Jimmy Cauty
| Jimmy Cauty | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | James Francis Cauty |
| Also known as | Rockman Rock, Lord Rock, Space, Graybeard, Scourge of the Earth, Advanced Acoustic Armaments (AAA) |
| Born |
19 December 1956 Wirral Peninsula, England |
| Genres | Ambient house, electronica |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, record producer, artist |
| Instruments | Guitar, synthesiser |
| Years active | 1981–present |
| Labels | KLF Communications, Blast First |
| Associated acts | Angels 1–5, Brilliant, Zodiac Mindwarp and the Love Reaction, The Justified Ancients of Mu-Mu, The Timelords, The KLF, The Orb, K Foundation, 2K, Blacksmoke, Solid Gold Chartbusters, Transit Kings |
James "Jimmy" Francis Cauty (born 19 December 1956), also known as Rockman Rock, is an English artist and musician, best known as one half of the duo The KLF, co-founder of The Orb and as the man who burnt one million pounds.
Cauty was married to Cressida (née Bowyer), with whom he has twins, Daisy and Harry, and a younger son, Alfie. He later married artist and musician Alannah Currie (formerly of Thompson Twins) in 2011.
Cauty was born on the Wirral Peninsula in Cheshire. As a 17-year-old artist, he drew a popular The Lord of the Rings poster (and later, a counterpart based on The Hobbit) for British retailer Athena, as well as the cover for the concept album The King of Elfland's Daughter.
In 1981-2 Cauty was guitarist in a band called Angels 1–5, who recorded a Peel session on 1 July 1981. Lead vocalist was Cressida Bowyer, whom Cauty later married. He then joined the band Brilliant with which he remained until its break-up in 1986. Cauty was also an original member of Zodiac Mindwarp and the Love Reaction, in 1985.
Cauty joined with Bill Drummond to form The Justified Ancients of Mu Mu (The JAMs), a collaboration that played out in various guises and media over much of the next decade.
As an A&R man, Drummond had signed Brilliant to WEA. Concocting a scheme for a hip-hop record on New Year's Day 1987, Drummond needed a like-minded collaborator with expertise in current music technology, and so contacted Cauty. Drummond later commented that Cauty "knew exactly, to coin a phrase, 'where I was coming from'", said Drummond. A week later, The JAMs had recorded their debut single, "All You Need Is Love". Several singles and three albums as The JAMs followed (their debut, 1987; the follow-up, Who Killed The JAMs?; and compilation Shag Times) before a change of direction saw the duo mutate into dance and ambient music pioneers, The KLF. Along the way, the duo scored their first British number one hit single as The Timelords with the Gary Glitter/Dr. Who novelty-pop mash-up "Doctorin' the Tardis".
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