Bruce Woolley
Encyclopedia
Bruce Woolley is an English writer
, performer, record producer
and composer
.
, England
on 11 November 1953 and was educated at Loughborough Grammar School
where he learned electric guitar, began to write songs and where he met his future wife, Tessa. He lived in Shepshed, playing the UK pub and club circuit extensively for some years, before landing his first professional engagement in 1974, with Ivor Kenney’s Dance Band at Leicester Palais. After a transfer to Derby Tiffany’s, Bruce left Ivor and the Mecca circuit for London in 1976 to pursue a career in song writing, after being offered a publishing contract with Everblue Music, in Piccadilly.
, co-written with Trevor Horn
and Geoff Downes
, and soon after that in 1979 he had his first international hit, the Ivor Novello Award-nominated "Video Killed The Radio Star
" – also co-written with Horn and Downes who later became The Buggles
. Although Woolley owns a 50% writing share of the song and the trio wrote the band’s third single "Clean Clean
", Woolley was never a member of The Buggles. He was, in his own words, merely "on the design team".
outfit The Camera Club with a young Thomas Dolby
on keyboards, Matthew Seligman
on bass, Dave Birch on guitar and the late Rod Johnson on drums. Seligman at the same time joined The Soft Boys
, and was consequently replaced by Nigel Ross-Scott (later to join Re-Flex
). The Camera Club released their debut album English Garden in 1979 and toured England, America and Canada. They disbanded after 2 years largely spent on the road and disagreements with CBS Records
who refused to release their second album.
in 1981 and the pair also co-wrote their follow up single "Mirror Mirror" that reached #4 on the UK Singles Chart
.
In 1983 Magnus Uggla
recorded a cover of "Blue Blue Victoria" with new lyrics in Swedish. The song was the first single on the album called "Välkommen till folkhemmet". It sold 20,000 copies, becoming a gold single.
Success came again with 1985’s Slave to the Rhythm
album for Grace Jones
– (also a No 1 Dance record in America) originally intended as a track for Frankie Goes To Hollywood
, Island Records
’ founder, Chris Blackwell
, suggested using the title for Jones. Almost a year in the studio, using the Synclavier
system, subsequently produced the eponymous, ground-breaking LP.
For the next few years, Woolley temporarily abandoned live work and concentrated on production and writing for other artists, including Grace Jones with whom he collaborated on all the songs for her next album, Inside Story, working closely with ex-Chic guitarist and producer Nile Rodgers
. During this period, he spent time with Andy Warhol
, Timothy Leary
and also Keith Harring, who designed the sets for the video of "I'm Not Perfect (But I'm Perfect For You)
". This song received the ASCAP Award for Black Music in 1987 – presented to Woolley by Cab Calloway
.
Through the magic of sampling, Woolley co-wrote the seminal ambient piece "A Huge Ever Growing Pulsating Brain That Rules from the Centre of the Ultraworld
" by The Orb
. The track made the UK Single Chart in 1990 and featured vocals by Woolley and Trevor Horn taken from the Slave To The Rhythm album.
Artists to record Bruce Woolley’s songs have included John Farnham
(another No 1 Australian record with "Two Strong Hearts"), Shirley Bassey
- 2007’s Get the Party Started
was her highest charting album since 1978, and featured a cover of "Slave To The Rhythm"), The Feeling
(No 1 UK Gold album February 2008), Divine, Cliff Richard
, Tori Amos
, Tom Jones
, Cher
- "Love Is The Groove
" featured on her Multi-Platinum album Believe, and Bebel Gilberto
. To date, Woolley compositions have sold over 25 million records worldwide.
, Hearts Of Fire, Electric Dreams, Veronica Guerrin, The Avengers (the Radio Science Orchestra wrote, co-produced and performed the title track Storm), Caddyshack
, Underground, Supergrass, The Business, Rough Diamonds, She’s So Lovely and Empire Records
. As a player, Bruce performed all the Theremin parts in Baz Luhrmann
's classic, Moulin Rouge!
.
In 2005 Bruce wrote and presented radio shows for the first time, co-producing with Miss Hypnotique, a series of documentaries for London’s Resonance FM under the banner of Switched On Radio. The series looked at the development of Electronic Music in the 20th Century. Notable subjects included Leon Theremin, Jean-Jacques Perry and Dr. Robert Moog
. Bruce interviewed Gershon Kingsley
, Keith Emerson
and developed a working relationship with Bob Moog, who gave one of his last interviews for the Switched On series.
