Cozy Powell

A Tribute to Cozy Powell
29 December 1947 - 5 April 1998


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DEATH REPORTS FROM THE PRESS

Drummer Cozy Powell is dead


Music industry colleagues and fans have paid tribute to the rock drummer, Cozy Powell, who has died aged 50 The drummer, whose real name was Colin Powell, was killed in a car crash According to reports, his Saab 9000 crashed into central reservation barriers on the M4 outside Bristol.

Cozy Powell was a legend in rock circles - his career reading like a roll-call of Seventies supergroups The drummer was a member of Black Sabbath, Rainbow, Whitesnake, the Michael Schenker Group and the ELP spin-off Emerson, Lake & Powell He also appeared with Donovan, The Who's Roger Daltrey, Gary Moore and Queen's Brian May However, his membership of most bands was more like a brief guest slot, rather than a long term commitment.

Headlining on his own, his Dance With The Devil single made it to number three in the UK charts in 1973 Recently, he had made a comeback with Peter Green, a founder member of Fleetwood Mac.


Tributes


Mr Green's publicist, Roland Hymes, said: "Whenever I met him he seemed a lovely bloke He had been through it all and had come out the other side," he said "Basically he was a nice guy making his living out of music and having a good time."

The record producer, Micky Most, who worked with the drummer, said: "Musically speaking he was one of the best drummers we've ever had in this country He was a great guy, a fantastic musician and he always had a perfect disposition."


'Always great fun'


"I spent a lot of time with Cozy in the Seventies and we went over to Detroit recording together We had a lot of laughs and it was always a pleasurable experience to be around him He was great fun." Mr Most said he last saw the drummer around a month ago when Powell popped into his studios for a chat "He seemed in very good form He was always a very `up' guy Cozy worked with some of the greatest people and he was renowned as a great asset through both his attitude and his playing It's a great loss We're all gutted."


Web fans say 'we'll miss you'


Joe Siegler, Webmaster of a site called the Official Cozy Powell Home Page, paid his tribute shortly after the news broke He said he had only known Cozy since November when they talked about doing the site "I found him easy to work with, and a really great chap Cozy, I never met ya, but I'll miss ya," he wrote.


String of bands


His musical career began in 1965 as a member of The Sorcerers By 1971 he had established an enviable reputation that saw him linking up with guitarist Jeff Beck He soon formed his own band, Bedlam, but within two years he was enjoying solo success with his hit single Dance with the Devil Other hits included The Man In Black, reaching number 18 and with his band, Cozy Powell's Hammer, he released Na Na Na, which climbed to number 10 This last project split in 1975 and he spent three months indulging in one of his biggest loves, fast cars.


Rainbow rising


He devoted this spell to motor racing before joining Rainbow and playing on four albums before leaving in 1980 Later he joined the Michael Schenker Group and had a short tenure with Whitesnake By the 1990s he was playing with and producing Black Sabbath and in 1991, he turned up on Comic Relief's No 1 single, The Stonk, with comedians Hale & Pace.

Since then Powell has joined Brian May on a Jimi Hendrix tribute album, and supported Peter Green on his comeback tour In past months his sessions have included stints with Glenn Tipton of Judas Priest and Brian May's new album He was recently reportedly working with guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen.

BBC News - April 7, 1998



Drummer Cozy Powell Dies In Car Crash


Drummer Cozy (Collin) Powell has died in a high speed car crash near Bristol, England The prolific Powell, 50, was touted as one of Britain's best players after stints with Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Jeff Beck, Brian May, Whitesnake, Michael Schenker, Peter Green, the ELP spin-off Emerson, Lake and Powell, and his own Cozy Powell's Hammer among many others.

A source close to Powell says the drummer, who once briefly quit the music business to go full time into auto racing, was apparently alone in his Saab Sunday night (he also owns a Ferrari) travelling well in excess of 90 mph when he crashed into the center divider.

Just a few weeks previously, Powell had been forced to cancel a Japanese tour with Yngwie Malmsteen because of a minor motorcycle accident that led to a foot injury.

The always cheerful Powell was also one of the best liked performers on the circuit "He was a nice guy making his living out of music and having a good time," his publicist told the "London Times." "Musically, he was one of the best drummers we've ever had in this country," producer Mickey Most told the paper "He was a great guy and always had a perfect disposition We had a lot of laughs and he was great fun."

Powell had achieved notoriety as a solo performer as well as a band player Polydor in England recently released the "Best of Cozy Powell" which included tracks from his three solo albums Most recently, Powell had been in discussions regarding a reunion of Rainbow with former bandmates Ronnie James Dio and Ritchie Blackmore He recorded four albums with that band That project is now on hold.

MTV - April 7, 1998



Powerful drummer whose rhythms drove many of the biggest rock bands of the 1970s


Cozy Powell, who has died in a motor accident aged 50, was one of the bestknown drummers of the 1970s.

Over his 30/year career, Powell seemed at one point or another to have been a member of every heavy/rock band of his generation, including the Jeff Beck Group, Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow, the Michael Schenker Group, Whitesnake and Black Sabbath So ubiquitous was he that his powerful playing style came to define the sound of heavy rock drumming.

