Formation and early years (1970–1971) In November 1970, Bryan Ferry, who had just lost his job teaching ceramics at a girls' school for holding impromptu record-listening sessions, advertised for a keyboardist to collaborate with him and
Graham Simpson, a bassist he knew from his
Newcastle University formed band, the Gas Board, and with whom he collaborated on his first songs.
Andy Mackay replied to Ferry's advertisement. Although more proficient on saxophone and oboe, Mackay owned an
EMS VCS 3 synthesizer. Mackay had met
Brian Eno during university days, as both were interested in
avant-garde and
electronic music. Although Eno was a non-musician, he could operate a synthesizer and owned a
Revox reel-to-reel tape machine, so Mackay convinced him to join the band as a technical adviser. Before long Eno was an official member of the group. Rounding out the original sextet were guitarist Roger Bunn (who had issued the well-regarded solo studio album
Piece of Mind earlier in 1970) and drummer Dexter Lloyd, a classically trained
timpanist. The group's name was derived from Ferry and Mackay making a list of old cinemas, and Ferry picking Roxy because it had a "resonance", some "faded glamour", and "didn't really mean anything". After learning of an
American band with the name Roxy, Ferry changed the name to Roxy Music, a play on "rock music". At some time during late 1970/early 1971, Ferry auditioned as lead vocalist for
King Crimson, who were seeking a replacement for
Gordon Haskell. While
Robert Fripp and
Peter Sinfield decided Ferry's voice was unsuitable for King Crimson's material, they were impressed with his talent and helped the fledgling Roxy Music to obtain a
recording contract with
E.G. Records. In 1971, Roxy Music recorded a
demo tape of some early compositions. In the spring of that year, Lloyd left the band, and an advertisement was placed in
Melody Maker saying "wonder drummer wanted for an
avant rock group".
Paul Thompson responded to the advertisement and joined the band in June 1971. Bunn left the group at the end of the summer of 1971, and in October, Roxy Music advertised in
Melody Maker seeking the "Perfect Guitarist". The successful applicant was
David O'List, former guitarist with
the Nice.
Phil Manzanera—soon to become a group member—was one of about twenty other players who also auditioned. Although he did not initially make the band as a guitarist, the group were impressed enough with Manzanera that he was invited to become Roxy Music's
roadie, an offer which he accepted. In December 1971, after a year of writing and rehearsing, Roxy Music began playing live, with their first show at the Friends of the
Tate Gallery Christmas show in
London. The band's fortunes were greatly increased by the support of broadcaster
John Peel and
Melody Maker journalist
Richard Williams. Williams became an enthusiastic fan after meeting Ferry and being given a demonstration tape during mid-1971, and wrote the first major article on the band, featured on
Melody Makers "Horizons" page in the edition of 7 August 1971. This line-up of Roxy Music (Ferry/Mackay/Eno/Simpson/Thompson/O'List) recorded a
BBC session shortly thereafter.
First two studio albums (1972–1973) In early February 1972, guitarist O'List quit the group abruptly after an altercation with Paul Thompson, which took place at their audition for David Enthoven of
E.G. Management. When O'List did not show up for the next rehearsal, Manzanera was asked to come along, on the pretext of becoming the band's sound mixer. When he arrived he was invited to play guitar and quickly realised that it was an informal audition. Unbeknownst to the rest of the group, Manzanera had learned their entire repertoire and as a result, he was immediately hired as O'List's permanent replacement, joining on 14 February 1972. Manzanera, the son of an
English father and a
Colombian mother, had spent a considerable amount of time in
South America and
Cuba as a child, and although he did not have the same art school background as Ferry, Mackay and Eno, he was perhaps the most proficient member of the band, with an interest in a wide variety of music. Manzanera also knew other well-known musicians, such as
Pink Floyd's
David Gilmour, who was a friend of his elder brother, and
Soft Machine's
Robert Wyatt. Two weeks after Manzanera joined the band, Roxy Music signed with E.G. Management. E.G. Management financed the recording of the tracks for their debut album,
Roxy Music, recorded in March–April 1972 and produced by King Crimson lyricist
Peter Sinfield. The band signed with Island Records a few days later. The album was released in June to good reviews and became a major success, reaching No. 10 on the
UK Albums Chart in September 1972. Manzanera said in an interview in 2024 that the band received five percent of the profits, to be divided between six musicians. During the first half of 1972, bassist Graham Simpson became increasingly withdrawn and uncommunicative, which led to his leaving the band almost immediately after the recording of the debut album. From this point on, the bassist position in Roxy Music would be unstable, with Peter Paul, Rik Kenton,
John Porter,
John Gustafson,
Sal Maida,
John Wetton and
Rick Wills all passing in and out of the band over the next four years. To bring more attention to their studio album, Roxy Music decided to record and release a single. Their debut single was "
Virginia Plain", which scored No. 4 on the
UK singles chart. The band's eclectic visual image, captured in their debut performance on the BBC's
Top of the Pops, became a cornerstone for the
glam trend in the
UK. The success of the single caused a renewed interest in the album. Roxy Music's second album,
For Your Pleasure, was released in March 1973. It marked the beginning of the band's long, successful collaboration with producer
Chris Thomas, who worked on all of the group's classic albums and singles in the 1970s. The album was promoted with the non-album single "
Pyjamarama". At the time Ferry was dating French model
Amanda Lear; she was photographed with a black
jaguar for the front cover of the album, while Ferry appears on the back cover as a dapper chauffeur standing behind a
limousine.