-led ensemble which included founder members composer/arranger Chris Elliott (Moulin Rouge!
) and Andy Visser (ONL). Since then, the ensemble has given numerous performances – always promoting the theremin
.
These events have included the Glastonbury Festival
, with Moscow’s Lydia Kavina
(inventor Leon Theremin
’s great niece), a special live score for the first public showing of Ray Santilli’s notorious Alien Autopsy
film, an interactive soundtrack for the Turner-nominated Superstructure With Satellites at the Tate Gallery, and a three month installation on London’s South Bank in 2004. Shell commissioned the weather-dependent “Electric Storm” which featured a 24 hour interactive soundtrack & 40 loudspeakers across the post- war site, with lights, music and artificial fog created from water which was pumped from the Thames. All the power for the show was derived from a huge wind turbine, specially installed alongside the Waterloo footbridge.
Also in 2004 Bruce and his son Kit took the Theremin and the Radio Science message to China, for a series of outdoor shows, attended by thousands of people, during Shanghai’s first International Pop Festival. The pair were presented with a special award of excellence to mark the occasion. This was the first time that the theremin had been played live in front of a Chinese audience.
Shortly after that, the RSO scored a three minute viral commercial for Greenpeace featuring a ‘Galaxy’ of British stars.
The association with Grace Jones continued with the RSO co-writing and producing the title track for The Avengers movie, sung by Miss Jones. When Jones appeared with Luciano Pavarotti
, it was to sing the duet "Pourquoi me reveiller" arranged by Woolley and the RSO.
Woolley has demonstrated the Theremin in numerous Radio and Television broadcasts with appearances on MTV, EBN, BBC 1, BBC 2, BBC World Service Television News, ITV, Channel 1, Channel 4, Radio 2, (including the Chris Evans Drivetime show in February 2008) Radio 3 and Radio 4.
acting as consultant on the record. The album features performances by theremin player Pamelia Kurstin
and rhythm section Sly and Robbie
, the latter who recorded with Grace for the first time in 29 years. Hurricane
was released on 3 November 2008 - after a recording silence of 19 years.
That same year, Woolley was invited by Thomas Dolby, recently returned to England, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the launch of Sputnik and the beginning of the Space Age
. Bruce and Thomas shared the stage for the first time in 27 years, and, with The Radio Science Orchestra at London’s ICA, performed a specially written live score for a film by David Hoffman
, accompanied by Lydia Kavina on Theremin, with live narration from science fiction writer Ken Hollings.
In August 2009 the Radio Science Orchestra appeared at the TED
Global event "The Substance Of Things Not Seen" in Oxford, England, sharing the bill with Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Eric Giler (WiTricity
).
On 28 September 2010, he was invited to join Geoff Downes
and Trevor Horn
for the Buggles 'live debut', performing The Lost Gig to "raise funds for the Royal Hospital for Neuro-disability".
Bruce performed the theremin on Thomas Dolby
's song Simone, which was released on Dolby's Oceanea EP in November 2010, and subsequently on the studio album A Map of The Floating City in October 2011.
Fall 2010 saw the release of Pink Friday
by Nicki Minaj
. The album features the song Check It Out (featuring a sample of VKTRS) with performances by Cheryl Cole
and Will.i.am
. In early 2011 the album reached #1 in the US Billboard Top 200 chart as well as #1 in both the Rap and Hip Hop Album charts. The album has now sold over 2 million copies worldwide.
August 2011 saw the release of The Emperor's Nightingale - a new album by the Stereo MCs
- featuring performances and songs, written and produced by Bruce and his son Kit Woolley.
On October 4th 2011, Bruce was presented with the Gold Medal Award from the BMI (at London's Dorchester Hotel ceremony) in recognition of airplay for Check It Out.
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
, performer, record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
and composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
.
