MENTION of the name Bryan Ferry and the words cool, suave, sophisticated and stylish are invariably uttered in the same breath.
And this has been the way of it ever since the miner's son from the North East of England first burst onto the music scene to thrill us fronting the avant-garde, seminal rock band he formed at art college, Roxy Music.
Back in the early 70s there was no cooler or more exciting band than Roxy, they had the 'look' and a 'sound' like nothing that had been seen or heard before.
Barely putting a foot wrong with their first four/five albums, those records were noteworthy not only for the fantastic music but also for their brilliant, sexy and ultra hip cover art.
Roxy's sound softened towards the end of their 'life' but the band's final albums 'Flesh & Blood' and 'Avalon' elevated silky smooth pop/rock to a whole new level.
Ferry's subsequent solo career has never quite scaled the same heights of his Roxy Music heyday (a big ask for sure) but there have been some mighty fine albums amongst the fifteen he has recorded over the years and his latest release, 'Avonmore', is definitely right up there with the best of them.
The man has always known how to dress with real style too, long favouring the tailoring of London fashion designer Antony Price, and nothing has changed on that front either as he took to the stage in a beautifully cut dark blue suit and shirt combo that perfectly masked the few kilo’s he has naturally gained over his five decade career and, even his now greying hair looks ridiculously good on him in the way it just doesn't on most others.
This 'Ferry' however remains defiantly roburst and sturdy, yet still glides over the 'waters' ever so smoothly and elegantly and it looks as though it will be a long time yet before it is taken out of regular service.
Happy 70th Birthday Bryan Ferry for 26th September
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