Rare Bird Personnel

Rare Bird's original line-up produced two fine albums, the 1969 self-titled debut and the the progressive rock classic 'As Your Mind Flies By'. The line-up of Steve Gould, Dave Kaffinetti, Graham Field, and Mark Ashton had a sound dominated by Hammond organ and electric piano. Gould's powerful vocals worked over the top to produce the signature sound of Rare Bird. The music of these albums fit perfect into the emerging progressive sound of the late sixties and early seventies.As the line-up changed,so did the sound of Rare Bird. With the exit of organist Graham Field plus the addition of Andy'Ced'Curtis on guitars, the sound became more melodic and slightly less progressive. Yet, Rare Bird managed to retain the signature sound with Gould's vocals and Kaffinetti's keyboard leads. Ced Curtis and Fred Kelly brought a new direction to the band that continued thru-out the bands following albums. After the Rare Bird years the alumni performed in several spin-off bands,but these bands never reached the same success that Rare Bird had known. Some members went into other aspects of the music industry and some still compose and perform today. Most notable of these is Steve Gould's work with Alvin Lee. Other musicians made guest appearances on Rare Bird albums such as John Wetton of King Crimson,UK,and Asia fame. The music and personnel of Rare Bird had a major impact on the music industry. This website will archive as much information as can be assembled about the personnel of Rare Bird.

Steve Gould
1969 Rare Bird Rare Bird{1969 debut} guitar,bass,vocals,producer
1970 Rare Bird As Your Mind Flies By guitar,bass,vocals,producer
1972 Rare Bird Epic Forest guitars,vocals,percussion
1972 Mike McGear Woman vocals
1973 Rare Bird Somebody's Watching guitars,bass,vocals
1974 Rare Bird Born Again guitars,bass,el.piano,vocals,prod.
1974 Headstone Bad Habits vocals
1975 Rare Bird Rare Bird{1975} bass,guitar,saxophone,vocals
1976 Dave Greenslade Cactus Choir vocals
1976 Rare Bird Sympathy bass,vocals
1977 Rare Bird Rare Bird: Polydor Special bass,guitars,saxophone,vocals
1978 Kevin Lamb Sailin'Down The Years guitar
1979 Mark Ashton Solo guitar
1979 Runner Runner guitar,vocals
1980 Alvin Lee Free Fall guitar,vocals
1981 Alvin Lee RX5 guitar,vocals
1982 Mike Rutherford Acting Very Strange vocals,backing vocals
1985 Alan Merrill Alan Merrill guitar,vocals,backing vocals
1986 Alvin Lee Detroit Diesel guitar,vocals
1989 George Harrison Best of Dark Horse(1976-1989) backing vocals
1995 Alvin Lee Pure Blues bass,guitar,keyboards
1995 Les Sabler Time For Love flute,saxophone
1996 Alvin Lee Live in Vienna{Viceroy} bass,vocals
Supernatural Fairy Tales The Progressive Rock Years bass,vocals
Steve Gould has also written or co-written songs which appear on albums by Emerson Lake& Powell,Greg Lake,and Ten Years After.

Dave Kaffinetti
1969 Rare Bird Rare Bird{1969 debut} keyboards,electric piano
1970 Rare Bird As Your Mind Flies By keyboards,electric piano
1972 Rare Bird Epic Forest Hammond & Farfisa organs,elec. piano,percussion
1973 Rare Bird Somebody's Watching Hammond,electric piano,clavinet
1974 Rare Bird Born Again Korg synthesizer,Hammond,keyboards,vocals
1974 Gordon Haskell It Is and It Isn't keyboards
1974 Headstone Bad Habits keyboards
1975 Rare Bird Rare Bird{1975} synthesizer,keyboards
1976 Rare Bird Sympathy keyboards,electric piano
1977 Fresh Get Fresh keyboards
1977 Rare Bird Rare Bird: Polydor Special synthesizer,keyboards
1984 Spinal Tap This Is Spinal Tap keyboards
1988 The Tyrant Michael Call Of The Wild producer
1995 Lenny Williams Chill arranger,keyboards
1996 Supernatural Fairy Tales The Progressive Rock Years electric piano,keyboards
Dave Kaffinetti has also written or co-written songs which appear on albums by Big House, Marillion, and appeared as Viv Savage in Spinal Tap.