Early years
Bruce Woolley was born in LoughboroughLoughborough
Loughborough is a town within the Charnwood borough of Leicestershire, England. It is the seat of Charnwood Borough Council and is home to Loughborough University...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
on 11 November 1953 and was educated at Loughborough Grammar School
Loughborough Grammar School
Loughborough Grammar School founded in 1495 by Thomas Burton, is an independent school for boys in Loughborough, Leicestershire, England. It is a day school for over 1100 pupils and a boarding school for nearly 100. It is one of three schools known as the Loughborough Endowed Schools, along with...
where he learned electric guitar, began to write songs and where he met his future wife, Tessa. He lived in Shepshed, playing the UK pub and club circuit extensively for some years, before landing his first professional engagement in 1974, with Ivor Kenney’s Dance Band at Leicester Palais. After a transfer to Derby Tiffany’s, Bruce left Ivor and the Mecca circuit for London in 1976 to pursue a career in song writing, after being offered a publishing contract with Everblue Music, in Piccadilly.
Chart success as songwriter
10 years' writing finally paid off with his first hit "Dancing With Dr Bop" for Australian group the Studs – a number one record. After a short tour of the Orient as guitarist for Tina Charles, this was followed by his first English hit "Baby Blue" for Dusty SpringfieldDusty Springfield
Mary Isobel Catherine Bernadette O'BrienSources use both Isabel and Isobel as the spelling of her second name. OBE , known professionally as Dusty Springfield and dubbed The White Queen of Soul, was a British pop singer whose career extended from the late 1950s to the 1990s...
, co-written with Trevor Horn
Trevor Horn
Trevor Charles Horn CBE is an English pop music record producer, songwriter, musician and singer. He was born in Houghton-le-Spring in north-east England....
and Geoff Downes
Geoff Downes
Geoffrey "Geoff" Downes is an English rock keyboard player, songwriter, best known as the keyboardist for the bands The Buggles, Yes and Asia, of which he is the only consistent member. When he was a keyboardist for The Buggles, he played multiple keyboards to achieve a New Wave technopop sound...
, and soon after that in 1979 he had his first international hit, the Ivor Novello Award-nominated "Video Killed The Radio Star
Video Killed the Radio Star
"Video Killed the Radio Star" is a song by the British synthpop/New Wave group The Buggles, released as their debut single on 7 September 1979, on Island Records from their debut album The Age of Plastic. It celebrates the golden days of radio, describing a singer whose career is cut short by...
" – also co-written with Horn and Downes who later became The Buggles
The Buggles
The Buggles were an English New Wave band consisting of Trevor Horn and Geoff Downes . They are remembered chiefly for their 1979 debut single "Video Killed the Radio Star" that was #1 on the singles chart in 16 countries. Its music video was the first to be shown on MTV in the U.S...
. Although Woolley owns a 50% writing share of the song and the trio wrote the band’s third single "Clean Clean
Clean Clean
"Clean Clean" is the third single by the British synthpop group The Buggles from their debut album The Age of Plastic. It was released on 24 March 1980 and reached #38 in the UK singles chart....
", Woolley was never a member of The Buggles. He was, in his own words, merely "on the design team".
The Camera Club
Around that time he established the New Wave musicNew Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
outfit The Camera Club with a young Thomas Dolby
Thomas Dolby
Thomas Dolby is an English musician and producer. Best known for his 1982 hit "She Blinded Me with Science", and 1984 single "Hyperactive!", he has also worked extensively in production and as a session musician.-Early life:Dolby was born in London, England, contrary to information in early 1980s...
on keyboards, Matthew Seligman
Matthew Seligman
Matthew Seligman is an English bassist who took part of the new wave scene in the 1970s and the 1980s, best known as a member of the Soft Boys.-Biography:...
on bass, Dave Birch on guitar and the late Rod Johnson on drums. Seligman at the same time joined The Soft Boys
The Soft Boys
The Soft Boys were a pop band during the punk era led by Robyn Hitchcock, whose initially old fashioned music style of psychedelic/folk-rock became part of the neo-psychedelia scene with the release of Underwater Moonlight...
, and was consequently replaced by Nigel Ross-Scott (later to join Re-Flex
Re-Flex
Re-Flex were a British New Wave/synthpop band active from 1981 to 1985. They are most often recognized for their hit, "The Politics of Dancing", the title track from their debut LP, as well as the singles "Hurt", "Hitline", "Couldn't Stand A Day", "Praying to the Beat", and...
). The Camera Club released their debut album English Garden in 1979 and toured England, America and Canada. They disbanded after 2 years largely spent on the road and disagreements with CBS Records
CBS Records
CBS Records is a record label founded by CBS Corporation in 2006 to take advantage of music from its entertainment properties owned by CBS Television Studios. The initial label roster consisted of only three artists; rock band Señor Happy and singer/songwriters Will Dailey and P.J...
who refused to release their second album.
