Andy Pratt (singer-songwriter)
Encyclopedia
Andy Pratt is an American rock music
singer-songwriter
and multi-instrumentalist
. In the 1970s, he made a number of experimental records that were appreciated by small audiences, and scored a commercial hit with "Avenging Annie
".
After words of praise from Rolling Stone
magazine ("By reviving the dream of rock as an art and then re-inventing it, Pratt has forever changed the face of rock"), he tried a more commercial approach. Having converted to Christianity
and settled in the Netherlands
in 1987, he continued to make records and perform at big Christian pop music festivals.
Pratt returned to Boston after an absence of 13 years in 2004. The continually-prolific Pratt has been trying to make a comeback with a new band as well as solo appearances at regional festivals (such as South By Southwest
in 2006). Despite his reputation as a one-hit wonder of the 1970s, Pratt has released twenty studio albums as of mid-2006.
, who founded Pratt Institute
, Andy was the son of Edwin H. Baker Pratt
, headmaster of exclusive Cambridge, Massachusetts
day school Browne & Nichols School (now Buckingham Browne & Nichols
), which he attended as well. Later, attending boarding school, he tried to make life more bearable by joining various school bands.
Inspired by The Ventures
, he played guitar or bass guitar in Bogus Chimes, Zinias, and Vagabonds. Pratt attended Harvard College
and was awarded an B.A.
in English Literature
in 1968 (he missed attending Harvard with Gram Parsons
, who had dropped out in 1963 after one semester). Soon afterward, he released his debut album, Records Are Like Life (1969), recorded just after his graduation from Harvard and re-released in 1971 on Polydor. It was not a success.
Pratt worked on his music with Boston-area bands Butter (a pun on Cream
) and The Chosen Few, with whom he toured Europe. Neither the groups nor his first album were a success outside the Boston area. His family wealth enabled him to build AEngus Studios, where he broadened his knowledge of recording techniques and multi-tracking
arrangements in the spirit of Brian Wilson
and Phil Spector
.
on the basis of a demo of Avenging Annie
. The vocals on this song (based on Woody Guthrie
's Ballad of Pretty Boy Floyd) took 500 studio hours to record, and range from basso profundo to a maniacal falsetto
. The label released Andy Pratt
in 1973, which achieved modest commercial success on the strength of its hit single. Roger Daltrey
recorded a raunchier version on his solo album One of the Boys
. Pratt's version was used on the soundtrack to the film Velvet Goldmine
in 1998.
After an American tour to promote the album, he was dropped by Columbia. In 1975, his father died and Pratt returned to the musical scene with Atlantic Records
. Bee Gees
producer Arif Mardin
was recruited for a more commercial approach on Resolution. The result is a somewhat bombastic but more accessible record, a far cry from the eerie atmosphere of its predecessors. In 1977, after a final concert for 7000 people in Boston's City Hall Plaza, Pratt was forced to leave the music industry due to a lack of support (see http://www.phoenixbandguide.com/artistprofile2.aspx?id=2390).
and moved to Europe in 1987. Startled by the punk rock
wave ("I hate ugly music"), Pratt produced the religious pop album Motives, after which he settled in the Netherlands and Belgium. In 1988 he married a journalist and became active as a social and pastoral worker. In 2004, he was divorced from his second wife and returned to the Boston area.
However, he continued his recording activities and performed at festivals and in churches. A solo concert at the former Hippie
temple Paradiso in Amsterdam
was appreciated by a mere handful of remaining fans, but an undaunted Pratt sang as if he were playing a crowded stadium. Not Just for Dancing (recorded with Stephen Hague
) and Fun in the First World were later re-released on a single CD, as was the collection Heaven & Earth from this period.
; the former joined him (along with Mark Doyle, Tommy Hambridge and Gary Link) on Live at the Village Underground.
Pratt was sporadically seen busking
at underground train stations. A reunion with his guitar pal Doyle resulted in Cover Me (2002) and I'm All Right the year following, on which Pratt also plays saxophone. The material covered ranges from Gene Pitney
's Town Without Pity
and The Beach Boys
' Don't Worry Baby
to The Message by Grandmaster Flash
.
