Roy Babbington (born July 8, 1940 in Kempston, Bedford, Bedfordshire, England) is a rock and jazz bassist. He became well known for being a member of the Canterbury scene progressive rock/jazz fusion band Soft Machine. July 8 is the 189th day of the year (190th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 176 days remaining. ... 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1940 calendar). ... Map sources for Kempston at grid reference TL0347 Kempston (pronounced Kemstun) is a town in Bedfordshire, England. ... Bedford is the county town of Bedfordshire, England. ... Bedfordshire is a county in England and forms part of the East of England region. ... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: God Save the King/Queen Capital London (de facto) Largest city London Official language(s) English (de facto) Unification    - by Athelstan AD 927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq mi  Population    - 2006 est. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Rock and roll. ... Jazz is a style of music which originated in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States at around the start of the 20th century. ... A bassist is a musician who plays a double bass or electric bass (also referred to as bass guitar). ... The Canterbury Scene (or Canterbury Sound) is a term used to loosely describe the group of progressive rock musicians that were based around the town of Canterbury, Kent, England during the late 1960s and early 1970s. ... For the Swedish political music movement, see progg. ... Bitches Brew (1970) by Miles Davis is considered the most influential early fusion album. ... The Soft Machine were a pioneering British psychedelic, progressive rock and jazz band from Canterbury, Kent, England, named after the book The Soft Machine by William S. Burroughs. ...

Biography

Babbington started his musical career in 1958, playing double bass in local jazz bands. After moving to London in 1969, he joined the band Delivery, one of the side roots of the Canterbury scene with Phil Miller, Pip Pyle and Lol Coxhill. Also, he began to work as a session musician with jazz/fusion musicians like Michael Gibbs and The Keith Tippett Group (including Elton Dean), appearing on their albums You Are Here... I Am There (1969) and Dedicated To You But You Weren't Listening (1970) as well as in Tippett's big band project Centipede (1971) and on Dean's album Just Us. When Delivery disbanded in 1971 after an album with Carol Grimes titled Fools Meeting, Babbington joined Nucleus. Side and front views of a modern double bass with a French bow. ... Cover of the 1970 Delivery album Fools Meeting (1999 re-release) Delivery was a british blues/progressive rock musical group, formed in the late 1960s. ... The Canterbury Scene (or Canterbury Sound) is a term used to loosely describe the group of progressive rock musicians that were based around the town of Canterbury, Kent, England during the late 1960s and early 1970s. ... Phil Miller (born 22 January 1949) is a UK progressive rock/jazz guitarist who was part of the Canterbury Scene. ... Pip Pyle is a British-born drummer now residing in France. ... Lowen Coxhill, almost universally known as Lol Coxhill, born September 19, 1932, Portsmouth, Hampshire, England, is a free improvising saxophonist. ... Bitches Brew (1970) by Miles Davis is considered the most influential early fusion album. ... Michael Clement Irving Gibbs (born September 25, 1937 in Harare) is a jazz composer, conductor, arranger and producer as well as a trombonist and keyboarder. ... Keith Tippett (originally Keith Graham Tippetts, born August 25, 1947 in Bristol) is a British jazz pianist and composer. ... Elton Dean (born October 28, 1945, Nottingham, England; died February 7, 2006) was a jazz musician who performed on alto saxophone, saxello (a variant of the soprano saxophone) and occasionally piano. ... Centipede was a jazz/progressive rock/Canterbury sound big band with more than 50 members, organized and led by the british free jazz pianist Keith Tippett, that brought together much of a generation of young British jazz and rock musicians, e. ... Carol Grimes (born 7 April 1944, in South East London) is a smooth jazz and world music singer. ... Nucleus were a pioneering British jazz-rock band that continued in different incarnations from 1969-85. ...

