Vivian Stanshall
| Vivian Stanshall | |
|---|---|
Vivian and Bones, towpath, Shepperton, England, 1980
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Victor Anthony Stanshall |
| Also known as | Vivian Stanshall, Viv Stanshall |
| Born |
21 March 1943 Oxford, England |
| Died | 5 March 1995 (aged 51) London, England |
| Genres | Rock and roll, satire, spoken word, comedy rock, psychedelic pop, trad jazz, avant-garde |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, comic, broadcaster, raconteur, poet, actor, writer |
| Instruments | Vocals, trumpet, trombone, guitar, keyboards, percussion, flute, recorder, ukulele, mandolin, banjo, harp, harmonica, kazoo |
| Years active | 1965–1995 |
| Labels | Warner Bros., Liberty, Charisma, Polydor |
| Associated acts |
Bonzo Dog Band Grimms |
| Website | www |
Vivian Stanshall (born Victor Anthony Stanshall; 21 March 1943 – 5 March 1995) was an English singer-songwriter, musician, author, poet and wit, best known for his work with the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band, for his exploration of the British upper classes in Sir Henry at Rawlinson End (as a radio series for John Peel, as an audio recording, as a book and as a film), and for acting as Master of Ceremonies on Mike Oldfield's album Tubular Bells.
Stanshall was born on 21 March 1943 at the Radcliffe Maternity Home in Shillingford, Oxfordshire, and christened Victor Anthony. He lived with his mother Eileen (née Wadeson) while his father, Victor Stanshall (1909–1990) served in the RAF during World War II. His father changed his name to Victor in preference to his given name Vivian. Stanshall described this early period as the happiest time of his childhood.
When the war ended, his father returned but the young Victor found him difficult and comparatively stern after having been alone with his mother. The family moved to the father's hometown of Walthamstow, Essex, where Stanshall's younger brother Mark was born six years later in 1949. With six years between them, the brothers were never close. Stanshall studied at Walthamstow College of Art, where he met fellow students Ian Dury and Peter Greenaway.
About this time, the Stanshall family moved to the Essex coastal town of Leigh-on-Sea. He attended Southend High School for Boys until 1959. As a young man, Victor Stanshall (known as Vic) earned money doing various odd jobs at the Kursaal fun fair in nearby Southend-on-Sea. They included working as a bingo caller and spending the winter painting the fairground attractions. To set aside enough money to get through art school (his father having refused to fund this), Stanshall spent a year in the merchant navy. He said he was a very bad waiter, but became a great teller of tall tales.
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