Magnum

Magnum biography

Magnum are a British progressive rock band from Birmingham, England. Formed as a four piece by Tony Clarkin (guitar), Bob Catley (vocals), Kex Gorin (drums) and Bob Doyle (bass) in order to appear as the resident band at The Rum Runner night club Birmingham. Magnum have undergone several changes in personnel over the years; however, the core of vocalist Bob Catley and guitarist/songwriter Tony Clarkin remain today.

Magnum's most notable success during their early years was Chase The Dragon in 1982, which reached #17 in the UK Albums Chart, and included several songs that would be mainstays of the band's live set, notably "Soldier Of The Line," "Sacred Hour" and "The Spirit".

Their breakthrough album came in 1985 with the gold certified album On A Storyteller's Night which featured the single "Just Like An Arrow". This success continued in the following years with the Roger Taylor produced Vigilante in 1986, the Top 5, silver certified album Wings Of Heaven in 1988, which featured three Top 40 singles, and the Keith Olsen produced Goodnight L.A. reaching #9 in the UK Album Chart in 1990.

In 1995 Tony Clarkin announced Magnum's split, and later forming another band, Hard Rain. Magnum would eventually reform in 2001, their most recent album The Visitation was released in January 2011.

Early years (1972-1978)

Magnum began as the house band at Birmingham's famous Rum Runner night club (later the home of Duran Duran). Joining Clarkin and Catley were drummer Kex Gorin and former Uglys and Balls bassist Dave Morgan (later a member of ELO). The band line up remained the same from until 1972 when Les Kitcheridge joined temporarily on guitar. Bob Doyle left Magnum in 1972 to join Roy Wood's Wizzard

Morgan comments: "I was absolutely broke, and the people who owned the Rum Runner club were building this new night club called Snobs, and they got all the musicians that worked at the Rum Runner helping out. I went to the Rum Runner one night, so Tony Clarkin said, "Come and earn some money building this new club." So I was down there every day helping them build this thing, and on the night I used to go down to the Rum Runner just to see the groups. I was in there one night, and to cut a long story short, Bob Doyle the original bass player with Magnum left the band, and Tony Clarkin said, "Can you play bass?", I said "Yeah", he said, "You got the job!" That was it, I just happened to be there when Doyle left, so I got his job!"

They began to develop their own style by playing Clarkin's songs at a residency at The Railway Inn, in Birmingham's Curzon Street, in 1976. In 1975, Clarkin and Dave Morgan received an offer from Jake Commander to help with the construction of a studio, rather than being paid with money, Clarkin suggested being paid with Studio time. Much of Magnum's early demo material was recorded at Nest Studios on Birmingham, which would later lead to a recording contract with David Arden of Jet Records. During the "Nest" sessions at least two songs written by Dave Morgan (and sung by Bob Catley) were recorded but never released. The titles were "Baby I Need" and "One More Round The Bend", which resurfaced on an acetate disc in 2005.

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