Production and continuous songwriting
During this record company conflict, Bruce wrote and directed the cult animation movie GOG and produced a single and EP for Firmament and The Elements, a group formed under a pseudonym with his brother Guy. Woolley also teamed up again with Trevor Horn to co-write and produce "Hand Held in Black and White" – a top 20 UK hit for DollarDollar (band)
Dollar are a pop vocal duo from the UK, consisting of David Van Day and Thereza Bazar. The duo were successful in the late 1970s and 1980s.-Career:...
in 1981 and the pair also co-wrote their follow up single "Mirror Mirror" that reached #4 on the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
.
In 1983 Magnus Uggla
Magnus Uggla
Per Allan Magnus Claësson Uggla is a Swedish artist, composer, actor, and occasional radio host known for his satirical lyrics. He is a member of the Swedish nobility and a descendant of several European rulers, among which John III of Sweden and Gustav Vasa...
recorded a cover of "Blue Blue Victoria" with new lyrics in Swedish. The song was the first single on the album called "Välkommen till folkhemmet". It sold 20,000 copies, becoming a gold single.
Success came again with 1985’s Slave to the Rhythm
Slave to the Rhythm
Slave to the Rhythm is the seventh album by Grace Jones. It was produced by Trevor Horn and released in 1985. The album was written by Bruce Woolley, Simon Darlow, Stephen Lipson and Trevor Horn...
album for Grace Jones
Grace Jones
Grace Jones is a Jamaican-American singer, model and actress.Jones secured a record deal with Island Records in 1977, which resulted in a string of dance-club hits. In the late 1970s, she adapted the emerging electronic music style and adopted a severe, androgynous look with square-cut hair and...
– (also a No 1 Dance record in America) originally intended as a track for Frankie Goes To Hollywood
Frankie Goes to Hollywood
Frankie Goes to Hollywood were a British dance-pop band popular in the mid-1980s. The group was fronted by Holly Johnson , with Paul Rutherford , Peter Gill , Mark O'Toole , and Brian Nash .The group's debut single "Relax" was banned by the BBC in 1984 while at number six in the charts and...
, Island Records
Island Records
Island Records is a record label that was founded by Chris Blackwell in Jamaica. It was based in the United Kingdom for many years and is now owned by Universal Music Group...
’ founder, Chris Blackwell
Chris Blackwell
Christopher Percy Gordon "Chris" Blackwell is a British record producer and businessman, who was the founder of Island Records, acknowledged as the most successful and groundbreaking independent record company in history. Blackwell has been a music industry mogul for over fifty years...
, suggested using the title for Jones. Almost a year in the studio, using the Synclavier
Synclavier
The Synclavier System was an early digital synthesizer, polyphonic digital sampling system, and music workstation, manufactured by New England Digital Corporation, Norwich, VT. The original design and development of the Synclavier prototype occurred at Dartmouth College with the collaboration of...
system, subsequently produced the eponymous, ground-breaking LP.
For the next few years, Woolley temporarily abandoned live work and concentrated on production and writing for other artists, including Grace Jones with whom he collaborated on all the songs for her next album, Inside Story, working closely with ex-Chic guitarist and producer Nile Rodgers
Nile Rodgers
Nile Gregory Rodgers is an American musician, producer, composer, arranger, and guitarist.-Biography:...
. During this period, he spent time with Andy Warhol
Andy Warhol
Andrew Warhola , known as Andy Warhol, was an American painter, printmaker, and filmmaker who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art...
, Timothy Leary
Timothy Leary
Timothy Francis Leary was an American psychologist and writer, known for his advocacy of psychedelic drugs. During a time when drugs like LSD and psilocybin were legal, Leary conducted experiments at Harvard University under the Harvard Psilocybin Project, resulting in the Concord Prison...
and also Keith Harring, who designed the sets for the video of "I'm Not Perfect (But I'm Perfect For You)
I'm Not Perfect (But I'm Perfect for You)
"I'm Not Perfect " is the first single from Grace Jones' album Inside Story. The song was co-written by Bruce Woolley and produced by Nile Rodgers of Chic fame.-Chart performance:...
