Biography
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Born
9 June 1949
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Born In
Hampstead, Camden, London, England, United Kingdom
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Died
12 May 2023 (aged 73)
Francis Monkman (born in Hampstead, North London on 9 June 1949; died 12 May 2023) was an English rock, classical and film score composer remembered as a founding member of both the progressive rock band Curved Air and the classical/rock fusion band Sky. His film score compositions included the soundtrack to the British film, "The Long Good Friday".
Monkman was a student at Westminster School where he studied organ and harpsichord, later studying at the Royal College of Music, winning the Raymond Rusel prize for virtuosity on the harpsichord and becoming a member of the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields. In the late 1960s he co-founded the rock band Curved Air, and in 1977 collaborated with Brian Eno in the project 801.
In the 1980s he resumed classical performances and recordings, plus, together with guitarist and composer John Williams, formed the classical/rock fusion band Sky.
During his time with Sky, Monkman continued to release solo recordings which mingled original composition with film and television soundtracks and library music. His 1978 album Energism included the electronic "Achievements of Man", from which extracts were used as the theme to the BBC programme Think Again. He composed the piece "Current Affairs", used by Channel 4 as the introduction to Engineering Announcements, provided by the IBA. He also became known as a synthesizer demonstrator on programs like the BBC's Tomorrow's World.
In 1980, Monkman's soundtrack to the British film "The Long Good Friday" was so successful that he opted to amicably leave Sky in order to concentrate on television and soundtrack work. At around the same time, he resumed performances of classical harpsichord music.
In 1981, Monkman released an art/progressive rock album called "Dweller on the Threshold". This was the first album on which he had sung lead vocals; it also featured Camel's Andy Latimer (guitar) and former Whitesnake drummer Dave Dowle, as well as singers Graham Laydon and Julia Rathbone.
After a twenty-year break, Monkman started to release further albums at the start of the twenty-first century, beginning with 2001's "21st Century Blues".
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