Stranded, Country Life, Siren, and solo projects (1973–1977) Soon after the tour to promote
For Your Pleasure ended, Brian Eno left Roxy Music amidst increasing differences with Ferry. He was replaced by 18-year-old multi-instrumentalist
Eddie Jobson, formerly of
progressive rockers
Curved Air, who played keyboards and electric violin. Although some fans lamented the loss of the experimental attitude and camp aesthetic that Eno had brought to the band, the classically trained Jobson was a more accomplished musician. '' in 1974. Left to right: Jobson, Manzanera (back), Ferry (front), Thompson, Maida, Mackay
Rolling Stone referred to the band's next two albums,
Stranded (1973) and
Country Life (1974), as marking "the zenith of contemporary British
art rock". Roxy Music's fifth album
Siren (1975) contained their only US Top 40 hit on the
Billboard Hot 100, "
Love Is the Drug", while Jobson received his only writing credit in Roxy Music on the song "She Sells", a co-write with Ferry. The album cover featured American model
Jerry Hall, who became Ferry's girlfriend and eventual fiancée, before leaving him for
Mick Jagger of
the Rolling Stones in 1977. After the concert tours in support of
Siren in 1976, Roxy Music disbanded. Their live album
Viva! was released in August 1976. In 1976, Manzanera reunited with Eno on the critically acclaimed one-off
801 Live album.
Final studio albums and hiatus (1978–1983) Roxy Music reunited during 1978 to record a new studio album,
Manifesto, but with a reshuffled line-up. Jobson was reportedly not contacted for the reunion; at the time, he was touring and recording with his own band,
U.K.. The core band of Ferry, Mackay, Manzanera and Thompson were augmented by
Paul Carrack on keyboards, with bass split between
Alan Spenner and
Gary Tibbs. Tibbs and keyboardist Dave Skinner played on the subsequent tour. Three singles were issued from
Manifesto, including the major UK hits "
Angel Eyes" (UK No. 4), and "
Dance Away" (UK No. 2). Both these tracks are significantly different from the album versions, as "Dance Away" was remixed for single release, and "Angel Eyes" was entirely re-recorded, with a disco, rather than rock, arrangement. After the tour and before the recording of the next album,
Flesh + Blood (1980), Thompson broke his thumb in a motorcycle mishap and took a leave from the band. After Ferry, Mackay and Manzanera completed the album with several session drummers, Thompson rejoined them, briefly, in the spring of 1980, and made some television appearances as part of the album's early promotion. By the time the
Flesh + Blood tour properly began, Thompson had left again due to musical differences with Ferry. At this point, the band officially became a core trio of Ferry, Mackay and Manzanera, augmented by a variety of musicians over the next few years, including Alan Spenner, Gary Tibbs, Paul Carrack, drummer
Andy Newmark and guitarist
Neil Hubbard.
Flesh + Blood became a huge commercial success in their homeland, as the album went to No. 1 on the UK charts, and spun off three UK hits: "
Oh Yeah" (UK No. 5), "
Over You" (UK No. 5), and "
Same Old Scene" (UK No. 12). However, the band's new reliance on expert session musicians (a situation favoured by Ferry and grudgingly tolerated by Mackay and Manzenera), caused a distinct change in Roxy Music's musical style, becoming smoother and more slick than their earlier work. The change of direction received mixed critical reception, with
Rolling Stone panning
Manifesto ("Roxy Music has not gone
disco. Roxy Music has not particularly gone anywhere else either.") as well as
Flesh + Blood ("such a shockingly bad Roxy Music record that it provokes a certain fascination"), while others were more positive, including
Melody Maker, who said of
Manifesto, "...reservations aside, this may be the first such return bout ever attempted with any degree of genuine success: a technical knockout against the odds." In 1981, Roxy Music recorded the non-album single "
Jealous Guy". A
cover version of a song written and originally recorded by
John Lennon, Roxy Music recorded "Jealous Guy" as a tribute to Lennon after his
1980 murder. The song topped the UK Singles Chart for two weeks in March 1981, becoming the band's only No. 1 single. Later, with more sombre and carefully sculpted soundscapes, the band's eighth and final studio album,
Avalon (1982), recorded at
Chris Blackwell's
Compass Point Studios, was a major commercial success and restored the group's critical reputation. The album included the successful single "
More Than This", as well as several other Roxy Music classics, such as "
Avalon", "The Main Thing", "The Space Between", "True to Life", and "To Turn You On". Ferry, Mackay and Manzanera (augmented by several additional players) toured extensively from August 1982 to May 1983, with the
Avalon tour being documented on the band's second live album
The High Road, released in March 1983. A home video, also titled
The High Road, captured an August 1982 show at
Fréjus where Roxy Music co-headlined with King Crimson (whose set from the same show was released on home video as
The Noise). A further live album from this tour,
Heart Still Beating, was released in 1990.