". This song received the ASCAP Award for Black Music in 1987 – presented to Woolley by Cab Calloway
Cab Calloway
Cabell "Cab" Calloway III was an American jazz singer and bandleader. He was strongly associated with the Cotton Club in Harlem, New York City where he was a regular performer....
.
Through the magic of sampling, Woolley co-wrote the seminal ambient piece "A Huge Ever Growing Pulsating Brain That Rules from the Centre of the Ultraworld
A Huge Ever Growing Pulsating Brain That Rules From the Centre of the Ultraworld
"A Huge Ever Growing Pulsating Brain That Rules from the Centre of the Ultraworld" is a single by the ambient house group The Orb. It was originally released in October 1989 and made the UK Singles Chart in 1990, peaking at #78. The 'Peel Session' version was also voted into #10 place in John...
" by The Orb
The Orb
Throughout 1989, the Orb, along with Martin Glover, developed the musical genre of ambient house through the use of a diverse array of samples and recordings. The culmination of its musical work came toward the end of the year when the group recorded a session for John Peel on BBC Radio 1...
. The track made the UK Single Chart in 1990 and featured vocals by Woolley and Trevor Horn taken from the Slave To The Rhythm album.
Artists to record Bruce Woolley’s songs have included John Farnham
John Farnham
John Peter Farnham, AO, formerly billed as Johnny Farnham , is an English-born Australian pop singer. He was a teen pop idol from 1964 to 1979, and has since forged a career as an adult contemporary singer. His career has mostly been as a solo artist although he briefly replaced Glenn Shorrock as...
(another No 1 Australian record with "Two Strong Hearts"), Shirley Bassey
Shirley Bassey
Dame Shirley Bassey, DBE , is a Welsh singer. She found fame in the late 1950s and was "one of the most popular female vocalists in Britain during the last half of the 20th century"...
- 2007’s Get the Party Started
Get the Party Started (album)
Get the Party Started is a 2007 album by Welsh singer Dame Shirley Bassey.- Background :Released in June 2007, the album features newly remixed tracks by contemporary producers. The remixes feature recorded vocal tracks previously issued in the 1980s and '90s. "I Will Survive" was recorded in 1996...
was her highest charting album since 1978, and featured a cover of "Slave To The Rhythm"), The Feeling
The Feeling
The Feeling are a BRIT award-nominated English pop band from West Sussex and London. The band categorise their music as "pop".Following a limited release of their first single "Fill My Little World" in late 2005, the band entered the UK Singles Chart at #7 with their first full release "Sewn" in...
(No 1 UK Gold album February 2008), Divine, Cliff Richard
Cliff Richard
Sir Cliff Richard, OBE is a British pop singer, musician, performer, actor, and philanthropist who has sold over an estimated 250 million records worldwide....
, Tori Amos
Tori Amos
Tori Amos is an American pianist, singer-songwriter and composer. She was at the forefront of a number of female singer-songwriters in the early 1990s and was noteworthy early in her career as one of the few alternative rock performers to use a piano as her primary instrument...
, Tom Jones
Tom Jones (singer)
Sir Thomas John Woodward, OBE , known by his stage name Tom Jones, is a Welsh singer.Since the mid 1960s, Jones has sung many styles of popular music – pop, rock, R&B, show tunes, country, dance, techno, soul and gospel – and sold over 100 million records...
, Cher
Cher
Cher is an American recording artist, television personality, actress, director, record producer and philanthropist. Referred to as the Goddess of Pop, she has won an Academy Award, a Grammy Award, an Emmy Award, three Golden Globes and a Cannes Film Festival Award among others for her work in...
- "Love Is The Groove
Love Is The Groove
"Love Is the Groove" is the first single by the singer/songwriter Betsy Cook. Released in 1991 by East West Records, it was the first track to taken from her debut album The Girl Who Ate Herself .-Track listings:...
" featured on her Multi-Platinum album Believe, and Bebel Gilberto
Bebel Gilberto
Bebel Gilberto is a Brazilian popular singer often associated with bossa nova. She is the daughter of João Gilberto and singer Miúcha. Her uncle is singer/composer Chico Buarque...
. To date, Woolley compositions have sold over 25 million records worldwide.
Films, TV and Radio
Written film music contributions include: Toys, The Wedding SingerThe Wedding Singer
The Wedding Singer is a 1998 romantic comedy film written by Tim Herlihy and directed by Frank Coraci. It stars Adam Sandler as a wedding singer in the 1980s and Drew Barrymore as a waitress with whom he falls in love....
