Fairweather Low was born in
Ystrad Mynach, Wales, to
working class parents. The family, including his two brothers, lived in an "unheated
council house" on an estate; his father, a road sweeper, was unable to afford a car. Fairweather Low's first opportunity to play guitar came when he took a Saturday job at a music shop in Cardiff. He achieved fame as a founding member of the pop group
Amen Corner in the late 1960s. They had four successive top-ten hits on the
UK Singles Chart, including the number-one single "
(If Paradise Is) Half as Nice" in 1969. In the description of
AllMusic critic William Ruhlmann, the band's overnight success and Fairweather Low's
teen idol looks "put his attractive face on the bedroom walls of teenage girls all over Britain". After twelve months, Fairweather Low left to pursue a solo career. He released four albums up to 1980 on
A&M and
Warner Bros. and
Richard and Linda Thompson.
1978–1999 In 1978, Fairweather Low sang backing vocals on the album
Who Are You, from
the Who, specifically on the tracks "New Song", "Had Enough", "Guitar and Pen", "Love Is Coming Down", and "
Who Are You". On the Who's 1982 album ''
It's Hard'', he played rhythm guitar on the song "It's Your Turn". Fairweather Low later appeared on Townshend's 1993 album
Psychoderelict and the accompanying concert tour. In 1995, Fairweather Low played rhythm guitar on
Joe Satriani's
self-titled CD, along with
Nathan East on bass and
Manu Katché on drums. One reviewer commented that "this backup band of extremely gifted backup musicians sincerely adds a diverse range of textures and colors, bringing out a much-needed live feel to an otherwise bland album of blues-oriented jazz-rock." For 22 years he was a guitarist for
The Bleeding Heart Band, the backing band for
Roger Waters. Fairweather Low worked with Waters from his
The Pros and Cons of Hitchhiking tour of America in 1985. He contributed to two of Waters' albums –
Radio KAOS in 1987 and
Amused to Death in 1992. He played guitar and bass on Roger Waters' all-star performance of
The Wall – Live in Berlin on 21 July 1990, on the 1999–2002
In the Flesh world tour and was playing on Waters'
Dark Side of the Moon Live world tour in 2006 His role was picked up by session guitarist Chester Kamen. In 1992, he began working on projects alongside
Eric Clapton. Fairweather Low had earlier appeared in Clapton's band in the
1983 ARMS concerts for
Ronnie Lane and, while he has continued to do session work for various people, including
Dave Edmunds, Fairweather Low has spent most of his time since the early 1990s as a
sideman in Clapton's backing band, as well as session work; notably Clapton's
Unplugged concerts, as well as on
From The Cradle. In the same year, he was present on tours with the 1999
Linda Ronstadt and
Emmylou Harris collaboration. In December 1991, he played guitar on
George Harrison's
Live in Japan tour and album, along with the rest of Clapton's band, In 2011, Fairweather Low joined Clapton for another series of concerts at the Royal Albert Hall. He also performs with
Edie Brickell,
Steve Gadd, and bassist (and fellow Welshman)
Pino Palladino as The Gaddabouts; their
eponymous album was released in early 2011, and their second album,
Look Out Now!, was released in 2012. Also in 2011, Fairweather Low made a guest appearance on
Kate Bush's album
50 Words For Snow, singing on the chorus of the album's only single, "
Wild Man". In 2013, he opened Eric Clapton's shows with his band the Lowriders on Clapton's European tour and, later that year, Fairweather Low & the Lowriders released the album,
Zone-O-Tone. In April 2013, he appeared at the Eric Clapton Guitar Festival Crossroads in New York and featured on two tracks of the DVD of the concert. On 13–14 November, he was also part of Eric Clapton's band on the occasion of Clapton's two concerts during the "Baloises Sessions" in Basel, Switzerland, where he was featured singing "
Gin House Blues". In November 2015, Fairweather Low made a guest appearance on
Kevin Brown's album
Grit. Between September 2021 and April 2022, Fairweather Low & the Low Riders undertook an extensive UK tour, billed as "On The Road Again", playing over 50 dates and ending at the Flowerpot in
Derby on 30 April 2022. On 31 December 2022/1 January 2023 he appeared as a guest artist on the ''
Jools' Annual Hootenanny'' show on BBC2 to welcome in the new year. During the
COVID-19 lockdown, Fairweather Low recorded a new solo album,
Flang Dang, at
Rockfield Studios, on which he played every instrument except drums. The album was released in February 2023 under The Last Music Company label. == Personal life ==