Birth name Desmond Herbert Champ Labels Santa Ponsa Name Des Champ | Instruments Piano Role Musician Years active 1965–95 | |
Born 9 July 1928London, England ( 1928-07-09 ) Occupation(s) Musician, bandleader, producer, arranger Died 2006, London, United Kingdom Similar People Vanity Fare, Chicory Tip, Pete Bellotte | ||
"Viva Vivaldi!" - Cecilia Bartoli & "Il Giardino Armonico".
Des Champ (9 July 1928 – 7 June 2006 in London, England) was a musician, bandleader, producer, and arranger.
In a musical career lasting over 35 years, Des gained notoriety in the British music business for his ground-breaking production and arrangement work in collaboration with partner Roger Easterby. Des first achieved chart success with Vanity Fare, whose "Hitchin' a Ride" sold a million copies in the US alone, but his most notable pop achievement was with glam-rock band Chicory Tip, whose "Son of My Father" featured a Moog synthesizer (a relatively obscure instrument at the time). "Son of My Father" went on to top the UK pop music charts for three weeks in early 1972 and was a seminal influence on 80s synthesizer bands like ABC. Later in his career, Des worked as musical director for Shirley Bassey, 5000 Volts, and Tony Monopoly, before finally taking a regular day job with the Orchestration Department at BBC Radio Two.
He died of cancer on 7 June 2006 in London.