, Hearts Of Fire, Electric Dreams, Veronica Guerrin, The Avengers (the Radio Science Orchestra wrote, co-produced and performed the title track Storm), Caddyshack
Caddyshack
Caddyshack is a 1980 American comedy film directed by Harold Ramis and written by Brian Doyle-Murray, Ramis, and Douglas Kenney. It stars Chevy Chase, Rodney Dangerfield, Ted Knight, Michael O'Keefe, Cindy Morgan, and Bill Murray...
, Underground, Supergrass, The Business, Rough Diamonds, She’s So Lovely and Empire Records
Empire Records
Empire Records is a 1995 coming of age film that follows a group of record store employees over the course of one exceptional day. The employees of this independent music store try to fight off a large chain, all while learning about each other...
. As a player, Bruce performed all the Theremin parts in Baz Luhrmann
Baz Luhrmann
Mark Anthony "Baz" Luhrmann is an Australian film director, screenwriter, and producer best known for The Red Curtain Trilogy, which includes his films Strictly Ballroom, William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet and Moulin Rouge!...
's classic, Moulin Rouge!
Moulin Rouge!
Moulin Rouge! is a 2001 romantic jukebox musical film directed, produced, and co-written by Baz Luhrmann. Following the Red Curtain Cinema principles, the film is based on the Orphean myth, La Traviata, and La Bohème...
.
In 2005 Bruce wrote and presented radio shows for the first time, co-producing with Miss Hypnotique, a series of documentaries for London’s Resonance FM under the banner of Switched On Radio. The series looked at the development of Electronic Music in the 20th Century. Notable subjects included Leon Theremin, Jean-Jacques Perry and Dr. Robert Moog
Robert Moog
Robert Arthur Moog , commonly called Bob Moog was an American pioneer of electronic music, best known as the inventor of the Moog synthesizer.-Life:...
. Bruce interviewed Gershon Kingsley
Gershon Kingsley
Gershon Kingsley a contemporary German American composer, is well known as a pioneer of electronic music and the Moog synthesizer and founder of the First Moog Quartet, as a partner in the famous electronic music duo Perrey and Kingsley, and for his rock-inspired compositions for Jewish religious...
, Keith Emerson
Keith Emerson
Keith Noel Emerson is an English keyboard player and composer. Formerly a member of the Keith Emerson Trio, John Brown's Bodies, The T-Bones, V.I.P.s, P.P. Arnold's backing band, and The Nice , he was a founder of Emerson, Lake & Palmer , one of the early supergroups, in 1970...
and developed a working relationship with Bob Moog, who gave one of his last interviews for the Switched On series.
The Radio Science Orchestra
In 1994, Bruce returned to the stage with the Radio Science Orchestra – a thereminTheremin
The theremin , originally known as the aetherphone/etherophone, thereminophone or termenvox/thereminvox is an early electronic musical instrument controlled without discernible physical contact from the player. It is named after its Russian inventor, Professor Léon Theremin, who patented the device...
-led ensemble which included founder members composer/arranger Chris Elliott (Moulin Rouge!
Moulin Rouge!
Moulin Rouge! is a 2001 romantic jukebox musical film directed, produced, and co-written by Baz Luhrmann. Following the Red Curtain Cinema principles, the film is based on the Orphean myth, La Traviata, and La Bohème...
) and Andy Visser (ONL). Since then, the ensemble has given numerous performances – always promoting the theremin
Theremin
The theremin , originally known as the aetherphone/etherophone, thereminophone or termenvox/thereminvox is an early electronic musical instrument controlled without discernible physical contact from the player. It is named after its Russian inventor, Professor Léon Theremin, who patented the device...
.
These events have included the Glastonbury Festival
Glastonbury Festival
The Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts, commonly abbreviated to Glastonbury or even Glasto, is a performing arts festival that takes place near Pilton, Somerset, England, best known for its contemporary music, but also for dance, comedy, theatre, circus, cabaret and other arts.The...
, with Moscow’s Lydia Kavina
Lydia Kavina
Lydia Kavina is a Russian theremin player, and is currently the leading performing musician on the instrument.The grandniece of Léon Theremin, Kavina was born in Moscow and began studying the instrument under the direction of Theremin when she was nine years old...
