ABOUT ARTHUR…

 

Arthur’s guitar playing began from hearing Hank’s Strat to Wes’s Jazz and Eric’s Blues.  By the early 70s it was Miles, Steely Dan, Chick Corea as well as the great guitar players that were among his guiding influences. It was 1976 when Arthur’s professional career started in Liverpool playing with many of the local bands:  Clean Slate, Supercharge, Deaf School and house bands at The Everyman Theatre. For a short stint, Clean Slate went on to join forces with vocal group ‘Madame’ who signed with M&M Music to release a single, but it was a short lived affair!  Session work too thrived in the region for Granada Television and the BBC as well as the general gigging around.

 

For almost 3 years, Arthur worked as Musical Director for singer songwriter, Berni Flint which resulted in a great deal of studio and concert experience. And too initially working with Chris Rea in the early days of his career before Arthur moving to London in 1982 where West End show work as well as studio dates helped Arthur’s reputation as a great player.

Playing alongside/arranging for artists such as Salena Jones, Cilla Black, Gene Pitney, Cliff Richard, Paul McCartney, Chris Rea, Davey Jones and many others.

 

In addition, for several great years from 1987, he ran a music production company with long-time colleague (an amazing musician) and close friend Paul Townsend, the pair composing and recording many TV and radio jingles and corporate scores.

The first published books from Music Sales too appeared around this time with editions of ‘The Complete Guitar Player’ Songbooks. The relationship has produced over 250 publications from album transcriptions to most of the arrangements and audio recording for the ‘Play Guitar With ..’ series highlighting with international multiple editions of The Beatles and Led Zeppelin.

 

Jazz and Blues guitar probably feature the most in Arthur’s style and influences. From Kenny Burrell to Robben Ford, Mike Stern and John Scofield and for some of the last few years in Chiswick, a regular Sunday excursion into some of the blues and beyond would occur with The Unruly Blues at the Tabard at Turnham Green. A rare live recording is rumoured to be available with Arthur (guitars) Stuart ‘Son Maxwell (vocals &harmonica), Neil Hughes (bass) and Darren Mason (drums) – The Unruly Blues ‘Whatever Next’.

Arthur Dick

Professional Guitarist,

Tuition in Brighton & Hove