Nigel H Seymour

Nigel H Seymour is an International singer-songwriter/guitarist.
Biography
Nigel H Seymour spent the majority of his ‘formative’ years moving between Scotland and England. From the Highlands and the Islands to an old grey Lancashire town. It was on the Island of Iona while still a boy that Nigel experienced his first real contact with music. His first song was written as a ‘favour’ for ‘Dilly John’ one of the visiting ‘hippies’ to the romantic island who inspired the crofting boy to continue writing and playing his tunes.
His first ever recording took place at the age of 16. Two of his first songs were picked to be recorded in a small studio, which at the time was owned by a band called ‘Tractor’ who had on loan a 4-track recorder from John Peel and Dandelion Records.
Later he was to return to the old grey Lancashire town and Cargo Studio’s in order to record the first songs on an album which was to be entitled ‘Sweet Lady’ (1977), a series of songs Seymour had written while back on Iona apparently inspired by being chased off some hills somewhere while on holiday in the north of England. The song cycle included 1. Memoranda 2. Sweet Lady 3. Loving’s not a pretty Game 4. Fiona. 5.Sweet Anne Marie don’t turn away. 6. Twenty Years young. 7. Poems are Words
8.Ever More 9. North Country woman. 10. Moon. The majority of these songs were never recorded and the present album entitled ‘Sweet Lady’ (now available on the Nigel H S website) has just 4 songs. Jeanie Blue, Loneliness to me, Dervaig 265 and ‘I found you’. Truly a collector’s album.
It was in 1984 that Seymour embarked on the first of several major international expeditions. The first one was accompanying the explorer David Hempleman Adams On a journey to Cape Horn in South America. The result was a book entitled (‘The Cape Horn Experience’) Throughout these journeys which continued throughout the latter part of the 1980s Seymour wrote a series of songs and writings /poems which were to form part of his sustaining relationship with music. In 1984/5 Seymour had a dream that he could link together two separate kayaks and form a type of sailing rigger. The dream was eventually to become a reality and he set out once more with the ‘Kaymaran’ the worlds first sailing kayaks to try to round cape Horn for the second time in two years. ‘Kaymaran Dreams to Reality’ is the book based on Kaymarans adventures in Sweden and South America) During this time he wrote a series of other songs, which he endeavoured to record upon his return to the Uk. It was during this time that Seymour was working in close collaboration with the BBC.
In Bristol and London and had been instrumental in the production of a film about the ‘Kaymaran’rounding Cape Horn in South America. The film entitled ‘By Sail and Saddle’ was Seymour’s first documentary feature and was to include one of the songs he’d written while waiting for weather in Punta Arenas in South Chile.
His chance meeting with Martin Barre of Jethro Tull in 1987 produced the opportunity for Seymour to begin recording the series of songs he’d completed in Chile, and with the advent of the TV documentary the song Sail Away was recorded specially for the footage which featured Martin Barre on guitar. This album was entitled ‘Sacred Hearts’ (1987) and was to feature songs such as ‘Arabic Woman’ ‘I can’t believe’ and Sail Away.
In 1988 Seymour was again en route to South America in order to participate in a Chilean invitation to the Antarctica. It was while in Santiago that some tracks of the ‘Sacred Hearts’ album were played on the country’s ‘Video Top’ programme allowing access for Seymour to participate in a number of concerts across the country.
Now a new series of songs and writings began to emerge which were based upon the situation in Chile at the time. The Pinnochet regime, the suppression and the passion of the Chilean people for freedom and democracy. The songs and writings were entitled ‘Writings from the wall’ this collection was simply filed away upon his return to the UK. Recently these songs and writings have been unearthed and are scheduled for release both as a CD and a book.
Back in the UK Seymour met up once more with engineer Mark Tucker who was instrumental in the co- production of ‘Sacred Hearts’ and together they began the process of establishing a band and ‘Big Blue’ was eventually formed. With Big Blue in mind and heart Seymour wrote specific songs and drew upon his vast repertoire stashed away in a bottom draw. ‘Magallanes Child’ ‘Judah read tonight’ ‘ I can make you love me’ just some of the material which contributed towards the recordings ‘Big Blue Almost Live’ and ‘Big Blue ‘Live’.
For Hogmanay 1990 Seymour returned to his genesis Iona after many years of absence. He was confronted by his Iona brother John who insisted he go into the famous abbey on Boxing evening in order to record some songs with his acoustic guitar and his voice in the wonderful natural acoustics. John took the byre ghetto blaster to record the experience and the results were ‘spiritual’ ‘Depend on you’ ‘Fine by me’ ‘all in a woman’s touch’ were songs which made up the ‘Abbey Album live’ The recording was done amidst the wind sea and the rain.
In 1993 after a long period of arsing about Seymour took a job in outdoor pursuits in the Lake District establishing a centre of excellence literally out of a virtually empty old house. During those years he continued to write and perform his music. His chance came again when he embarked on a new album project entitled ‘Heaven to Earth’ but refused to give up his day job. The album was recorded in greater Manchester and was co produced by Peter Traughton. It featured Warren Mycock on keyboards and Nigel Pickering on guitar. New songs emerged such as ‘Watchtower’
'Kissing me goodbye’ ‘you’ and ‘Dreaming’. The result of this album was a chance to go to America later that year, but the birth of his son Alex was the deciding factor in Seymour returning to the UK after only a short time spent in Los Angeles.
