Tymon Dogg

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Tymon Dogg

Background information
Birth name Stephen Murray[1]
Also known as Timon, Step Murray
Born 1950 Liverpool, England (Age 58?)[2]
Origin London, England[2]
Genre(s) Folk, Punk, Rock, World
Instrument(s) Violin, Guitar, Piano, Harmonium
Years active 1967–present
Associated acts The Mescaleros
Website TymonDogg.com

Tymon Dogg (born Stephen John Murray) is an English singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, playing piano, violin, guitar, oud and a harp of his own invention. As well as developing his own unique solo sound, he worked with the Clash and later collaborated with Joe Strummer in the Mescaleros. He continues to surprise with new and original works more than forty years after he started his career. As a teenager in the late 60s, under the original pseudonym of 'Timon', he was quickly spotted by influential people such as the Beatles and the Moody Blues.

Contents

[edit] Timon - The Early Years

Stephen Murray's musical career began at the age of 14, playing Bob Dylan and Donovan covers on harmonica and guitar regularly at the Peppermint Lounge in Liverpool, and occasionally at the famous Cavern Club. While still at school, he came up with the pseudonym of ‘Timon’ as a stage name in order to separate the fact he was both a performing musician and schoolboy.

Spencer Leigh (now a DJ on BBC Radio Merseyside) met Timon in 1965 and helped encouraging the young musician’s song-writing and also become his local promoter-of-sorts, helping him get gigs and sending off demo tapes to various record companies.

One day in 1968, while working as a screen printer in Southport, Timon received a phone call from Leigh, asking Timon if he could get the day off work to travel to London with him to visit Pye Records. Cyril Stapleton, band leader and part of Pye’s management, was interested in signing Timon to the label. Pye gave Timon an advance that was the equivalent of a year's wages in the hope of securing a hit single from him, though the big commercial pressure to produce a hit was ultimately too overwhelming for the young musician.

Timon soon left his home of Liverpool and moved to London where he began recording songs with arranger and producer Jerry Martin. Martin was a Canadian pop singer who was trying to make it as a producer in England. Timon released his first single "The Bitter Thoughts of Little Jane" in January 1968. The track also features future Led Zeppelin members John Paul Jones on bass and Jimmy Page on lead guitar. Martin was sacked just before the record was released and the record was given meagre promotion by Pye.

It was around this time that Peter Asher (ex-Peter and Gordon) took interest in Timon’s music. Asher was acting as a talent scout for the first Apple Records label, and after signing American singer-songwriter James Taylor to the label, he was on the lookout for other new and interesting talent. Paul McCartney heard Timon’s "The Bitter Thoughts of Little Jane" and wanted a go at producing a new version of the song, to which Timon declined, assuring McCartney that it would better if he stuck to recording his own material instead. After disagreements on both sides with regard to the direction the music was taking, everyone just sort of fell out and the sessions were shelved. Timon then decided to wander off to go busk in Europe for a while.

When he got back to England, BBC-DJ Dave Symonds introduced him to the Moody Blues who had heard his songs and wanted to sign him to their own new record label, Threshold Records. The first signings to this label in October 1969 were both Timon and the British rock band Trapeze. Two months later in December ‘69, both Timon and Trapeze supported the Moody Blues on their December 1969 tour. Timon and Moody Blues released one single “And Now She Says She's Young”.

[edit] Tymon Dogg - 1971 to 2000

In 1971, Timon became friends with John Graham Mellor (Joe Strummer). They both ended up sharing a flat that year with a few other people at 18 Ash Grove aka “Vomit Heights” in Palmers Green, London. In September of ‘71, the ‘Vomit Heights’ crowd and assorted others moved into a flat at 34 Ridley Road, Harlesden, London.

In early spring of ‘72, Timon and Mellor (who had returned to London in May after dropping out of Newport College of Art) took to busking in the The London Underground during the late evenings. Together, the 22-year old Tymon and 20-year old Mellor also busked in London’s Green Park tube station and around various parts of Europe. Throughout this period also, Tymon was an important influence on Mellor in many ways. He taught him to play chords on an old ukulele by using his right-hand to strum the chords instead of with his natural left-hand ability, this resulting in the unique strumming style later evidenced in The Clash’s music.

After being evicted from the 34 Ridley Road flat in April 1972, Tymon then moved into a flat in Miles Buildings in London. The Ridley Road collective also moved in for a while, though most soon left for a farm outside Blandford Forum in Dorset in the summer of ’72.

In 1973 Tymon played violin live on stage for the first time. It was also around this time that Timon changed his name to Tymon Dogg. In 1974, he was living at a ‘short-life’ house at 23 Chippenham Road, Maida Hill, London with various others. John Mellor also took up residence at this address after leaving Newport Art School.

In 1975 and 1976, Tymon began playing support gigs with Mellor’s (now Joe Strummer) new pub-rock band ‘the 101ers’; Tymon was a regular at the Charlie Pig Dog Club, which was a weekly residence at a local dive that the 101’ers organized. He would occasionally join the band for a jam on his violin. Strummer eventually left the 101ers in 1976 and went on to join iconic punk band The Clash.

In 1976, Tymon released his first full-length solo album “Tymon Dogg” aka “Outlaw Number One”. Only 500 copies were pressed. He provides all the instrumentation including Piano, Violin, Guitar, Viola, Cello, Mandolin, Harmonica, Glockenspiel, Harmonium, Shaum, and Cymbal. Later in 1977, he formed a folk-punk trio called ‘The Fools’ with drummer Richard Dudanski and bassist Ron Harvey.