He contributed to albums by Alexis Korner, folk singer Harvey Andrews, Mike d'Abo, Chris Spedding and was a part time member of the bands "Schunge", Solid Gold Cadillac (with Mike Westbrook and Spedding among others) and Ovary Lodge. Alexis Korner (born Alexis Andrew Nicholas Koerner, April 19, 1928 in Paris - died January 1, 1984 in Westminster, South London), was an English blues musician, born to an Austrian father and Greek mother. ... Harvey Andrews (2005) Harvey Andrews (born May 7, 1943 in Birmingham) is a British folk music singer, songwriter, and poet. ... Michael dAbo (born 1 March 1944 in Betchworth, Surrey) is an English singer and songwriter, best known as the former lead vocalist of Manfred Mann. ... Christopher John Spedding (born June 17, 1944) is an English rock and roll and jazz guitarist best known for his session work. ... Mike Westbrook (b. ...

With Soft Machine

Having already contributed additional double bass parts to electric bassist Hugh Hopper's work on the Soft Machine albums Fourth (1971) and Five (1972), he finally replaced Hopper fully in the band with the release of their album Seven. He used a six-string Fender VI throughout his tenure with the band. In addition to Seven, he can be heard on BBC Radio 1971-1974, Bundles, Softs and Rubber Riff. Babbington's funk- and rock-oriented electric bass playing went along well with Karl Jenkins' and John Marshall's fusion concept of Soft Machine at the time. The Soft Machine were a pioneering British psychedelic, progressive rock and jazz band from Canterbury, Kent, England, named after the book The Soft Machine by William S. Burroughs. ... Hugh Hopper (born 1945, Canterbury, England) is a bass guitarist and composer. ... Fourth, released 1971, has been the fourth regular album by the Canterbury band The Soft Machine, whose music had at the time developed more and more from their original psychedelic/progressive rock towards jazz. ... 5, also known as Fifth, released 1972, has been the fifth regular album by the Canterbury band The Soft Machine, whose music had at the time developed more and more from their original psychedelic/progressive rock towards jazz. ... Seven is a 1973 album by the British progressive rock and jazz/fusion band Soft Machine who were one of the central bands in the Canterbury scene. ... A Fender VI on a stand The Fender VI was a six-string electric bass developed by Fender in 1961 as Fenders take on Danelectros 1956 concept. ... Bundles is a 1975 album by the British psychedelic, progressive rock and jazz/fusion band Soft Machine who were one of the central bands in the Canterbury scene. ... Softs is a 1976 album by the British psychedelic, progressive rock and jazz/fusion band Soft Machine who were one of the central bands in the Canterbury scene. ... Karl Jenkins (born February 17, 1944) is a Welsh musician and composer. ... John Stanley Marshall, better known as John Marshall, born 28 August, 1941, is a british drummer. ... Bitches Brew (1970) by Miles Davis is considered the most influential early fusion album. ...

After 1976

In 1979, Babbington appeared on the album Welcome to the Cruise by Judie Tzuke. In the 1980s and 90s, he returned to his roots, double bass and pure jazz. He also worked with Barbara Thompson, Elvis Costello, Carol Grimes, Mose Allison and the BBC Big Band. Welcome to the Cruise is the title of the first full music recording/album by singer-songwriter Judie Tzuke, released in 1979. ... Singer/songwriter Judie Tzuke was born Judie Myers in London, England on 3 April 1956. ... Barbara Thompson (* July 27, 1944 in Oxford, England) is a jazz saxophonist, flutist and composer. ... Declan Patrick MacManus (born August 25, 1954, in London), better known by his stage name, Elvis Costello, is an English musician, singer, and songwriter of Irish ancestry. ... Carol Grimes (born 7 April 1944, in South East London) is a smooth jazz and world music singer. ... Mose John Allison, Jr. ... The BBC Big Band, sometimes called the BBC Radio Big Band, is a British band run under the auspices of the BBC. It consists of professional musicians usually under conductor Barry Forgie, who has been conducting them on a regular basis since 1977, or Jiggs Whigham, who has been associated...

Offspring

Has a son by the name of Nick Babbington

External links

• Calyx: The Canterbury Website
• Discography at yahoo.com