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The Blue BishopsMartin Turner toured and recorded with The Blue Bishops during a busy eight year period between 1998 and 2006. The Blue Bishops are a UK based band with a musical style firmly rooted in the hard edged British blues/rock idiom. The band had been in existence for a number of years and, following the departure of their original bassist in 1998, the Bishops enlisted the services of Wishbone Ash's Martin Turner. The nucleus of the Blue Bishops has always been guitarist/slide player Simon Burrett and lead vocalist/harmonica/guitar player Geoff Grange. Simon has been a figure on the London Rock scene for many years. A founder member of the Blue Bishops he started his career making singles with ex-Blue Horizon session man Vaughan Rees [Chicken Shack, Tony Macphee, Duster Bennet, Jo Ann Kelly sessions...]. After charting in Europe he went on to play the UK pub rock circuit when it was at its 70s peak, with a number of his own bands, teaming up at various times with a different members of the 60s and 70s cult band 'Principal Edwards Magic Theatre', Nick Pallet, Geoff Nicholls and [now Al Stewart's keyboard and guitar collaborator for many years] Pete White. Simon continues to write and produce music for TV and radio soundtracks and has recently guested on Jethro Tull guitarist, Martin Barre's latest solo album, Stage Left. Simon is an amazing slide guitarist; he really gets the crowd going and always gives a great performance. Geoff has worked with many international artists. His previous band, 'Sons of Heroes', was managed and produced by Bill Wyman, and during his tenure with the Bishops Geoff has worked as a long term collaborator on harmonica and vocals with Bill’s band, the Rhythm Kings, appearing on several of his albums. Other famous names he has been associated with include Phil Collins, Terence Trent Darby, wizard keyboard player Patrick Moraz and Free drummer, Simon Kirke. He really has a great voice and a great personality on and off stage, and in addition to his lead vocals and harmonica playing; he plays some really good lead guitar solos. Martin Turner joined the Blue Bishops in 1998. With the Bishops working at the harder end of the R and B spectrum, Martin's gutsy 'wring its neck' bass playing, along with his role as a performer and producer perfectly fitted the balance of the band. Martin played a key role in the recording of the band's 2002 album release 'Deep', which was recorded both in London and also at Jethro Tull guitarist Martin Barre’s studio in Devon. The band's line-up at this time was completed by long serving members Bob Sellins (guitar/vocals) and John Fisher (drums) and in addition to regular UK touring, much of the band's playing time was spent in Europe, where the harder, rocky edge of their blues style has a wide cross over appeal. They appeared regularly in Holland and Belgium and notable appearances included the Swing Festival in Wespelaar, the Blues Parade in Peer and the world renowned Ghent Festival. In 1999 the Bishops also opened the Bishopstock festival in the West of England - the UK’s premier blues festival to critical acclaim from both the audience and the international media.     (photos: Laureen Large) Shortly after the release of "Deep", John Fisher and Bob Sellins departed and the band continued as a four-piece completed by drummer Justin Hildreth - a world travelled performer with a career that spans many famous artists and many different drum disciplines. His track record speaks for itself, and includes working with such luminaries as Joan Armatrading, Thomas Dolby, Nina Hagen, Lene Lovich, Blancmange, M, and Roogalator…….the list goes on. 2006 saw Martin Turner announcing his departure from the Blue Bishops to concentrate fully on Martin Turner's Wishbone Ash. The departure was entirely amicable and both parties were keen to wish each other well. Speaking about his time with the Bishops, Martin said: "I have always enjoyed working with the Blue Bishops. After initially being interested mainly in recording the band, I started 'guesting' with them and after quite a few years, I feel I owe them a 'thank you' for having got me back into playing live. Having always wanted to return to Wishbone Ash in some form, I feel I now have left the launchpad and look forward to an interesting journey. I would like to wish Geoff, Simon and Justin of the Bishops every success for the future." By return, the Bishops stated "while we are sad to see Martin go, we wish him loads of luck and understand his need to complete a project that's been close to his heart for a long time." Martin, who played his final date with the Bishops at a prestigious appearance at Colne blues festival in September 2006, has been replaced in the band by veteran musician Jim Rodford (Argent, Colin Blunstone, etc). The Blue Bishops have made many new friends and fans through Martin Turner's involvement in the band and we are sure that many people will wish to continue supporting the band. The band's official web site can be found here.
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