Graham Field
1969 Rare Bird Rare Bird{1969 debut} Hammond organ
1970 Rare Bird As Your Mind Flies By Hammond organ
1971 Fields Fields keyboards
1975 Bob Pegg Ancient Maps harpsichord,producer
1976 Rare Bird Sympathy Hammond organ,keyboards
1996 Supernatural Fairy Tales The Progressive Rock Years Hammond organ

Mark Ashton
1969 Rare Bird Rare Bird{1969 debut} drums,backing vocals
1970 Rare Bird As Your Mind Flies By drums,backing vocals
1974 Headstone Bad Habits guitar,vocals
1975 Headstone Headstone{1975} guitar,vocals
1976 Rare Bird Sympathy drums,backing vocals
1978 Mark Ashton Mark Ashton guitar,vocals
1979 Mark Ashton Solo guitar,vocals
1988 Mark Ashton Modern Pilgrims Acoustic gtr,guitar,vocals,Assoc Prod.
1996 Supernatural Fairy Tales The Progressive Rock Years drums,vocals

Andy 'Ced' Curtis
1969 Rare Bird Rare Bird{1969 debut} producer
1971 Raw Holly Raw Holly engineer
1972 Rare Bird Epic Forest guitars,piano,vocals,percussion
1973 Rare Bird Somebody's Watching guitars,engineer
1973 Van Der Graaf Generator The Long Hello bass,guitar
1974 Rare Bird Born Again producer
1977 Rare Bird Rare Bird:Polydor Special guitars
1979 Long Hello Long Hello bass,guitar
1995 Long Hello Long Hello Vol.1 bass,guitar

Fred Kelly
1972 Rare Bird Epic Forest drums,congas,percussion
1973 Rare Bird Somebody's Watching drums,northern percussion
1974 Rare Bird Born Again drums,percussion,harmony vocals
1974 Sam Rivers Crystals flute,piccolo,baritone sax,soprano sax
1975 Rare Bird Rare Bird{1975} drums,vocals
1981 Randy Barlow Dimensions producer
1986 Hiram Bullock From All Sides backing vocals
1989 Robert Kraft Quake City assistant engineer
1990 Poises Dear 23 assistant engineer
1991 Cher Love Hurts assistant engineer
1991 The Fixx Ink assistant engineer
1991 Stephanie Mills Christmas assistant engineer
1991 Eddie Money Right Here assistant engineer,mixing assistant
1991 Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey second engineer
1991 Five Heartbeats Five Heartbeats assistant engineer
1992 Straight Talk Straight Talk assistant engineer
1992 Steve Kujala Pipe Dreams engineer
1993 Joey Lawrence Joey Lawrence mixing assistant
1993 Eric Gales Picture of a Thousand Faces assistant engineer
1993 Pointer Sisters Only Sisters Can Do That mixing assistant
1993 Triplets Algo Mas Que Amor mixing assistant
1993 Barrio Boyzz Donde Quiera Que Estes mixing assistant
1993 Alux Nahual Americamorfosis mixing assistant
1994 Zhane Pronounced Jah-Nay assistant engineer
1994 Jade Mind, Body & Song assistant engineer
1994 Atlantic Starr Time assistant engineer
1995 1995 Grammy Nominees 1995 Grammy Nominees engineer
1995 Marta Sanchez Mi Mundo mixing assistant
1995 Brasil:A Century of Song Brasil:A Century of Song, Vol.1 producer
1995 Brasil:A Century of Song Brasil:A Century of Song, Vol.2 producer
1995 Brasil:A Century of Song Brasil:A Century of Song, Vol.3 producer
1995 Brasil:A Century of Song Brasil:A Century of Song, Vol.4 producer
1996 Party Request Series Party Request Series, Vol.1 producer
1996 Party Request Series Party Request Series, Vol.3 producer
1997 Emerson,Lake&Palmer King Biscuit Flower Hour production coordination
1997 Henrys Henry's bass,vocals
1997 Iggy Pop King Biscuit Flower Hour production coordination
1997 Streets King Biscuit Flower Hour production coordination
1998 Party Request Series Party Request Series, Vol.6 producer