In 2005, the Indie music website (http://store.itsaboutmusic.com/andypratt.html)
itsaboutmusic.com became the main source of Pratt's music, with his entire catalogue downloadable in MP3 format, and available also on CD
(http://www.emediawire.com/releases/2005/7/emw263926.htm) Mediawire.
In 2006, Pratt signed a deal with Ran Song Express Publishing to publish his personal memoirs, Shiver in the Night (https://www2.xlibris.com/bookstore/bookdisplay.asp?bookid=36742).
At this point Pratt's main web sites are itsaboutmusic and his myspace/andyprattrocks site. The so-called 'official site' (not run by Pratt) has been taken down.
----
Has four new unreleased albums in the works due out in 2008 or 2009
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
and multi-instrumentalist
Multi-instrumentalist
A multi-instrumentalist is a musician who plays a number of different instruments.The Bachelor of Music degree usually requires a second instrument to be learned , but people who double on another instrument are not usually seen as multi-instrumentalists.-Classical music:Music written for Symphony...
. In the 1970s, he made a number of experimental records that were appreciated by small audiences, and scored a commercial hit with "Avenging Annie
Avenging Annie
"Avenging Annie" is the sole single released by Andy Pratt. This song, from the viewpoint of a "mythical heroine," , is sung by Pratt mostly in falsetto, accompanied by cat, piano and guitar .The song rides on Pratt's classically-influenced piano through the...
".
After words of praise from Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
magazine ("By reviving the dream of rock as an art and then re-inventing it, Pratt has forever changed the face of rock"), he tried a more commercial approach. Having converted to Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
and settled in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
in 1987, he continued to make records and perform at big Christian pop music festivals.
Pratt returned to Boston after an absence of 13 years in 2004. The continually-prolific Pratt has been trying to make a comeback with a new band as well as solo appearances at regional festivals (such as South By Southwest
South by Southwest
South by Southwest is an Austin, Texas based company dedicated to planning conferences, trade shows, festivals and other events. Their current roster of annual events include: SXSW Music, SXSW Film, SXSW Interactive, SXSWedu, and SXSWeco and take place every spring in Austin, Texas, United States...
in 2006). Despite his reputation as a one-hit wonder of the 1970s, Pratt has released twenty studio albums as of mid-2006.
Prelude
The great-grandson of oil magnate Charles PrattCharles Pratt
Charles Pratt was a United States capitalist, businessman and philanthropist.Pratt was a pioneer of the U.S. petroleum industry, and established his kerosene refinery Astral Oil Works in Brooklyn, New York. An advertising slogan was "The holy lamps of Tibet are primed with Astral Oil." He...
, who founded Pratt Institute
Pratt Institute
Pratt Institute is a private art college in New York City located in Brooklyn, New York, with satellite campuses in Manhattan and Utica. Pratt is one of the leading undergraduate art schools in the United States and offers programs in Architecture, Graphic Design, History of Art and Design,...
, Andy was the son of Edwin H. Baker Pratt
Edwin H Baker Pratt
Edwin Howard Baker Pratt , was an American educator and headmaster of Buckingham Browne & Nichols.-Early life:...
, headmaster of exclusive Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
day school Browne & Nichols School (now Buckingham Browne & Nichols
Buckingham Browne & Nichols
Buckingham Browne & Nichols School, often referred to as BB&N, is a private school located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, by the Charles River. The school educates students from pre-kindergarten to twelfth grade. It was established by a merge of two independent schools, the Buckingham School founded...
), which he attended as well. Later, attending boarding school, he tried to make life more bearable by joining various school bands.
Inspired by The Ventures
The Ventures
The Ventures is an American instrumental rock band formed in 1958 in Tacoma, Washington. Founded by Don Wilson and Bob Bogle, the group in its various incarnations has had an enduring impact on the development of music worldwide. With over 100 million records sold, the group is the best-selling...
