Patto

The band consisted of four very talented musicians: Mike Patto (vocals, occasional keyboards), Ollie Halsall (guitar, vocals, keyboards, vibes), John Halsey (drums, percussion), and Clive Griffiths (bass, vocals). They produced some absolutely fantastic music -- an interesting mix of catchy rock riffs, unusual time signature changes, incredible guitar solos, ass-kicking vocals, jazz workouts, and humor. For one reason or another, however, it never earned them the recognition many feel they deserved.Ollie was a particularly outstanding guitarist. From a technical standpoint, he was doing things back in 1970 that were way ahead of their time. His approach to soloing in particular was very creative -- stepping out of the typical scalar patterns and formulas and making it work like few others could. If you love rock and/or jazz guitarists and haven't heard Ollie yet, finding copies of the Patto albums and checking out Ollie's incredible playing is very highly recommended.A great guitarist does not make a band, however, and the rest of Patto's members were exceptional musicians as well. Mike's striking voice could go from smooth and soulful to a blistering scream. And John and Clive provided a top-notch rhythm section.Sadly, the Patto story is full of tragedy. Mike lost his fight with lymphatic leukemia in 1979. Ollie died from a drug-related heart attack in 1992. Clive was left paralyzed and without any memory of his days with Patto in an auto accident. John, though left with a bit of a limp from the same car accident, is alive and well and owns a great pub. John still drums a bit for special occasions.Also sad is the fact that Patto has retained its relatively unknown status, even in musicians' circles. Hopefully someday more people will have Patto in their ears! - from http://members.aol.com/rutler/