solo projects and Nick Mason's "Saucerful of Secrets" band.

His amps are usually Ashdown ABM heads and Ashdown ABM 810 cabinets, although when playing with Gilmour they are WEM-badged to match Gilmour's cabinets.

Awards

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He has been nominated for two Ivor Novello Awards and was awarded an ARIA Award for his work with Icehouse.[22][23][24]

Writing

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Pratt is the author of a book:

  • My Bass and Other Animals (2007), Orion ISBN 978-0752893358

Personal life

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Pratt married furniture designer Gala Wright, daughter of the Pink Floyd keyboardist Richard Wright, in 1996 in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London. The couple have a son. They later divorced.[25]

In 2013, Pratt moved to Brighton.[26] In 2019, he was announced as the general election candidate for the Renew Party in Brighton Kemptown.[27] That March, he became engaged to the children's author Georgia Byng.[28]

Discography

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1980s

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Year Title Artist
1984 Sidewalk Icehouse
1985 The Ups and Downs Stephen Duffy
1985 The Dream Academy The Dream Academy
1985 Riptide Robert Palmer
1985 "Discipline of Love" (single) Robert Palmer
1986 Measure for Measure Icehouse
1987 Luz Y Sombra Flans
1987 Remembrance Days The Dream Academy
1987 Bête Noire Bryan Ferry
1987 "Kiss and Tell" (single) Bryan Ferry
1987 "The Right Stuff" (single) Bryan Ferry
1988 One More Story Peter Cetera
1988 Delicate Sound of Thunder Pink Floyd
1989 Kite Kirsty MacColl
1989 Legend in a Loungeroom Andy Qunta
1989 Like a Prayer Madonna
1989 "Like a Prayer" (single) Madonna
1989 "Dear Jessie" (single) Madonna
1989 "Oh Father" (single) Madonna

1990s

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Year Title Artist
1990 Wild and Lonely The Associates
1990 Naked Blue Pearl
1990 I'm Breathless Madonna
1990 Toy Matinee Toy Matinee
1991 Ripe Banderas
1991 Pop Life Bananarama
1991 Long Road Junior Reid
1991 Electric Landlady Kirsty MacColl
1991 Storyville Robbie Robertson
1991 A Different Kind of Weather The Dream Academy
1991 The Orb's Adventures Beyond the Ultraworld The Orb
1992 Masterfile Icehouse
1992 Growing Up in Public Jimmy Nail
1992 U.F.Orb The Orb
1993 Debravation Debbie Harry
1993 Donna De Lory Donna De Lory
1993 Call Me Nightlife Nokko
1993 Elemental Tears for Fears
1994 Billy Pilgrim Billy Pilgrim
1994 Mamouna Bryan Ferry
1994 Well... Katey Sagal
1994 The Division Bell Pink Floyd
1994 "Take It Back" (single) Pink Floyd
1994 Heitor TP Heitor Pereira
1994 The Next Hundred Years Ted Hawkins
1994 Meanwhile Third Matinee
1994 Fruit of Life Wild Colonials
1995 Euroflake in Silverlake Gregory Gray[29]
1995 HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I Michael Jackson
1995 Pulse Pink Floyd
1995 A Spanner in the Works Rod Stewart
1996 Raise the Pressure Electronic
1997 Dark Days in Paradise Gary Moore
1997 Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix Michael Jackson
1997 The Next Hundred Years [Gold Edition] Ted Hawkins
1997 Restless Heart David Coverdale & Whitesnake
1998 Dil Se.. for the song Dil Se Re A. R. Rahman
1998 Messiah Meets Progenitor Messiah
1998 The Ted Hawkins Story: Suffer No More Ted Hawkins
1999 What Are You Going to Do with Your Life? Echo & the Bunnymen
1999 Michael Hutchence Michael Hutchence
1999 Reload Tom Jones

2000s

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Year Title Artist
2000 Lemonjelly.ky Lemon Jelly
2000 Ronan Ronan Keating
2000 Somewhere in the Sun: Best of the Dream Academy The Dream Academy
2001 Born Bond
2001 Crystal Days: 1979-1999 Echo & the Bunnymen
2001 Jacob Young Jacob Young
2001 Bring Down the Moon Naimee Coleman
2001 White Lilies Island Natalie Imbruglia
2001 Read My Lips Sophie Ellis-Bextor
2001 Mixed Up World Pt. 2 Sophie Ellis-Bextor
2001 They Called Him Tin Tin Stephen Duffy
2001 Mink Car They Might Be Giants
2001 Toy Matinee: Special Edition Toy Matinee
2002 Watching Angels Mend Alex Lloyd
2002 Born [Japan Bonus Tracks] Bond
2002 Shine Bond
2002 Lost Horizons Lemon Jelly
2002 Festival Paola & Chiara
2003 Remixed [Japan Bonus Tracks] Bond
2003 Journey into Paradise Dr. Alex Paterson
2003 The Outer Marker Just Jack
2003 Shoot from the Hip Sophie Ellis-Bextor
2003 Reload [Bonus Tracks] Tom Jones
2004 Mistaken Identity Delta Goodrem
2004 Live at Montreux, 1990 Gary Moore
2005 Explosive: The Best of bond Bond
2005 A Million in Prizes: The Anthology Iggy Pop
2006 On an Island David Gilmour
2006 "Arnold Layne" (single) David Gilmour
2006 So Still Mozez
2006 Living in a Giant Candle Winking at God Transit Kings
2007 Dylanesque Bryan Ferry
2008 Live in Gdańsk David Gilmour