(inventor Leon Theremin
Léon Theremin
Léon Theremin was a Russian and Soviet inventor. He is most famous for his invention of the theremin, one of the first electronic musical instruments. He is also the inventor of interlace, a technique of improving the picture quality of a video signal, widely used in video and television technology...
’s great niece), a special live score for the first public showing of Ray Santilli’s notorious Alien Autopsy
Alien Autopsy
Alien Autopsy is a 2006 British comedy film with elements of science fiction, directed by Jonny Campbell. Written by William Davies, it relates the events surrounding the famous "alien autopsy" film promoted by Ray Santilli and stars Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly, also known as Ant & Dec...
film, an interactive soundtrack for the Turner-nominated Superstructure With Satellites at the Tate Gallery, and a three month installation on London’s South Bank in 2004. Shell commissioned the weather-dependent “Electric Storm” which featured a 24 hour interactive soundtrack & 40 loudspeakers across the post- war site, with lights, music and artificial fog created from water which was pumped from the Thames. All the power for the show was derived from a huge wind turbine, specially installed alongside the Waterloo footbridge.
Also in 2004 Bruce and his son Kit took the Theremin and the Radio Science message to China, for a series of outdoor shows, attended by thousands of people, during Shanghai’s first International Pop Festival. The pair were presented with a special award of excellence to mark the occasion. This was the first time that the theremin had been played live in front of a Chinese audience.
Shortly after that, the RSO scored a three minute viral commercial for Greenpeace featuring a ‘Galaxy’ of British stars.
The association with Grace Jones continued with the RSO co-writing and producing the title track for The Avengers movie, sung by Miss Jones. When Jones appeared with Luciano Pavarotti
Luciano Pavarotti
right|thumb|Luciano Pavarotti performing at the opening of the Constantine Palace in [[Strelna]], 31 May 2003. The concert was part of the celebrations for the 300th anniversary of [[St...
, it was to sing the duet "Pourquoi me reveiller" arranged by Woolley and the RSO.
Woolley has demonstrated the Theremin in numerous Radio and Television broadcasts with appearances on MTV, EBN, BBC 1, BBC 2, BBC World Service Television News, ITV, Channel 1, Channel 4, Radio 2, (including the Chris Evans Drivetime show in February 2008) Radio 3 and Radio 4.
The Prince’s Trust
On 11 November 2004, The Prince's Trust staged a concert at Wembley Arena to celebrate Trevor Horn’s production career, and 25 years of "Video Killed The Radio Star". Woolley was invited to sing and play with a few of the artists for whom he has written and with whom he has performed on record, including The Buggles, Dollar, Grace Jones, The Pet Shop Boys and Seal. That night, as well as helping to raise £100,000 for The Prince’s Trust, Woolley also had the honour of being introduced personally to Prince Charles.Recent history
In 2006 Woolley re-united with Grace Jones in the studio – writing and co-producing for a new album in collaboration with Ivor Guest (Bomb The Bass) with Brian EnoBrian Eno
Brian Peter George St. John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno , commonly known as Brian Eno or simply as Eno , is an English musician, composer, record producer, singer and visual artist, known as one of the principal innovators of ambient music.Eno studied at Colchester Institute art school in Essex,...
acting as consultant on the record. The album features performances by theremin player Pamelia Kurstin
Pamelia Kurstin
Pamelia Kurstin is a theremin player who has performed and recorded with artists such as David Byrne, Richard Cheese, Béla Fleck and the Flecktones, and Ulver and has performed on the television show Saturday Night Live...
and rhythm section Sly and Robbie
Sly and Robbie
Sly and Robbie is the prolific Jamaican rhythm section and production team of drummer Sly Dunbar and bassist Robbie Shakespeare who joined in the mid 1970s after having established themselves separately in Jamaica as professional musicians...
, the latter who recorded with Grace for the first time in 29 years. Hurricane
Hurricane (Grace Jones album)
Hurricane is the tenth studio album by singer Grace Jones and her first album of new material in nineteen years.-Creation:Jones had decided not to do another album again before meeting music producer Ivor Guest by mutual friend Philip Treacy. After becoming acquainted Guest played Jones a track he...
was released on 3 November 2008 - after a recording silence of 19 years.
That same year, Woolley was invited by Thomas Dolby, recently returned to England, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the launch of Sputnik and the beginning of the Space Age
Space Age
The Space Age is a time period encompassing the activities related to the Space Race, space exploration, space technology, and the cultural developments influenced by these events. The Space Age is generally considered to have begun with Sputnik...