Lean and chisel-jawed, with a penchant for fast cars and superbikes, he epitomised his trade He could also claim the very rare distinction, as a drummer, of having a No 3 chart hit - Dance with the Devil (1973) - under his own name.

He was born Colin Powell at Cirenchester, Glouchestershire, on December 29 1947 In his late teens he played with such bands as the Sorcherers and Big Bertha, and soon won a reputation for technical virtuosity and thundering power.

In 1971 he joined the second incarnation of the Jeff Beck Group led by the prodigiously gifted guitarist Jeff Beck, who had been Eric Clapton's replacement in the Yardbirds and had just recovered from a car accident.

With Clive Chapman on bass, Bobby Tench on vocals and Max Middleton on keyboards, the line-up produced two albums, Rough and Ready (1971) and Jeff Beck Group (1972), which were highly regarded but did not sell well.

When Beck removed himself to play in a three-piece, Powell formed his own band, Bedlam, as well as working as a freelance session drummer on several productions overseen by the producer Mickie Most for such acts as Hot Chocolate and Donovan.

It was Most, owner of Rak Records and the strategist behind Suzi Quatro's success, who encouraged Powell to attempt a solo effort After the success of Dance with the Devil in Britain in 1973 The Man in Black reached No 18 the next year, while Na Na Na, under the band name Cozy Powell's Hammer, reached No 10.

But Powell and Most recognised that the drummer was best employed as the rocksolid rhythm behind an authentic frontman The chance came when the guitarist Ritchie Blackmore left Deep Purple to form Rainbow In what would become a familiar routine, Blackmore then sacked most of his new band, and began casting around for new recruits.

Powell, at that point driving Formula Three racing cars for Hitachi, was the obvious choice Over the next five years he and Blackmore were the only consistent features in an endless succession of changing band members; but they enjoyed international acclaim and sell-out tours, with Powell's drum solos providing a high point of live shows.


The album Rainbow Rising (1976) reached No 11 in Britain, and the live double album, On Stage, a classic of its kind, No 7 Long Live Rock'n'Roll (1978) managed the Top Ten, and the band had hits with the singles Since You Been Gone and All Night Long.

In 1980, after the band had headlined at the first Monsters of Rock festival at Castle Donington, Powell quit the band At the end of that year he joined the Michael Schenker Group, started by the former guitarist of the Scorpions, but the collaboration was short-lived.

In 1983 he joined Whitesnake, which featured David Coverdale on vocals (formerly of Deep Purple), Neil Murray on bass and Jon Lord on keyboards It was a line-up of accomplished musicians, many of whom also guested on Powell's instrumental albums produced around this time.

In the mid-1980s Powell appeared on Under a Raging Moon, Roger Daltrey's tribute to the drumming style of Keith Moon, and briefly replaced percussionist Emerson, lake and Powell In 1989 he joined Black Sabbath, leaving the band after being injured in a riding accident in 1991.

During the 1990s he played behind Brian May, the guitarist of Queen, and with Peter Green's Splinter Group Green had dropped out of the group Fleetwood mac to retire into almost two decades of paranoia-induced exile, and Powell was closely involved both in Green's tentative re-emergence into the spotlight and the band's subsequent touring.

Cozy Powell was renowned as much for his humorous and equable personality as for the quality of his playing.

The Daily Telegraph - April 9, 1998



Girlfriend hears rock star die


The girlfriend of seventies rock star Cozy Powell listened on the phone as his car spun out of control at 104mph, killing him instantly, an inquest has heard.

Mr Powell, 50, was talking to girlfriend Sharon Reeve on his mobile phone when his black Saab 9000 turbo crashed on the M4 near Bristol on 5 April.

Ms Reeve said she heard a "terribly loud noise" then Mr Powell said "Oh shit" followed by silence.

She phoned the emergency services when she was unable to ring Mr Powell back.

He was pronounced dead on arrival at Frenchay Hospital in Bristol.

Bristol coroner Paul Forrest recorded a verdict of accidental death.

Mr Powell, who was over the drink-drive limit and not wearing a seat belt, had complained that he was having trouble finding fifth gear and said he hoped the engine would not seize up because he was driving so fast.

The Saab suffered a rear tyre puncture shortly afterwards that sent it spinning out of control It hit the central reservation and rolled several times before coming to rest on a grass verge.

Pc Ian Cater, who was off-duty and travelling in the opposite direction at the time of the accident, said he saw Mr Powell's car come "cartwheeling" past him before it landed on its roof.

Mr Powell once said in an interview: "I drive like I drum - madly."

He was well known for his love of fast cars and even raced Mazda saloons for a brief period in the mid-seventies.

Cozy Powell - real name Colin Powell - played with Black Sabbath, Whitesnake and Rainbow.

He had three Top 20 hits in 1973, most notably charting at number three under his own name with Dance with the Devil.

