Another hero passed away… One of the greatest British blues guitarist, Pete Haycock was a blistering force of CLIMAX BLUES BAND for two decades, from 1968 to 1988, and without him there would be no such classics as “Flight” or “Couldn’t Get it Right” and albums like "Plays On" wouldn’t have magic about them. Yet there was more to this artist than only blues: Pete scored and played music for films – it’s his slide guitar that delivers “Thunderbird” in “Thelma & Louise” – before returning to the rock base.
Haycock’s last project was a reconfiguration of CLIMAX BLUES BAND with Robin George, a former axeman for, among others, Phil Lynott and David Byron. And they did finish their album.
Says Robin, “Pete’s wife, Alex, called me yesterday morning with the devastating news that legendary blues guitar player and my closest friend Pete Haycock passed away on Wednesday night.
We had just finished our new album and were looking forward to touring together with our superb band who have been working with us for the last five years, firstly on the "LovePower and Peace" sharing project, closely followed by “Broke Heart Blues” which Pete envisaged as the new true CLIMAX BLUES BAND recordings. Alex has asked me to make sure this album is released in Pete’s memory.
Pete was ready to reclaim his legacy with this fantastic work; new ground for both Pete and me. He was playing and singing as well as always, as recently as last week.
“Broke Heart Blues” is a heart-breaking title for me now, but Pete’s countless fans deserve to hear his last fabulous performances. Professional to the end, Pete stayed with us long enough to finish the album. I listened to “Broke Heart Blues” last night, and the words he sang from the heart and his stunning guitar work overwhelmed me.
This album will be dedicated to my co-writer and producer Pete Haycock, and hopefully will help his name live on. If he wasn’t the best Blues guitar player in the world, he was definitely in the top one!”
Rest in peace, Peter!
