User:Arjayay/Richard Treece

Richard Treece
Birth name	Richard Treece
Born	1949-1950 Barton-upon-Humber, Lincolnshire, England
Died	25 May 2015(2015-05-25) (aged 65–66) London
Genres	Rock Rock and roll Psychedelic rock Progressive rock
Occupation(s)	Musician, songwriter
Instrument	Guitar
Years active	1967–2015

Richard Treece (1949 ; 25 May 2015) was a rock music guitarist, best known as a founding member of Help Yourself and as a member of Deke Leonard's Iceberg, The Tyla Gang. He also played with Donovan's Brain, the Flying Aces, Neutrons, The Splendid Humans, The Archers and The Green Ray.

Early life

Treece was born in 1949 at Barton-upon-Humber, where his father, poet and novelist Henry Treece, was a teacher at Barton Grammar School. He left school at 15 and went to Hull Art College, where he played in his first band 'The Chain Gang' and later Leicester Art College where he played in the 'Jack Bentley Blues Band'. He moved to London in 1968 and hung out with Jo Ann Kelly and the John Dummer Band, and auditioned for bands including Jethro Tull. Needing a job he went to Strand Cosmetics, where John Eichler was hiring people for musical ability, or strangeness, and met [[Malcolm Morley {musician)|]] who was playing with Sam Apple Pie but wanted his own band. Treece went back to Lincolnshire, to join the Monday Morning Glory Band, but returned to London when Famepushers offered Morley financial support.

Help Yourself

Morley invited Treece, former Sam Apple Pie drummer Dave Charles and bassist Ken Whaley to form Help Yourself and, before the band had played a gig, recorded an eponymous debut album, Help Yourself released in 1971. Ernie Graham (ex Eire Apparent), was also managed by Famepushers, so Treece played on Graham's first album Ernie Graham (1971) and Help Yourself toured on the Downhome Rhythm Kings package with Graham and Brinsley Schwarz. After the tour, Ken Whaley was fired, but no other bass player was recruited and Ernie Graham and his guitarist Jonathan “Jojo” Glemser, joined the band, so Treece switched to bass. The band played the 1971 Glastonbury Festival

A track "Street Songs" was issued on a United Artists sampler All Good Clean Fun. A tour was arranged to promote this album, so Help Yourself joined Man and Leicester band Gypsy, on a tour of Switzerland.

The second album Strange Affair was recorded at Headley Grange, initially with Treece still on bass, and adding his guitar parts later, until Paul Burton, their then Road Manager joined on bass, to complete the album. Strange Affair was released in early 1972, by which time both Graham and Glemser had left.

The new line up of Burton, Morley, Treece and Charles appeared on their first Peel Session in April 1972 and recorded the next album Beware of the Shadow almost immediately. Sean Tyla, who had been the band's roadie, helped with some of the songwriting, notably "All Electric Fur Trapper", based on a fairy tale he had written, featuring Treece's "acid drenched" guitar solo.

Deke Leonard temporarily replaced Morley who was suffering from depression, and stayed after Morley had recovered. Help Yourself with Leonard and B. J. Cole, played at Man's 1972 Christmas Party, issued as Christmas at the Patti. This later led to Treece backing Leonard on his first solo album Iceberg (1974).

In 1973, Help Yourself recorded their fourth album The Return of Ken Whaley and a XXXX album Happy Days with Roger Ruskin Spear and the Flying Aces, in preparation for a two month "Happy Days" vaudeville show held in a circus tent. This led to Treece playing on Ruskin Spear's album Unusual (1973)

Help Yourself started recording their fifth album in July 1973, with a line-up augmented by Sean Tyla. The album was to be called 5 and although they eventually laid down 8 tracks, they gave up recording and disbanded in August 1973. They reformed for a one-off appearance at "The Amazing ZigZag Concert" on 28 April 1974.

After Morley released his solo album Aliens in 2001, the suggestion that 5 be completed re-arose, and the album was finally completed in 2002/2003 by Morley, Treece and Whaley.

The Tyla Gang

Having played with Sean Tyla in Help Yourself, Treece was invited to join the Tyla Gang and played on their single "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre Boogie" - the first record issued by Stiff Records.

Donovan's Brain

In 1996, Treece and former bandmate Ken Whaley, joined Donovan’s Brain, a "psychedelic musical collective", or rock band "with a revolving door policy, organized by Ron Sanchez in Bozeman, Montana. Treece had first met Sanchez in 1978 when Roy Wilbraham introduced them, but was asked to join the band a fter it has split part-way through some recording sessions, which were later released as Eclipse And Drebris. Treece also played on the next three 'Brain' albums, Tiny Crustacean Light Show, The Great Leap Forward and A Defeat Of Echoes, sometimes travelling to the US and sometimes contributing from the UK.

Discography

Solo

• Dream Arena East (2008)

With Help Yourself

• Help Yourself (1971)
• Strange Affair (1972)
• Beware of the Shadow(1972)
• Christmas at the Patti (1973)
• The Return of Ken Whaley (1973)
• Happy Days (1973)
• 5 (2004)
• The Amazing ZigZag Concert (2010)
• For singles, compilations and samplers see Help Yourself Discography

With Donovan's Brain

• Eclipse & Debris (1999)
• Tiny Crustacean Light Show (2000)
• The Great Leap Forward (2003)
• A Defeat of Echoes (2005)

With The Green Ray

• Sighs, Wales and Trees (1995)
• The Green Ray (1996)
• Fragile World (2004)

With other artists

• Ernie Graham Ernie Graham (1971)
• Roger Ruskin Spear Unusual (1973)
• Deke Leonard Iceberg (1974)
• The Flying Aces Seashell (2002)