BIOGRAPHICAL DETAILS
Description: Vocalist, Guitarist, GB
Known For: Member of – ARGENT – formed in 1969.
Instruments: Voice, Guitar
Music Styles: Rock
Location: United Kingdom
Date Born: 25th May 1955
Location Born: United Kingdom
Died: 15 November 1983 (aged 28)
United Kingdom
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BIOGRAPHICAL PROFILE
John Grmaldi
John Grimaldi (22 May 1955 – 15 November 1983) was a musician, songwriter and artist. He was born in St. Albans, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom. Grimaldi was educated at St. Albans Boys School, where he developed his talent for electric jazz, songwriting and art. He was primarily a jazz artist but was able to adjust to any musical genre. Grimaldi formed a number of bands and wrote and performed until his untimely death from multiple sclerosis in 1983.
Grimaldi first discovered his love of music when he joined the school orchestra in his early teenage years. It was here that he discovered his talent with stringed instruments and his ability to write music. John and Mark Pasterfield set up a school band called Motiffe in 1970. As Pasterfield had a drum kit, he became the drummer; Dave Shackley joined in with the bass along with Ian Wilson, Quentin Bryar and Steve Bellingham on the keyboards. Bellingham left in 1971 and Mick Avery then joined on keyboard. In early 1972 they reached their live peak with a support slot to Roy Wood and Jeff Lynne’s ELO shortly after they were recorded live in St Albans School by Deroy, and 100 copies of the Album were produced, some of which are still around in 2013.
(1972–1974)
Soon after in 1972 there was a difference within Motiffe as to what & how much they should play, so John on guitar & Dave Shackley on bass started Flux aiming to go pro. Neil Chapman on drums & Phil Hawkins on keys joined to make up the band. Flux recorded, though nothing was released, gigged, and started to get a bit of interest. St.Albans band Babe Ruth & their management took Flux their wing. In late 1972 Flux were gaining in popularity, and interest form the industry was coming their way. Neil left to be replaced by Charlie Chandler from Hemel Hempstead on drums; Dave Puncheon left Babe Ruth to join Flux, however he agreed to still gig with Babe Ruth until a replacement was found. Richard Blanchard, a flute, sax & vocalist from Pinner joined. The band, with this line up, played regularly & widely including 100 club & Marquee.
Flux recorded a demo for EMI harvest at Manchester Square & were close to being signed, but this did not happen. However, there was interest from other companies. About this time Dave Punshon left to live with the Divine Light Movement. Charlie Chandler left to rebuild antique furniture. They were replaced by 2 pro circuit musicians, Zoë Kronberger on keys & Nick Monas on drums. Richard Blanchard, (who was also a pro photographer) was getting more work including the Glitter Band & left to be replaced by another circuit pro Jon Gifford on Flute & Sax.
Zoe and Nick eventually left in mid-1974 and soon after John did the Argent audition and went to them, resulting in Flux folding in late 74. Dave Shackley has a bad recording of their last gig in St. Albans, somewhere.
Flux – Killer track was really and truly interrupted by a Bomb Scare. This was the height of the IRA issues, which ended up affecting us all…. history as it happens.
In 1974, Russ Ballard left Argent, and John Grimaldi and John Verity joined to fill the gap, no doubt helped by being from the same town and school as Rod Argent. John was involved in the Circus and Counterpoints albums, contributing to the Artwork as well as musically. He also played at the Roundhouse in 1975, a video of which is still held by John Verity.
When the band came off the road in 1975, John left to set up The John Grimaldi Band, which became Captain Sussex, and then Cheap Flights.
Captain Sussex
(1975–1976)
Captain Sussex came out of the John Grimaldi Band. John’s Jazz Rock leanings came to the fore during this time, playing with many such as:
John Giblin (Bass / Vocals)
Mick Parker (Keyboards)
Preston Heyman (Drums).
Cheap Flights
Coming out of Captain Sussex there followed 4 years of Cheap Flights. This band went through 3 major versions, but was firmly planted in the Jazz Rock genre.
(1976 – 1977)
This first version of Cheap Flights was pure Jazz Rock of the highest calibre. John collaborated with
Peter Arneson (Rubettes) on Keyboards
Dan K Brown (The Fixx) on Bass
Cliff Venner – Percussion
Pete Ernest – Second guitar and Vocals
This lineup of Cheap Flights produced the signature track “Cheap Day Return”. Although they had a number of gigs in the London and Hertfordshire area, and had a studio tape produced by Toni Visconti, the producer on the Counterpoints album for Argent, they had little success in attracting the attention of the record companies.
(1977–1978)
Peter Arneson left in 1977 to pursue other projects, as did Pete Ernest, which resulted in John inviting his schoolfriend, and former Motiffe member, Mark Pasterfield to join the band. This produced a comic element to the performances and a stabilising effect on John.
The band’s music moved slightly away from the Jazz, and more into Rock, though still with the ‘Grimaldi’ touch. The band gigged more successfully in the London and Hertfordshire areas, as well as moving into the West Country. Dan Brown and Cliff Venner moved on leaving a gap, which was filled by various musicians, until Carmello Luigeri, and Brett Salmon and Dave Taylor, from the English Rogues, joined, providing more stability to the band.
It was this lineup that landed an 8 night tour of the Netherlands in Oct/Nov 1978. The 28 October gig at the Gigant, in Apeldoorn was recorded, it is thought, by the Hilversum 3 radio station, but this recording is missing.
(1978–1980)
In 1978 Mark had to leave for medical reasons, leaving the 4 piece of:
John Grimaldi – Lead Guitar / Vocals
Brett Salmon – Second Guitar / Backing Vocals
Dave Taylor – Percussion
Lou – Bass
This lineup lasted for a good two years, expanding their horizons around the country on the pub and club and college circuit. They produced a single, financed by a stalwart in the fan club, which sold 5000 copies, but were still struggling to find that elusive album deal.
Adrian Stamford
(1977–1979)
John experimented with all types of music, instruments, and genres. He created Adrian Stamford, an alter ego, under which he would write for the purely experimental sounds that would not fit in with his other projects. A number of these came out in the Cheap Flights catalog, such as his use of the H&H echo machine to replay his guitar solos, live, on stage, as can be heard in ‘Snakes in the Ice’ and ‘The Cause’ (titled as invariably this would break the machine, which H&H would fix for free, regularly, without actually investigating ‘The Cause’!!)
Casual Athletes
(1980–1982)
The last project John was involved in. Although they didn’t see the light of day in a live environment, John had written a number of songs specifically for the CA, and a demo tape was produced in a recording studio in Hertfordshire, paid for by Pete Waterman. John was able to experiment with a drum machine during these sessions, as a suitable drummer was not available.
The lineup of the Casual Athletes was meant to be:
John Grimaldi – Keyboards
Brett Salmon – Guitar
The studio recordings were on a different line up of:
John Grimaldi – Keyboards
Brett Salmon – Guitar
Dan Brown – Bass
Linn Electronics – Drum Machine
A member of English rock band founded in 1969 by keyboardist Rod Argent, formerly of The Zombies.
When Ballard left in 1974, he was replaced by guitarist/vocalist John Verity and guitarist John Grimaldi and there followed a period of intense recording, in which they produced two albums.
Argent’s biggest hit was Rod Argent and Chris White’s “Hold Your Head Up” from the All Together Now album, which, in a heavily-edited single form, reached #5 in the U.S. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc.
The original Argent lineup reunited at the High Voltage Festival in Victoria Park, London on 25 July 2010.
Also a member of ’COUNTERPOINT’
Argent are mainly known for their hit song.
’HOLD YOUR HEAD UP’ – 1972