Tim Staffell

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Tim Staffell (b. February 24, 1948 in London, England) is a rock singer, bass guitarist, guitarist and visual artist. He was a member of blues-rock outfit 1984 and later Smile, a band which included guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor, and which, upon Staffell's departure, hired Freddie Mercury and John Deacon to form the band Queen. Staffell and May co-wrote the song "Doin' Alright," which Queen included on their eponymous debut album. Following his tenure with Smile Staffell joined the experimental progressive rock outfit Morgan, with whom he released the albums Nova Solis and Brown Out (later retitled The Sleeper Wakes). After Smile, he became a full-time guitarist, something he hadn't been able to pursue while he was in the same band with Brian May.

Staffell later decided to pursue a career as a commercial director, modelmaker and designer, crafting models for the BBC adaptation of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and, throughout the 80s and 90s, the children's TV show Thomas The Tank Engine.

In 2001, Staffell returned to the music scene with a new blues-funk band called aMIGO, who draw inspiration from folk, Latin and rock. To date they have released one eponymous album (in 2003), featuring re-recorded versions of the old Smile tunes "Earth" and "Doin' Alright" featuring former bandmate Brian May on guitars and vocals.