A jazz pianist who worked his way up through the clubs, Brian Auger won the Melody Maker jazz poll in 1964 and established his reputation as a creative session keyboard player with his contribution to recordings like the Yardbirds’ ‘For Your Love’. At Long John Baldry’s request, he helped the vocalist to form Steampacket, which incorporated Rod Stewart and Julie Driscoll in its line-up, in 1965, but the band only lasted a year. Brian then founded the Brian Auger Trinity to perform a combination of jazz, blues and Motown. They enjoyed a huge hit in 1966 with the psychedelic ‘This Wheel’s On Fire’ (later used as the theme for ‘Absolutely Fabulous’!), with the charismatic Driscoll on vocals, but management problems led to the group splitting at the end of the Sixties. A resident of California, Brian continues to tour the world with the latest incarnation of Oblivion Express, the band he first put together in 1970, now featuring his son Karma on drums and his daughter Savannah on vocals.
Brian will be sharing his Sixties’ memories on this site soon, so keep checking in with us!