The Clash released their fourth LP "Sandinista!" in 1980. Tymon wrote, sang, and played violin on the track “Lose This Skin,” as well as adding violin overdubs to “Lightning Strikes” while in Electric Lady. At the time of recording “Sandinista!,” Mick Jones was helping Ellen Foley record her second album “Spirit of St. Louis.” Three songs written by Tymon would feature on the LP.

During the tail-end of the Sandinista! sessions back in Wessex, England, Tymon and Joe Strummer had acquired a new squat in a large Georgian house in Gilbert Place, Bloomsbury, London. They lived there for a while with Tymon's future musical partner Helen Cherry.

The years 1981 and 1982 saw Tymon play violin on Ian Hunter’s “Short Back ‘N’ Sides” record, and released his second full-length solo LP “Battle of Wills” in 1982. He also played piano on The Clash's "Combat Rock” 1982 album. A third LP was in the works in 1983 with production by Joe Strummer and Glyn Johns, but it was never released. In 1984, Tymon appeared on the The Poison Girls’ “The Price of Grain and the Price of Blood” EP playing violin. He then went on to form a duo with Hele Cherry called Frugivores and released one album "New Ages Songs" and a single in 1987. Another new solo LP “Relentless” was released in 1989.

[edit] 2000 - 2007

It was 11 years later in 2000 when Tymon again hooked up with old friend Joe Strummer. Strummer had formed new band The Mescaleros, which Tymon became a full-time member of in November of that year. Over the course of roughly two years he ended up playing over 70 live shows with group. He co-wrote most of the songs on the group's second full-length album “Global A Go-Go”, and played violin, mandolin, Spanish guitar, acoustic & electric guitar on assorted tracks. The welcome addition of Tymon to the original line-up resulted in the band having a further world music vibe to their music.

Joe Strummer died on December 22, 2002 and a tribute show was held in Granada, Spain on August 20, 2003. Tymon appeared on stage with Mick Jones, Richard Dudanski, Jem Finer, Tom Lardner, and Julian Hernandez, as The Amigos.

In March 2006, Tymon performed various gigs around England with new band The Quikening. A single "Guantanamo" was released on 12” vinyl in September, with the CD released on June 1, 2007. Along with debuting the new group, he has also patented a harp-like stringed instrument he calls the “The New World Harp” or “Pyramid Harp”. The band continute to play live and Tymon is also developing a new solo set using several of the many instruments he can play to accompany his songs.

After forty-odd years in and out of the music industry, Tymon has ended up working with a vast array of musical talent both in the studio and on stage The list includes: Joe Strummer, The Clash, The Slits, Paul McCartney, Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, James Taylor, Justin Hayward, The Mescaleros, Richard Strange, Ian Hunter, Ellen Foley, The Poison Girls, Glyn Johns, Peter Asher, Liam Genockey, Pandit Ramesh Misra, Salah Dawson Miller, Richard Dudanski, Roy Harper, The Cramps, Trapeze, Neville Staples, The Fall, Stone the Crows, Rory McLeod, Charles Hayward, Lol Coxhill, DM Bob & Jem Finer, Orphy Robinson, Hugh Hopper, Robb Johnson, and Claire Hamill, among others. He remains a very enthusiastic performer on stage, and is known to damage his violins due to the manic passion in which he performs his sets. His genuine respect and appreciation for his audience remains to this day.

[edit] Discography

[edit] Solo recordings

Year Album
1976 Tymon Dogg
1982 Battle of Wills
1987 Frugivores - New Age Songs
1989 Relentless

[edit] Guest appearances

Year Album Artist Credit
1980 Sandinista! The Clash Vocals, violin on "Lose This Skin", “Lightning Strikes (Not Once But Twice)” and “Junco Partner”
1981 Short Back 'n' Sides Ian Hunter Violin
1981 Spirit of St. Louis Ellen Foley Violin, wrote three tunes: "Beautiful Waste of Time,” "Game of a Man” and "Indestructible”
1982 Combat Rock The Clash Piano on "Death Is A Star" and "Overpowered By Funk"
1985 The Price of Grain Poison Girls Violin on "The Price of Grain and the Price of Blood" and "Stonehenge 1985"
1998 De Granada a la Luna Various artists Violin and guest vocals on "Casida Del Herido Por El Agua" with Lagartija Nick
2000 Once Bitten Twice Shy Ian Hunter Violin
2001 Global a Go-Go Joe Strummer and The Mescaleros Violin, mandolin, Spanish guitar, acoustic & electric guitar
2002 Give 'Em the Boot III Various artists Violin, Spanish guitar
2003 Streetcore Joe Strummer and The Mescaleros Violin
2004 Give 'Em the Boot IV Various artists Fiddle, guitar
2007 Screamin' El Doghouse Violin

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Tymon Dogg - Joe Strummer and The Mescaleros
  2. ^ a b Harris, Craig. AMG Biography
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The Clash
Joe Strummer · Mick Jones · Paul Simonon · Topper Headon
Nick Sheppard · Keith Levene · Pete Howard · Terry Chimes · Vince White · Rob Harper
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Persondata
NAME Dogg, Tymon
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Stephen Murray (real name), Timon, Step Murray
SHORT DESCRIPTION English musician
DATE OF BIRTH 1950
PLACE OF BIRTH Liverpool, England
DATE OF DEATH August 8, 1981
PLACE OF DEATH England
Languages