, he played guitar or bass guitar in Bogus Chimes, Zinias, and Vagabonds. Pratt attended Harvard College
Harvard College
Harvard College, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is one of two schools within Harvard University granting undergraduate degrees...
and was awarded an B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in English Literature
English literature
English literature is the literature written in the English language, including literature composed in English by writers not necessarily from England; for example, Robert Burns was Scottish, James Joyce was Irish, Joseph Conrad was Polish, Dylan Thomas was Welsh, Edgar Allan Poe was American, J....
in 1968 (he missed attending Harvard with Gram Parsons
Gram Parsons
Gram Parsons was an American singer, songwriter, guitarist and pianist. Parsons is best known for his work within the country genre; he also mixed blues, folk, and rock to create what he called "Cosmic American Music"...
, who had dropped out in 1963 after one semester). Soon afterward, he released his debut album, Records Are Like Life (1969), recorded just after his graduation from Harvard and re-released in 1971 on Polydor. It was not a success.
Pratt worked on his music with Boston-area bands Butter (a pun on Cream
Cream (band)
Cream were a 1960s British rock supergroup consisting of bassist/vocalist Jack Bruce, guitarist/vocalist Eric Clapton, and drummer Ginger Baker...
) and The Chosen Few, with whom he toured Europe. Neither the groups nor his first album were a success outside the Boston area. His family wealth enabled him to build AEngus Studios, where he broadened his knowledge of recording techniques and multi-tracking
Multitrack recording
Multitrack recording is a method of sound recording that allows for the separate recording of multiple sound sources to create a cohesive whole...
arrangements in the spirit of Brian Wilson
Brian Wilson
Brian Douglas Wilson is an American musician, best known as the leader and chief songwriter of the group The Beach Boys. Within the band, Wilson played bass and keyboards, also providing part-time lead vocals and, more often, backing vocals, harmonizing in falsetto with the group...
and Phil Spector
Phil Spector
Phillip Harvey "Phil" Spector is an American record producer and songwriter, later known for his conviction in the murder of actress Lana Clarkson....
.
Rise
In 1973, he signed with Columbia RecordsColumbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
on the basis of a demo of Avenging Annie
Avenging Annie
"Avenging Annie" is the sole single released by Andy Pratt. This song, from the viewpoint of a "mythical heroine," , is sung by Pratt mostly in falsetto, accompanied by cat, piano and guitar .The song rides on Pratt's classically-influenced piano through the...
. The vocals on this song (based on Woody Guthrie
Woody Guthrie
Woodrow Wilson "Woody" Guthrie is best known as an American singer-songwriter and folk musician, whose musical legacy includes hundreds of political, traditional and children's songs, ballads and improvised works. He frequently performed with the slogan This Machine Kills Fascists displayed on his...
's Ballad of Pretty Boy Floyd) took 500 studio hours to record, and range from basso profundo to a maniacal falsetto
Falsetto
Falsetto is the vocal register occupying the frequency range just above the modal voice register and overlapping with it by approximately one octave. It is produced by the vibration of the ligamentous edges of the vocal folds, in whole or in part...
. The label released Andy Pratt
Andy Pratt (album)
Andy Pratt is the second album by American singer-songwriter Andy Pratt. It is a raw, emotionally expressive and musically experimental album.-Track listing:All songs written by Andy Pratt, except where indicated.# "Avenging Annie" – 5:08...
in 1973, which achieved modest commercial success on the strength of its hit single. Roger Daltrey
Roger Daltrey
Roger Harry Daltrey, CBE , is an English singer and actor, best known as the founder and lead singer of English rock band The Who. He has maintained a musical career as a solo artist and has also worked in the film industry, acting in a large number of films, theatre and television roles and also...
recorded a raunchier version on his solo album One of the Boys
One of the Boys (Roger Daltrey album)
One of the Boys is the third solo album by The Who's lead singer, Roger Daltrey. It was first released in 1977. The sessions were recorded at The Who's Ramport Studios during the winter of 1976 , and Daltrey allowed students from the local Battersea technical school to film them as an educational...
. Pratt's version was used on the soundtrack to the film Velvet Goldmine
Velvet Goldmine
Velvet Goldmine is a 1998 British/American drama film directed and co-written by Todd Haynes. The film tells the story of a pop star based mainly on David Bowie's 'Ziggy Stardust' character and is set in Britain during the days of glam rock in the early 1970s.Sandy Powell received another Academy...
in 1998.
