Fuzz (musician)

James Robert Lombard, (born 9 February 1952), professionally known by his stage name Fuzz, is an English singer-songwriter, musician, actor, record producer and composer noted for being the frontman of the band Inferno.[1]

Fuzz
Birth nameJames Robert Lombard
Also known asFuzz
The Fuzz
Fuzzy
The Big Fuzz
The Infernal Fuzz
Born (1952-02-09) 9 February 1952
Battersea, London, England
GenresRock, pop, new age
Occupation(s)Singer-songwriter, musician, actor, producer, composer
InstrumentsVocals, guitar, bass guitar, keyboards, drums, saxophone, lute
Years active1969–present
LabelsA&M Records
Deutsche Grammophon
Universal Music Group
Associated actsInferno

Fuzz began his career in 1969 at the age of 17, when he formed Inferno alongside MacMick, Leon O'Brien and James Coolridge. He is responsible for writing all of their hit singles, including their debut single "We Are Infernal", along with "The Collision", "A Border of Hate Between Love", "Building Beauty", "The Big Blue Sea", "The One That Got Away", "She Has The Features of Life", "Stories of Love" and "The North-Side Tale". Fuzz left the band in 1977 and MacMick took his place as lead singer. He re-joined the band in 1984 and remained in it again until the band split in 1997. The band reunited in 2008.

Fuzz's acting career has also been made notorious. After a film debut as an unaccredited extra in the 1978 film The Class of Miss MacMichael, he then played Jameson in Scum, Nicky in Quadrophenia and appeared as himself in Birth of the Beatles, all three films released in 1979. Fuzz then appeared in more films including Billy Morrison in The Hit (1984), Mickey Thompson in The League of Darrell McGhee (1995) and Mr Wilkins in The History Boys (2006).

Fuzz enjoyed a successful solo career between 1977 and 1984 and again between 1997 and 2008, releasing singles including "Snare", "Love Craft", "Becky and I" and "Disco Dancers". He also released his own cover version of "Memories Are Made of This" in 1983, which was originally written and performed by Dean Martin in 1956.

Early life

Fuzz[2] was born in Battersea, London. His father – Nicholas Lombard was born in 1940, and died in 1990 when he was murdered at the age of 49, only a week-and-a-half prior to his 50th birthday. Fuzz's mother Elizabeth is a retired schoolteacher who taught at Kingsbury High School. She taught there for thirty-eight years, from the age of twenty in 1961 to her retirement at the age of 58, in 1998.

Fuzz himself was educated at Oliver Goldsmith Primary School where he received his primary education, before attending Kingsbury High School where he received his academic education. He then moved to Warwick where he began attending the University of Warwick, where he graduated[3] in music and drama.

Musical career

Inferno (1969–77)

In 1969, at the age of 17, Fuzz left the University of Warwick and met up with musician and long-time school friend Leon O'Brien, who also attended the University of Warwick. Leon graduated in music and became a professional player of the double bass and keyboard. Fuzz and O'Brien decided to form a band named The Infernals, and approached guitarist and bass guitarist Michael McCulloch, professionally known as MacMick, who accepted a part in the band and advised drummer and saxophonist James Coolridge. Together, the four formed Inferno,[4] with Fuzz on vocals and guitar, MacMick on bass guitar, O'Brien on keyboard and Coolridge on drums. Throughout their career, Fuzz occasionally played other instruments including bass guitar, keyboards, drums, saxophone and lute, MacMick occasionally played guitar, O'Brien occasionally played double bass and Coolridge occasionally played the saxophone.

Inferno first rose to fame with their 1970 debut single "We Are Infernal",[5] which remained in the charts for three weeks.

After the release of "We Are Infernal", Inferno released their next three singles: "The Collision"[6] in 1970, "A Border of Hate Between Love"[7] in 1971, and "Building Beauty"[8] in 1972. After the release of these three singles, Inferno were able to release its debut album Inferno,[9] in 1972.

In 1973, Fuzz composed the "A Daze",[10] which remained in the charts for seven weeks and placed Inferno at the top of the charts of 1973. They then released their second Evenings in Paradise.[11] in 1973.

Acting career

Fuzz has appeared in approximately 23 films, five of those films were directed by Stephen Frears[12] and two of those films were directed by Martin Hughes.[13] He was also featured in four films alongside Phil Daniels. Below are a list of films featuring Fuzz:

Fuzz has also made five appearances in television, twice in shows created by Nick Preston:

  • Thug in Z-Cars (1973): Television debut
  • Pete Henshall in Legal Enforcement (1973–77): First created by Nick Preston
  • Nichols in The Sweeney (1978)
  • DI Lawson in Inspector Morse (1993)
  • DCI Peter MacNair in MacNair (1997–2003)

Fuzz also works as a producer in his film and television fame, and has produced seven films, three of them directed by Stephen Frears:

References
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