Caleb Quaye

Caleb Quaye (he is the half-brother of Finley Quaye) was employed in the late 60s as resident guitar-prodigy-cum-teenage-studio-whizz-kid-producer for Beatles publisher Dick James’ company, which subsequently became DJM.

As a result, he helped shape recordings by a number of disparate talents including future Who sideman Billy Nicholls, psychedelic pop bands The Living Daylights and The Mirage, and former Bluesology pianist Reg Dwight (before he was called Elton John).

In fact, Quaye – who would briefly join Bluesology after Reg’s departure – would play on pretty near every recording made by Elton, from such heavily psychedelic late 60s demos as Regimental Sergeant Zippo to million-selling releases like the 1976 double album Blue Moves.

In the spring of 1967, Caleb took time out from his frantic schedule to cut his own stab at stardom. The single, Baby Your Phrasing Is Bad b/w Woman Of Distinction, was his only solo release and is regarded by those in the know as the classic double-sided underground psych-pop record – chock full of distant, disembodied vocals, fried lyrics, lashings of phasing, reverb, distortion and backward tapes.

By the end of the 1960s he had formed a group called Hookfoot, who persevered for some years without ever really fulfilling their potential.

When he found religion in the early 80s after what he has since described as 18 years of drug dependency, Caleb sold what – according to drummer Roger Pope – was the biggest private record collection in the country to Elton John.

Caleb then left the secular music industry to become a preacher in California. He now heads the New World Music Ministries Inc.