Andrew Latimer
Andrew Latimer is an English musician and composer. He is a founding member of the progressive rock band Camel and the only member who has been with them since their formation in 1971. Although he is best known as a guitarist and singer, Latimer is also a flautist and keyboardist.
Career
Along with partner Susan Hoover, Latimer relocated to America where they established a music production company named Camel Productions to release Camel's new studio albums: Dust and Dreams, Harbour of Tears, Rajaz and A Nod and a Wink as well as a host of "Official Bootlegs" on CD. The band went on the road in 1992, 1997, 2000, 2001, and 2003. They released their first full concert DVD in 1997 titled Coming of Age which began a series of subsequent DVD releases. In mid-2006, Latimer and Hoover returned to the UK and established Camel Productions UK Ltd.In May 2007, Hoover announced through the Camel Productions website and newsletter that Latimer had suffered from a progressive blood disorder polycythaemia vera since 1992, which had unexpectedly progressed to myelofibrosis. In November 2007, he underwent a successful bone marrow transplant and began a long road to full recovery.
In October 2013, Latimer took Camel back to centre stage. To celebrate the occasion, Camel played live The [Snow Goose (album)|The Snow Goose] in its entirety for the first set and dedicated it to the co-founding band members Andy Ward, Peter Bardens and Doug Ferguson. Additionally, Camel had re-recorded the album earlier in the year. The re-recording remains faithful to the original, but includes some minor rearrangements and some extended sections. A live DVD, titled In From the Cold, was recorded at the Barbican Centre in London. The Snow Goose tour had been a complete sellout and the band was asked to continue in early 2014. However, the second half of the tour featured Ton Scherpenzeel as keyboardist Guy LeBlanc had become seriously ill, subsequently dying on 27 April 2015.
Despite being troubled by arthritis in his hands and knees, Latimer took Camel back on the road in 2015. In 2016 they toured Japan with new keyboardist Pete Jones and in 2018 Camel toured extensively featuring their most popular recording 1976 Moonmadness. The 2018 tour culminated with the band's return to The [Royal Albert Hall] to a sellout crowd. The performance was video recorded for anticipated release on DVD and Blu-Ray.
Equipment
Latimer's preferred guitar is a Gibson Les Paul, but he is also known for playing Fender Stratocasters and other guitars. From the 1990s onward, he also played a Burny Super Grade, a 1980s copy of the Gibson Les Paul Model. The amplifiers he uses include Fender, Vox and Marshall.Legacy
Progressive rock guitarists such as Steve Rothery, Mikael Åkerfeldt, Bryan Josh and Bruce Soord cite Latimer as one of their primary influences. Musician and producer Steven Wilson of Porcupine Tree is a known fan of Camel and has stated, "Andy Latimer means very much for me."Latimer received a Lifetime Achievement award at the 2014 Progressive Music Awards.
Discography
Studio albums with CamelCamel Mirage The Snow Goose Moonmadness Rain Dances Breathless I Can See Your House from Here Nude The Single Factor Stationary Traveller Dust and Dreams Harbour of Tears Rajaz A Nod and a Wink The Snow GooseSolo albumsWar Stories
Collaborations with othersPhillip Goodhand-Tait – I Think I'll Write a Song Michael Chapman – Savage Amusement Francis Monkman – Dweller on the Threshold Annabel Etkind – A New Romance Annabel Etkind – Memory Colin Bass – An Outcast of the Islands David Minasian – Random Acts of Beauty Nathan Mahl – Justify Colin Bass – At Wild End Jan Schelhaas – Living on a Little Blue Dot The Tangent – Back to the Fender Dave Sinclair – Out of Sinc Kayak – Seventeen Tangent – Shadows in the Snow Tiger Moth Tales – A Song of Spring Colin Bass - Daniel Biro – ''More''