Avalon reached No. 1 on the UK Albums Chart and was certified Platinum in the United States and Canada. It was widely praised by critics for its atmospheric production and mature songwriting, often cited as the band's most refined work. In 2003,
Rolling Stone ranked it among the "100 Greatest Albums of the 1980s." After completion of the
Avalon tour, Roxy Music dissolved. For the next eighteen years Ferry, Mackay and Manzanera all devoted themselves full-time to solo careers.
Reunions (2001–2011, 2019, 2022) Ferry, Manzanera, Mackay and Thompson re-formed in 2001 to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the band, and toured extensively. A festival performance in
Portugal and a short tour of the United States followed. Absent was Brian Eno, who criticised the motives of the band's reunion, saying, "I just don't like the idea. It leaves a bad taste". Later Eno remarked that his comment had been taken out of context. Manzanera and Thompson recorded and toured with Ferry on his eleventh solo studio album
Frantic (2002). Eno also contributed to
Frantic on the track "I Thought". During 2002,
Image Entertainment, Inc., released the concert DVD
Roxy Music Live at the Apollo featuring performances of 20 songs plus interviews and rehearsal footage. In 2004,
Rolling Stone magazine ranked the group No. 98 on
its list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. Roxy Music gave a live performance at the
Isle of Wight Festival 2005 on 11 June 2005, their first UK concert since the 2001–2002 world tour. On 2 July 2005, the band played "Jealous Guy", "Do the Strand", and "Love is the Drug" at the
Berlin contribution to
Live 8; "Do the Strand" is available on the four-disc DVD collection, and "Love Is the Drug" can be found on the
Live 8 Berlin DVD. In March 2005, it was announced on Phil Manzanera's official site that the band, including Brian Eno, had decided to record an album of new material. The project would mark the first time Eno worked with Roxy Music since 1973's
For Your Pleasure. After a number of denials that he would be involved with any Roxy Music reunion, on 19 May 2006 Eno revealed that he had contributed two songs to the new album as well as playing keyboards on other tracks. He did, however, rule out touring with the band. , July 2006 During early 2006 a classic Roxy Music track, "The Main Thing", was remixed by Malcolm Green and used as the soundtrack to a pan-European television commercial for the
Opel Vectra featuring celebrated football referee
Pierluigi Collina. In July that year, the band toured
Europe. They concentrated mostly on places they had never visited before, such as
Serbia and
North Macedonia. Drummer Andy Newmark, who had been one of the many additional musicians Roxy Music worked with during the 1979–1983 period, performed during the tour, as Thompson withdrew due to health issues, and
Oliver Thompson (guitar) made his first appearance with the band. In a March 2007 interview, Ferry confirmed that the next Roxy Music album was definitely being made, but would not be released for another "year and a half", as he had just released and toured behind his twelfth solo studio album,
Dylanesque, consisting of
Bob Dylan covers. In October that year, Ferry said the album would include a collaboration with
Scissor Sisters. In 2009, he announced that the material from these sessions would instead be released as a Ferry solo studio album, with Eno playing on "a couple of tracks". The album was released in 2010 as the Ferry solo studio album
Olympia. It featured contributions from Eno, Manzanera, and Mackay (amongst many other session players). Over the summer of 2010, Roxy Music headlined various festivals across the world, including
Lovebox at London's
Victoria Park,
Electric Picnic in
Stradbally,
County Laois,
Ireland, and
Bestival on the
Isle of Wight. Owing to illness, Thompson was replaced on three dates of the tour by
Andy Newmark, but returned for the Bestival set. Roxy Music performed seven dates around the UK in January and February 2011, in a tour billed For Your Pleasure, to celebrate the band's 40th anniversary. They toured
Australia and
New Zealand between February and March for a further eight shows. In 2012,
Virgin Records released a
box set entitled
Roxy Music: The Complete Studio Recordings 1972–1982, celebrating 40 years since the release of the band's debut in 1972. In a
Rolling Stone Magazine interview on 3 November 2014, Manzanera stated that Roxy Music had been inactive since 2011 and were unlikely to perform together again. Of a new studio album, he told
Classic Rock, "We all listened to it and thought, 'We can't do this. It's not going to be any good. Let's just bin it.' And so it's just sitting there on our personal computers. Maybe one day it'll get finished. But there's no point in putting it out if it's not great." On 29 March 2019, Roxy Music were inducted to the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, with Ferry, Mackay, Manzanera and Eddie Jobson performing a six-song set at the
Barclays Center in
Brooklyn, New York. Roxy Music reformed in 2022 for a 50th anniversary tour of the United Kingdom and the United States to be held that autumn. Most North American tour dates featured
St. Vincent as a supporting act.
Nilüfer Yanya was the UK starter act. ==Style==