. Bruce and Thomas shared the stage for the first time in 27 years, and, with The Radio Science Orchestra at London’s ICA, performed a specially written live score for a film by David Hoffman
David Hoffman
David Hoffman is one of America’s veteran documentary filmmakers. During his 40-year career, Hoffman has made five feature-length documentaries including King, Murray, an experimental feature film about a Long Island salesman who goes to Las Vegas on a junket to gamble with other high rollers....
, accompanied by Lydia Kavina on Theremin, with live narration from science fiction writer Ken Hollings.
In August 2009 the Radio Science Orchestra appeared at the TED
TED (conference)
TED is a global set of conferences owned by the private non-profit Sapling Foundation, formed to disseminate "ideas worth spreading"....
Global event "The Substance Of Things Not Seen" in Oxford, England, sharing the bill with Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Eric Giler (WiTricity
WiTricity
WiTricity, a portmanteau for "wireless electricity", is a trademark of WiTricity corporation referring to their devices and processes which use a form of wireless energy transfer including resonant energy transfer etc., the ability to provide electrical energy to remote objects without wires using...
).
On 28 September 2010, he was invited to join Geoff Downes
Geoff Downes
Geoffrey "Geoff" Downes is an English rock keyboard player, songwriter, best known as the keyboardist for the bands The Buggles, Yes and Asia, of which he is the only consistent member. When he was a keyboardist for The Buggles, he played multiple keyboards to achieve a New Wave technopop sound...
and Trevor Horn
Trevor Horn
Trevor Charles Horn CBE is an English pop music record producer, songwriter, musician and singer. He was born in Houghton-le-Spring in north-east England....
for the Buggles 'live debut', performing The Lost Gig to "raise funds for the Royal Hospital for Neuro-disability".
Bruce performed the theremin on Thomas Dolby
Thomas Dolby
Thomas Dolby is an English musician and producer. Best known for his 1982 hit "She Blinded Me with Science", and 1984 single "Hyperactive!", he has also worked extensively in production and as a session musician.-Early life:Dolby was born in London, England, contrary to information in early 1980s...
's song Simone, which was released on Dolby's Oceanea EP in November 2010, and subsequently on the studio album A Map of The Floating City in October 2011.
Fall 2010 saw the release of Pink Friday
Pink Friday
Pink Friday is the debut studio album by hip hop recording artist Nicki Minaj. It was released on November 19, 2010 in both standard and deluxe editions through Young Money Entertainment, Cash Money Records, and Universal Motown. The intended lead single from the album, "Massive Attack", flopped...
by Nicki Minaj
Nicki Minaj
Onika Tanya Maraj , better known by her stage name Nicki Minaj; ), is a Trinidadian-born American recording artist...
. The album features the song Check It Out (featuring a sample of VKTRS) with performances by Cheryl Cole
Cheryl Cole
Cheryl Ann Cole is an English pop and R&B recording artist, songwriter, dancer, actress and model. She rose to fame in late 2002 when she auditioned for the reality television show Popstars: The Rivals on ITV. The programme announced that Cole had won a place as a member of the girl group, Girls...
and Will.i.am
Will.i.am
William James Adams, Jr. , better known by his stage name will.i.am and occasionally by his other stage name Zuper Blahq, is an American rapper, musician, songwriter, singer, actor and producer...
. In early 2011 the album reached #1 in the US Billboard Top 200 chart as well as #1 in both the Rap and Hip Hop Album charts. The album has now sold over 2 million copies worldwide.
August 2011 saw the release of The Emperor's Nightingale - a new album by the Stereo MCs
Stereo MCs
Stereo MCs are an English electronic dance group, which formed in Clapham, London in 1985. They are best known worldwide for their 1992 transatlantic Top 20 hit single, "Connected"...
- featuring performances and songs, written and produced by Bruce and his son Kit Woolley.
On October 4th 2011, Bruce was presented with the Gold Medal Award from the BMI (at London's Dorchester Hotel ceremony) in recognition of airplay for Check It Out.
External links
- Partial Bruce Woolley discography http://www.discogs.com/artist/Bruce+Woolley#t=Credits_All&q=&p=1
- Ether, Music and Espionage Albert Glinsky's definitive biography of Leon Theremin