Paul Karas
1972 Rare Bird Epic Forest bass,vocals,percussion,beads
1974 Stackridge Pinafore Days bass,vocals
1974 Stackridge Extravaganza bass,vocals
1976 Jon Lord Sarabande bass
1977 Rare Bird Rare Bird:Polydor Special bass,vocals
1980 Stonebridge McGuinness Corporate Madness bass

Paul Holland
1969 Rare Bird Rare Bird{1969} producer
1972 Rare Bird Epic Forest percussion,producer
1973 Rare Bird Somebody's Watching congas,percussion,mix engineer
1992 Definition of Sound Lick bass
1996 First Class The First Class SST engineer

Nic Potter
1969 Van Der Graaf Generator Least We Can Do Is Wave To Each Other bass
1970 Van Der Graaf Generator H to He, Who Am The Only One bass
1971 Magna Carta Songs From Wasties Orchard bass
1971 Peter Hammill Fool's Mate bass
1972 Rare Bird Epic Forest percussion
1972 Chuck Berry London Sessions bass
1973 Rare Bird Somebody's Watching bass
1973 Van Der Graaf Generator 1968-1971 bass
1973 Van Der Graaf Generator Long Hello bass
1973 Peter Hammill Chameleon In The Shadow Of The Night bass
1974 Steve Swindells Messages bass
1977 Rare Bird Rare Bird:Polydor Special bass
1977 Peter Hammill Over bass
1977 Van Der Graaf Generator Quiet Zone/The Pleasure Dome bass
1978 Van Der Graaf Generator Vital bass
1979 Long Hello Long Hello synthesizer,bass,guitar,producer
1980 Tigers Savage Music bass
1981 Long Hello Long Hello Vol.2 synthesizer,bass,guitar
1982 Peter Hammill Enter K bass
1983 Peter Hammill Patience bass
1984 Peter Hammill Love Songs bass
1985 Peter Hammill Margin bass
1988 Chuck Berry Chess Box bass
1990 Peter Hammill Room Temperature:Live bass
1993 Peter Hammill Noise bass
1994 Peter Hammill Roaring Forties bass
1994 Peter Hammill There Goes The Daylight bass
1995 Mountain Music/Sketches Mountain Music/Sketches bass
1995 New Europe/Rainbow Color New Europe/Rainbow Color bass
1995 Long Hello Long Hello Vol.1 bass
1996 Supernatural Fairy Tales The Progressive Rock Years bass
1997 Peter Hammill Past Go:Collected bass
1997 Chuck Berry His Best Vol.2 bass
1997 Dreams in View 81-87 Dreams in View 81-87 bass
1997 Nic Potter Blue Zone bass,producer
1998 London Blues Festivals 1970-1972 bass

Andy Rae
1974 Rare Bird Born Again Fender bass
1975 Savoy Brown Wire Fire bass
1993 Savoy Brown The Savoy Brown Collection{Chronicles} bass,vocals
1998 Savoy Brown Live At The Record Plant bass

Sympathy - Rare Bird

JupiterSpace Rare Bird Home Page
Rare Bird Photo Gallery
Rare Bird Discography
Rare Bird News & Updates
JupiterSpace Guestbook
Return to Space