BBC News Online: Entertainment - August 25, 1998



Rock star's girlfriend heard crash on phone


COZY POWELL, the rock drummer, died when he crashed his car while talking to his girlfriend on a hand-held mobile telephone, an inquest was told yesterday The 50-year-old musician, real name Colin Powell, was over the drink-driving limit and was not wearing a seatbelt when he told Sharon Reeve that he was doing 104mph The car spun out of control on a bend after a slow puncture deflated a rear tyre.

The drummer, who had a solo hit with Dance With the Devil and had been a member of Black Sabbath, Whitesnake and the Michael Schenker Group, was hurled from the vehicle as it cartwheeled through the air before landing on top of him.

The inquest in Bristol was told that the accident happened as Mr Powell was driving along the M4 on his way to visit Miss Reeve in Cardiff In a statement Miss Reeve said: "He said he was having trouble with his gearbox and said, 'I'm driving at nearly 104mph and I hope the engine doesn't seize.' He broke off in mid-sentence I heard Cozy say 'Oh, shit' and I heard a loud bang." Verdict: accidental death.

London Times - August 26, 1998



Rock star's four-letter cry as he crashed at 104mph


Cozy Powell, the rock drummer, died in a motorway crash while talking to his girlfriend on his mobile phone, an inquest heard yesterday Powell, 50, who was over the drink-drive limit and not wearing a seat-belt, joked with Sharon Reeve that was "doing 104mph" in his Black Saab 9000 Carlsson Turbo Seconds later, however, the rear was tyre punctured and the car spun out of control as the driver turned a bend.

Powell, a former member of Black Sabbath, Whitesnake, and the Michael Schenker Group, was thrown from the vehicle as it cart-wheeled through the air before landing on top of him A passing off-duty policeman ran to the scene and found the drummer's body underneath the vehicle.

An inquest in Bristol yesterday heard that the accident happened on the M4 near Bristol as Powell, who had a lifelong love of fast cars and motorbikes, drove from his home in Woodford St Mary, near Hungerford, Berks, to meet Miss Reeve in Cardiff on April 5.

In a statement that was read out to the inquest, she said: "I telephoned his mobile at 8.30pm that day but he was having problems with his signal "He said he was having trouble with his gearbox and said, 'I'm driving at nearly 104mph and I hope the engine doesn't seize.' He broke of in mid-sentence I heard Cozy say 'Oh, shit' and I heard a loud bang At this stage I realised he was involved in an accident so I called the police."

The inquest heard that Powell, whose real name was Colin, was found to be over the drink-drive limit with 119mg of alcohol in 100ml of blood Paul Forrest, the Avon coroner, recorded a verdict of accidental death Powell's biggest hit was the instrumental Dance With The Devil, which reached number 3 in the UK singles charts in 1973.

The Daily Telegraph - August 26, 1998


The Guardian News


The girlfriend of a 1970s rock star told a Bristol inquest how she was talking to him on his mobile phone at the moment his car crashed on a motorway at 104mph. Cozy Powell, aged 50, formally a drummer with Black Sabbath, had just told Sharon Reeve that he hoped the engine would not seize up as he was going so fast, she said in a statement Then he said "Oh, shit" and went silent.

A police officer told the court Mr Powell's black turbo Saab 9000 had a rear tyre puncture just before he crashed on April 5th on the M4 near Bristol He was slightly over the drink-drive limit and was not wearing a seatbelt He was dead on arrival at hospital Verdict: accidental death.

The Guardian - August 26, 1998



The Daily Mirror News


According to the article in the British newspaper The Daily Mirror, Cozy was going 104 mph, not wearing a seatbelt, distracted by talking on the phone and was over the legal drink-drive limit Cozy had a "tyre" with a slow leak which caused him to lose control on a turn and hit the rail He was thrown from the car It cartwheeled and fell on top of him An off duty cop was in the car in front of him, checked the wreck, and found Cozy's arm and leg sticking out from under the wreck.

Cozy's girlfriend was on the phone with him at the time of the crash He was bragging about going 104 mph but was worried about the gearbox seizing Cozy's last words were "Oh Shit!" Sharon Reeve, his "late 20's girlfriend" heard a loud bang when the car hit She tried to call him back, got his answering service, and called the police.

A tribute concert was held on May 1, 1999, in Buxton, England.

The Daily Mirror, August 26, 1998


Hard Radio News


According to on-line sources, the girlfriend of Cozy Powell told an inquest into the drummer's death that she listened on the phone as his car spun out of control at 104 mph, killing him instantly Sharon Reeve was taking to Powell on his mobile phone when his black Saab 900 turbo crashed on the M4 highway, near Bristol, England, on April 5.

Reeve told the court she heard a "terribly loud noise," which was later found to be a rear tire puncture; then Powell said "Oh shit," followed by silence She phoned the emergency services when she was unable to raise the musician on the phone He was pronounced dead on arrival at Frechay Hospital in Bristol.

Last week, the Bristol coroner, Paul Forrest, recorded a verdict of accidental death It should be noted that Powell was over the legal drinking and driving limit, and was not wearing a seat belt

Hard Radio - 8 September 1998