Patto

The band consisted of four very talented musicians: Mike Patto (vocals, occasional keyboards), Ollie Halsall (guitar, vocals, keyboards, vibes), John Halsey (drums, percussion), and Clive Griffiths (bass, vocals). They produced some absolutely fantastic music -- an interesting mix of catchy rock riffs, unusual time signature changes, incredible guitar solos, ass-kicking vocals, jazz workouts, and humor. For one reason or another, however, it never earned them the recognition many feel they deserved.



Ollie was a particularly outstanding guitarist. From a technical standpoint, he was doing things back in 1970 that were way ahead of their time. His approach to soloing in particular was very creative -- stepping out of the typical scalar patterns and formulas and making it work like few others could. If you love rock and/or jazz guitarists and haven't heard Ollie yet, finding copies of the Patto albums and checking out Ollie's incredible playing is very highly recommended.



A great guitarist does not make a band, however, and the rest of Patto's members were exceptional musicians as well. Mike's striking voice could go from smooth and soulful to a blistering scream. And John and Clive provided a top-notch rhythm section.



Sadly, the Patto story is full of tragedy. Mike lost his fight with lymphatic leukemia in 1979. Ollie died from a drug-related heart attack in 1992. Clive was left paralyzed and without any memory of his days with Patto in an auto accident. John, though left with a bit of a limp from the same car accident, is alive and well and owns a great pub. John still drums a bit for special occasions.



Also sad is the fact that Patto has retained its relatively unknown status, even in musicians' circles. Hopefully someday more people will have Patto in their ears! - from http://members.aol.com/rutler/