Again in 2003 Seymour was approached to make a ‘come back’ to music with an offer to make an album and a film of a concert, which was to be entitled ‘alone’ and feature him on acoustic guitar and piano in the great acoustic space of the Westmoreland Hall Cumbria. It was to be similar to the Iona Abbey experience and boast no form of P.A. system with Seymour’s voice relying heavily on the acoustics of the hall. It was an amazing success and resulted in an appearance at the Glastonbury Festival that year and several dates later on in Europe. Songs such as ‘Dancing’ another version of ‘Depend on you’ ‘I will love you’ and the song ‘Shining Blue’ all were featured on this album and now the pressure was on for Seymour to get his music out into the world yet again. At last in 2005 an opportunity arose for Seymour to literally ‘walk away’ from his day job and create ‘Watermark Music’ an independent label, which would deal specifically with all his own-recorded works to begin with.
2006 saw the production of yet another live album entitled ‘High Street’ Nigel H Seymour ‘Live’ at St Thomas’s Church Kendal. Songs such as ‘Whispers’ ‘High Street’ and ‘yours truly’ featured Bill Holliday on guitar Alan Whitmore on Keyboards and Julie Haddock on Backing vocals. That year Mark Tucker again contacted Seymour with an idea to return to Iona to record again in Iona Abbey, only this time using state of art equipment. The journey back to Iona did not turn out as planned and the acoustic album which was planned did not materialise although numerous songs were partially recorded. In 2007 Seymour embarked on one of the biggest projects of his career to date by evolving the music and film called ‘the Bells of Nuremberg’ based on the subject of Forgiveness. Seymour by now was resident in south Germany. He’d written several songs on the theme of ‘forgiveness’ and recorded one of the songs ‘live another Day’ at the famous Bauer Studios in Ludwigsburg with Producer Marius Gabriel Bo cur. The film took him throughout Europe and to Israel on more than one occasion, the latter following in the footsteps of Jesus. The film is centred around an Auschwitz survivor named Maria who was a victim of Joseph Mengele and her attitude to the subject of forgiveness. Songs include ‘The Bells of Nuremberg’, ‘Hymn for Hope’, ‘Forgiveness’ and ‘Live another Day’. After numerous concerts in Europe Seymour began work on his new,forthcoming album entitled ‘Europe’. The album features many new tracks, but at the same time utilises aspects of tracks which were recorded ‘live’ in Iona abbey back in 2006. The effect is quite startling and results are exciting. Seymour was said to be ‘happy with the way all is evolving. And it’s amazing how one can, in this case fuse the old with the new and still achieve a totally fresh experience’ Presently the album is being concluded in Scotland with several of Scotlands finest musicians ' Foss Paterson: Keyboards, Arrun Ahmun,the Welsh contingent on Percussion, Alan Thompson: Bass Guitars and Electric Guitars.Phil Cunningham is featured on accordion and the great Nicola Parov from Budapest is featured on flute. The album was engineered by Brian McNeill of Cava Studio's in Glasgow and produced by Nigel H seymour.
'Its great just being around these guys,they are wonderful musicians and put 'magic' into the songs. I could sit and listen to the 'boys' play the music for ever!'
In 2008 it was decided to introduce ‘The Best of Nigel H Seymour’ an album which boasts some of Seymour’s greatest songs to date.
‘When we sat around to decide which songs were to be included on this album I could simply not make my mind up’ he said. ‘There are so many ‘favourites’ and I’m just thankful I was chosen to ‘catch all these songs’ from the air’ x
Nigel H Seymour has certainly made a stabbing at returning to music and intends to offer all his recorded works back into the world.
Instruments
Nigel H Seymour believes that the quality of the instrument used by the musician to perform their music is totally important…. In the early years Seymour possessed a £15 Spanish type guitar to learn on. In the mid 70’s he acquired his first acoustic steel strung guitar a Kasuga which was to be the start of his collection of acoustic guitars.
In the late 80’s he acquired a colleagues Kasuga, which needed some work at the time, on a form of loan. With this guitar tuned well up from the normal tuning, Seymour performed the ‘Abbey Album’ live in Iona abbey. The guitar was rather special as it survived several escapades with Seymour, one apparently while trying to leave Iona on a rather windswept day. The ferry had trouble docking on the jetty at Iona and Nigel found himself running down the jetty, guitar in hand in between breaking waves to ‘jump’ onto the ferry ramp, which was shifting about precariously. The guitar case apparently got ‘washed-out of his grasp by a large breaker, and ‘bobbed away’ quite happily down the sound of Iona in between the waves! It was however,retrieved!
Other guitars in his collection now include a 1975 red Fender stratocaster; A Simon-Patrick ‘Luther’ which Seymour reckons is the workhorse of the collection. A Richard Sanchez Flamenco guitar, A Martin DM, A Martin OMC15E which was very badly damaged after touring in Europe, this guitar was completely rebuilt by Seymour’s close friend and guitar specialist Uwe Norkus of Poppenweiler Germany.(The story of the rebuild is featured on the forthcoming new 'Nigel H Seymour website.(www.nigelhseymour.com) A Martin J 12 twelve string which Nigel reckons is one of the best sounding tymbral twelve string guitars around. He has also in his possession a Fender Telecaster which once belonged to Ronny Wood, and a Gibson ‘The Paul’ which was purchased in Europe. The latest acquisition is a Koaloha Ukulele on which he wrote the new song 'Star' (You and me)
to be featured on his forthcoming new album ‘Europe’
Discography
Studio Albums
*1977 Sweet Lady
*1987 Sacred Hearts Album
*1988 Big Blue ‘Almost Live
*1996 Heaven to Earth Album
*2009 ‘Writings from the Wall’
*2009 ‘Europe’
Live Albums
*1989 Big Blue ‘Live’
*2005 Alone Album & DVD
*2006 High Street Album
Compilation Album
*2008 Best Of Nigel H Seymour

Main Menu

See Also

Main Menu