After an American tour to promote the album, he was dropped by Columbia. In 1975, his father died and Pratt returned to the musical scene with Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
. Bee Gees
Bee Gees
The Bee Gees are a musical group that originally comprised three brothers: Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb. The trio was successful for most of their 40-plus years of recording music, but they had two distinct periods of exceptional success: as a pop act in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and as a...
producer Arif Mardin
Arif Mardin
Arif Mardin was a Turkish-American music producer, who worked with hundreds of artists across many different styles of music, including jazz, rock, soul, disco, and country...
was recruited for a more commercial approach on Resolution. The result is a somewhat bombastic but more accessible record, a far cry from the eerie atmosphere of its predecessors. In 1977, after a final concert for 7000 people in Boston's City Hall Plaza, Pratt was forced to leave the music industry due to a lack of support (see http://www.phoenixbandguide.com/artistprofile2.aspx?id=2390).
European sojourn
In 1979, Pratt converted to ChristianityChristianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
and moved to Europe in 1987. Startled by the punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
wave ("I hate ugly music"), Pratt produced the religious pop album Motives, after which he settled in the Netherlands and Belgium. In 1988 he married a journalist and became active as a social and pastoral worker. In 2004, he was divorced from his second wife and returned to the Boston area.
However, he continued his recording activities and performed at festivals and in churches. A solo concert at the former Hippie
Hippie
The hippie subculture was originally a youth movement that arose in the United States during the mid-1960s and spread to other countries around the world. The etymology of the term 'hippie' is from hipster, and was initially used to describe beatniks who had moved into San Francisco's...
temple Paradiso in Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
was appreciated by a mere handful of remaining fans, but an undaunted Pratt sang as if he were playing a crowded stadium. Not Just for Dancing (recorded with Stephen Hague
Stephen Hague
Stephen Hague is an American music producer most active with various British acts in the 1980s. He was an influential figure in the synthpop movement.-Early career:...
) and Fun in the First World were later re-released on a single CD, as was the collection Heaven & Earth from this period.
Return to Boston
The re-patriated Pratt started a new band in Boston with Sal Baglio (former frontman of '80's Boston band The Stompers) and John Troy, formerly of Pousette-Dart BandPousette-Dart Band
The Pousette-Dart Band was an American soft rock group active in the 1970s and early 1980s. Originally conceived in 1973 as a string band from Cambridge, Massachusetts, PDB comprised Jon Pousette-Dart, John Troy and John Curtis...
; the former joined him (along with Mark Doyle, Tommy Hambridge and Gary Link) on Live at the Village Underground.
Pratt was sporadically seen busking
Busking
Street performance or busking is the practice of performing in public places, for gratuities, which are generally in the form of money and edibles...
at underground train stations. A reunion with his guitar pal Doyle resulted in Cover Me (2002) and I'm All Right the year following, on which Pratt also plays saxophone. The material covered ranges from Gene Pitney
Gene Pitney
Eugene Francis Alan Pitney, known as Gene Pitney , was an American singer-songwriter, musician and sound engineer. Through the mid-1960s, he enjoyed success as a recording artist on both sides of the Atlantic and was among the group of early 1960s American acts who continued to enjoy hits after the...
's Town Without Pity
Town Without Pity
Town Without Pity is a 1961 American, Austrian and West German international co-production film drama starring Kirk Douglas, directed by Gottfried Reinhardt. It was made by Mirisch Productions for United Artists....
and The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys are an American rock band, formed in 1961 in Hawthorne, California. The group was initially composed of brothers Brian, Dennis and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Managed by the Wilsons' father Murry, The Beach Boys signed to Capitol Records in 1962...
