Tim Staffell
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Tim Staffell | |
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_(cropped).jpg) Staffell at the 2019 Ealing Blues Festival | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Timothy John Staffell 24 February 1948 |
| Origin | Ealing, London |
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| Formerly of | |
| Website | timstaffell |
Timothy John Staffell (born 24 February 1948) is an English rock musician, visual artist, model maker and designer. He was a member of Smile, a band that included guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor. Upon Staffell's departure, Smile were joined by Freddie Mercury and Mike Grose and later John Deacon to form the band Queen.
Timothy John Staffell[2] was born in Isleworth, Middlesex, England.[3] He attended Hampton Grammar School and was the singer in a band called the Railroaders when in 1964 he attended a concert where he met fellow Hampton pupil Brian May. They then put together a blues-rock band called '1984' with John Garnham (guitar), Dave Dilloway (bass), John Sanger (keyboards) and Richard Thompson (drums). In 1965, Staffell began a graphics and drawing course at Ealing Art College where he became friends with Freddie Mercury, while May enrolled at Imperial College, London. 1984 had been a support act for Jimi Hendrix and Pink Floyd prior to Staffell’s departure in 1968, shortly following May’s.[4]
Staffell and May then put together a new band called Smile with Roger Taylor who auditioned to be their drummer.[5] Staffell and May co-wrote the song "Doing All Right", which Queen included on their eponymous debut album. Following his tenure with Smile, Staffell joined Humpy Bong and then the experimental progressive rock outfit Morgan, with whom he released the albums Nova Solis and Brown Out (later retitled The Sleeper Wakes).[6]
Model maker, designer and animator
Staffell later decided to pursue a career as a model maker, designer, animator and commercials director. Among the projects upon which he worked were the BBC television adaptation of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and he was the chief model maker for the first series of the children's TV show Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends.[citation needed]
Later Staffell worked as the Head of Construction at one of the UKs leading Drama Schools Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts, where he imparted his design and model making skills to the future generations of designers and builders.
