Jade Warrior (band)

Jade Warrior
Jade Warrior, left to right: Glyn Havard, Jon Field, Dave Sturt.
Background information
Origin	United Kingdom
Genres	Progressive rock, Symphonic rock, World Music
Years active	1970–present
Labels	Vertigo Records, Island Records, Red Hot Records, Acme Records, Eclectic, WindWeaver Music
Website	Jade Warrior
Members	Jon Field, Glyn Havard, Dave Sturt
Past members	Tony Duhig (deceased), Colin Henson

Jade Warrior are a British group that were formed in 1970, originally evolving out of a band named July. The founding members were Tony Duhig (guitar) (born Anthony Christopher Duhig, 18 September 1941, Acton, west London; died 11 November 1990, Somerset, England), Jon Field (flute, percussion, keyboards) (born John Frederick Field, 5 July 1940, Harrow, Middlesex) and Glyn Havard (vocals, bass) (born 15 February 1947, Nantyglo, South Wales).

Jon Field and Tony Duhig met in the early 1960s when working in a factory (both driving forklifts). Soon they found common musical interests (jazz, African and Latin American music), started playing instruments (Jon a set of congas, Tony a guitar, which he tuned unconventionally to open C), bought a four-track tape recorder each and started experimenting with multi-layered overdubs. According to Field, the process was not unlike "...trying to build a cathedral with the sort of things you'd find in your back yard," but still, as it turned out, formed a blueprint for Jade Warrior's music throughout their career.

In 1965, the two formed a rhythm & blues outfit called Second Thoughts with Patrick Lyons on vocals, which released one four-song EP. Meanwhile, in a parallel line of development, Tom Newman (later the engineer for Mike Oldfield's Tubular Bells), Alan James, Pete Cook and Chris Jackson had formed the Tomcats. In 1965, both bands split up, Lyons joining Alex Spyropoulos in a (then) duo Nirvana, which released five LPs (with Jade Warrior members guesting on 1972's Local Anaesthetic). Reformed with a new line-up - Newman, James, Jackson, Jon Field and Tony Duhig – Tomcats spent 1965-1966 in Spain where they released four EPs to much local acclaim (later Acme Records released them as a single LP, having included The Second Thoughts' EP). In 1966, Tomcats returned to England, changed their name to July, and released their one only (eponymous) album, a psychedelic pop-rock collection. (Later it was re-issued as Second of July with some alternate versions and outtakes, and then as Dandelion Seeds with yet a different track list).