' Don't Worry Baby
Don't Worry Baby
"Don’t Worry Baby" is a song written by Brian Wilson and Roger Christian, produced by Wilson and first recorded by the Beach Boys. The band's version, a tender ballad with falsetto lead vocal by Brian, was first released on their 1964 album Shut Down Volume 2. It was also released as the B-side of...
to The Message by Grandmaster Flash
Grandmaster Flash
Joseph Saddler better known as King Grandmaster Flash, is an American hip hop musician and DJ; one of the pioneers of hip-hop DJing, cutting, and mixing....
.
In 2005, the Indie music website (http://store.itsaboutmusic.com/andypratt.html)
itsaboutmusic.com became the main source of Pratt's music, with his entire catalogue downloadable in MP3 format, and available also on CD
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
(http://www.emediawire.com/releases/2005/7/emw263926.htm) Mediawire.
In 2006, Pratt signed a deal with Ran Song Express Publishing to publish his personal memoirs, Shiver in the Night (https://www2.xlibris.com/bookstore/bookdisplay.asp?bookid=36742).
At this point Pratt's main web sites are itsaboutmusic and his myspace/andyprattrocks site. The so-called 'official site' (not run by Pratt) has been taken down.
Discography
- Records Are Like Life (Polydor RecordsPolydor RecordsPolydor is a record label owned by Universal Music Group, headquartered in the United Kingdom.-Beginnings:Polydor was originally an independent branch of the Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft. Its name was first used as an export label in 1924, the British and German branches of the Gramophone...
, 1969, reissued 1971) - Andy PrattAndy Pratt (album)Andy Pratt is the second album by American singer-songwriter Andy Pratt. It is a raw, emotionally expressive and musically experimental album.-Track listing:All songs written by Andy Pratt, except where indicated.# "Avenging Annie" – 5:08...
(Columbia RecordsColumbia RecordsColumbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
, 1973) - Resolution (Nemperor Records, distributed by Atlantic RecordsAtlantic RecordsAtlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
, 1976) - Shiver in the Night (Nemperor, 1977)
- Motives (Nemperor, distributed by Epic RecordsEpic RecordsEpic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A...
, 1979) - Fun in the First World (Enzone Records, 1982)
- Not Just for Dancing (Lamborghini Records, 1983)
- Perfect Therapy (GMI, 1986)
- Life (GMI, 1988)
- One Body (GMI, 1991)
- Fire of Love (GMI, 1993)
- Resolution: The Andy Pratt Collection (Razor & Tie Records, compilation, 1996)
- Another World (Highway Records, 1998)
- Heaven and Earth (itsaboutmusic.com, 2003)
- I'm All Right (itsaboutmusic.com, 2003)
- Cover Me (itsaboutmusic.com, Feb 2003)
- New Resolutions (itsaboutmusic.com, Aug 2003)
- Andy Pratt Is Back (itsaboutmusic.com, 2003)
- Andy Pratt Solo (itsaboutmusic.com, 2003)
- Live at The Village Underground (live album, download only, itsaboutmusic.com, 2003)
- Age of Goodbye (Fun in the First World + Not Just for Dancing +2, CoraZong Records, 2004)
- Runaway Heart (itsaboutmusic.com, 2006)
- Masters of War (itsaboutmusic.com, 2008)
- Andy Pratt Loves You (Forward Motion RecordsForward motion recordsForward Motion records is an independent record label launched in 2010 by Fernando Perdomo. They specialize in powerpop, indie rock, and singer-songwriter music.-Current roster:* Dreaming In Stereo* Andy Pratt* Jorge Moreno* Lizette Santana* Jill Hartmann...
2010)
----
Has four new unreleased albums in the works due out in 2008 or 2009
2008 External links
- http://andyprattmusic.tripod.com 2008 Official site
- http://www.myspace.com/andyprattrocks 2008 AndyPrattRocks MySpace
- http://www.myspace.com/andyprattlovesyou 2008 AndyPrattLovesYou MySpace
- http://www.myspace.com/andyprattagain 2008 AndyPrattAgain MySpace
- http://www.myspace.com/andyprattwillneverdie 2008 AndyPrattWillNeverDie MySpace
Other External links
- http://www.itsaboutmusic.com/andypratt.html It's About Music
- http://www.artistlaunch.com/artist.asp?artistid=8382 Artistlaunch.Com