PETE HAYCOCK, FOUNDING CLIMAX BLUES BAND GUITARIST, DIES AT 62

Guitarist Pete Haycock, a founding member of Climax Blues Band, died on Wednesday in Germany after suffering an apparent heart attack, the U.K. band’s official website reports. He was 62.

Haycock was part of the Climax Blues Band lineup from 1967 to 1985, and contributed to the group’s biggest hits. These included 1976′s “Couldn’t Get It Right” and 1981′s “I Love You,” which reached #3 and #11, respectively, on the Billboard Hot 100.

The Climax Blues Band are best remembered for top-ten hit Couldn’t Get it Right, which made the top ten in 1976.

Haycock left the band in 1985 to start a solo career with the album Total Climax, credited to Pete Haycock’s Climax. He went on to record two instrumental albums and another under the band name H Factor.

In 1990, Haycock was asked by Bev Bevan to join the Electric Light Orchestra Part II with which he recorded and toured until 1993. He also went on to score and perform for numerous films like K2, Drop Zone, Thelma & Louise, One False Move and The Dilemma.

After a lengthy period away from live performing, Haycock formed Pete Haycock’s True Blues in 2008, touring Europe and releasing a live album. This year, Pete had been involved with a new version of the Climax Blues Band who had recorded a few new tracks before Haycock’s passing.

pete-haycock

Climax Blues Band are saddened by the news of the death of Peter Haycock on October 30th 2013 in Germany. Peter was a founder member of the band in 1967 and performed with the band through to 1985 and was one of the finest exponents of slide guitar of his time, and a great singer. With Colin Cooper he supplied the integral and fundamental guitar and sax sound that contributed to making the band so popular and remains their keynote sound to this date. We are all shocked and sad and would like to pass on our best wishes and condolences to Peter’s family and friends. — http://www.climaxbluesband.com/