Long-Time Robert Palmer Band Member Alan Mansfield Dies

Publié le par olivier

Alan Mansfield and Sharon O'Neill with Robert Palmer in Lugano, Switzerland

Alan Mansfield and Sharon O'Neill with Robert Palmer in Lugano, Switzerland

American renowned musician Alan Mansfield died in Sydney, Australia, on October 16th, 2024. He was 72. Mansfield passed away peacefully with his partner, New-Zealand singer Sharon O'Neill, and family by his side. He had bravely battled cancer and initially won the fight, but succumbed to complications following his treatment.

Alan Mansfield (bearded) with the Robert Palmer Band during the Secrets Tour (1979)

Alan Mansfield (bearded) with the Robert Palmer Band during the Secrets Tour (1979)

Born on November 10th, 1951, in Daytona Beach, Florida, Mansfield was a prolific musician and producer with a career spanning decades. He spent twenty years as a member of the Robert Palmer Band - beginning in 1979 for the Secrets tour until Palmer's final US dates in 1999, in support of the album Rhythm & Blues - and simultaneously - from 1983 to 1997 - as keyboardist for the iconic New Zealand rock band Dragon.

The RP Band in 1981: Michael Dawe, Alan Mansfield, Christopher Bishop and Jack Waldman

The RP Band in 1981: Michael Dawe, Alan Mansfield, Christopher Bishop and Jack Waldman

Dawe, Waldman, Mansfield and Bishop at the Copenhagen airport (1981)

Dawe, Waldman, Mansfield and Bishop at the Copenhagen airport (1981)

Together with Sharon O'Neill, Alan Mansfield co-wrote many songs for Robert Palmer, most notably the US Top 30 hit You're Amazing in 1990 and the single True Love in 1999.

A presentation of Alan Mansfield in the Clues 1981 tour programme

A presentation of Alan Mansfield in the Clues 1981 tour programme

His studio work was equally impressive. He played keyboards extensively on the albums Pride (1983), Don't Explain (1990) and Honey (1994). A multi-instrumentalist, Mansfield also played guitar on one of Robert Palmer's signature songs, 1980's Johnny And Mary from the album Clues, and acoustic piano on Aeroplane, another Palmer favourite featured on Don't Explain and Ridin' High (1992).

Alan Mansfield credited for Johnny And Mary on the back cover of the LP Clues

Alan Mansfield credited for Johnny And Mary on the back cover of the LP Clues

With Dragon, Mansfield played on the albums Body and The Beat (1984) and Dreams Of Ordinary Men (1986) which both achieved platinum status in Australia. He also produced the band's biggest hit, Rain, which peaked at No.2 in Australia and No.88 in the US.

A presentation of Alan Mansfield in the Pride 1983 tour programme

A presentation of Alan Mansfield in the Pride 1983 tour programme

According to Sharon O'Neill, one of his career highlights was performing with Robert Palmer and the BBC Orchestra at the Royal Albert Hall in London as part of the Ridin' High tour in 1992.

Ticket and official programme for Robert Palmer at London's Royal Albert Hall in 1992

Ticket and official programme for Robert Palmer at London's Royal Albert Hall in 1992

Another highlight was his band Dragon opening  for Tina Turner during the European leg of her Break Every Rule tour in 1987.

Alan Mansfield and Dragon with Tina Turner in 1987

Alan Mansfield and Dragon with Tina Turner in 1987

Alan Mansfield was a graduate of the Boston Conservatory of Music in the United States. He was inducted into the ARIA Hall Of Fame as a member of Dragon in 2008 and received a Legacy award with Dragon at the New Zealand Music Hall Of Fame in 2011.

Alan Mansfield and Dragon receiving a Legacy award at the NZ Music Hall Of Fame in 2011

Alan Mansfield and Dragon receiving a Legacy award at the NZ Music Hall Of Fame in 2011

sharononeill.co.nz

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