2010s

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Year Title Artist
2010 Olympia Bryan Ferry
2010 No Decoder Yogi Lang Band
2011 Everything Changes Julian Lennon
2012 Concerto for Group and Orchestra Jon Lord
2014 The Endless River Pink Floyd
2014 Avonmore Bryan Ferry
2015 Rattle That Lock David Gilmour
2017 Live at Pompeii David Gilmour
2019 Tales from Outer Space RPWL

2020s

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Year Title Artist
2020 Live at the Roundhouse Nick Mason's Saucerful of Secrets
2021 INSOLO Gary Kemp
2022 Hey Hey Rise Up Pink Floyd featuring Andriy Khlyvnyuk
2024 Luck and Strange David Gilmour

Filmography

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Year Title Director(s) Studio(s)
1990 Dick Tracy Warren Beatty Touchstone Pictures
Silver Screen Partners
Mulholland Productions
1993 Last Action Hero John McTiernan Columbia Pictures
1995 Hackers Iain Softley United Artists
1998 Still Crazy Brian Gibson Columbia Pictures
2011 Johnny English Reborn Oliver Parker StudioCanal
Relativity Media
Working Title Films

References

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  1. ^ thodoris (12 April 2012). "Interview: Guy Pratt (Pink Floyd, David Gilmour, Michael Jackson, Roxy Music)". Hit-channel.com. Retrieved 22 September 2015.
  2. ^ Flippo, Chet (1984). David Bowie's Serious Moonlight : The World Tour. Doubleday & Company, Inc. ISBN 0-385-19265-7.
  3. ^ biography, retrieved 22 September 2015
  4. ^ Fletcher, Tony (2013). A Light That Never Goes Out: The Enduring Saga of the Smiths. London: Windmill Books. pp. 522–23. ISBN 9780099537922.
  5. ^ thodoris (21 February 2013). "Interview:Tony Levin (Stick Men, King Crimson, Peter Gabriel, John Lennon)". Hit-channel.com. Retrieved 22 September 2015.
  6. ^ Pratt, Guy (2007). My Bass And Other Animals. London: Orion Books. p. 131. ISBN 978-0-7528-7631-3.
  7. ^ Deriso, Nick (6 March 2015), David Gilmour's On An Island was un-extravagant, mesmerizing, retrieved 22 September 2015
  8. ^ "Gary on the radio | the Lord of the Strings - World Wide Gary Moore Fanclub". Archived from the original on 3 March 2018. Retrieved 2 March 2018.
  9. ^ Roberts, David (2006), British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.), Guinness World Records Limited, p. 542
  10. ^ Jammin, retrieved 22 September 2015
  11. ^ "The World's First Novelty Supergroup present: 'I Wanna 1-2-1 With You'" (Press release). Virgin Records. 1999.
  12. ^ "IT'S CRAPMASSSSSSS!!!!". NME. 10 November 1999. Retrieved 20 March 2020.
  13. ^ "WaitingRoom". Archived from the original on 14 December 2006. Retrieved 28 February 2020.
  14. ^ Guy Pratt: Exclusive interview with FBPO's Jon Liebman, 3 August 2015, retrieved 22 August 2015
  15. ^ Jelbert, Steve (12 August 2005), Flying Solo, The Times, Body & Soul, p. 11, retrieved 22 September 2015
  16. ^ Burnsilver, Genn (23 May 2014), Inside Brit Floyd, the ambitions Pink Floyd cover band, retrieved 22 September 2015
  17. ^ Greene, Andy (13 June 2019). "Why Pink Floyd's Nick Mason Finally Went Solo at 75". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 26 September 2020.
  18. ^ Kielty, Martin (17 April 2018). "Nick Mason Forms Supergroup to Play Early Pink Floyd Music". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 26 September 2020.
  19. ^ Munro, Scott (11 May 2020). "Nick Mason's Saucerful Of Secrets announce rescheduled European tour". Prog Magazine. Retrieved 26 September 2020.
  20. ^ Pincombe, Sean (26 March 2020). "Nick Mason's Saucerful of Secrets 'Live at the Roundhouse' release delayed until September 2020". Retrieved 7 July 2020. Further to the postponement of their 2020 tour, Nick Mason's Saucerful of Secrets 'Live at the Roundhouse' concert video and audio releases have also been delayed. Owing to the worldwide Coronavirus pandemic, the release has been pushed from April, and will now hit store shelves on September 18th 2020.
  21. ^ Q & A with Guy Pratt, archived from the original on 2 October 2015, retrieved 22 September 2015
  22. ^ Gray, Robert (2009). "Hit The Lights: Guy Pratt: 'The Musical Relationship In Pink Floyd Was About David And Rick'". Archived from the original on 30 October 2023. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
  23. ^ Eliezer, Christie (26 June 2006). "ARIA Hall Of Fame Honors For Divinyls, Icehouse". Billboard. Archived from the original on 1 July 2022. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
  24. ^ "ARIA Hall of Fame". 11 December 2006. Archived from the original on 13 May 2021. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
  25. ^ "My Aston Martin: Gala Wright's Echoes of the Past". The Aston Martin Magazine. April 2017. Archived from the original on 30 December 2018. Retrieved 30 December 2018.
  26. ^ "Guy Pratt on music and his love for Brighton and its food scene". Great British Life. 30 May 2019. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
  27. ^ "Guy Pratt at Renew Party". Renew Party.
  28. ^ Willman, Chris (18 March 2019). "Concert Review: Nick Mason's Saucerful of Secrets Dishes Up Seminal Pink Floyd Delights". Variety. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  29. ^ Guy Pratt. Discography. Gregory Gray. Euroflake in Silverlake on guypratt.com. Retrieved 14 June 2019
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