Clive Bayley (2)

Clive Anthony Stephen Bayley was born in London on 4 April 1950. At the age of 12, he joined his first band the Arrows, a covers outfit in which he played guitar and sang. After about three years with the group, Bayley was looking for something 'more' and happened to meet drummer Robert Hagger in a Fleet Street pub. The pair teamed up with bassist Paul Rutledge and formed Mabel Greer’s Toyshop. Rutledge left in autumn 1967 and was replaced by Chris Squire formerly of the Syn, which Hagger had previously - unsuccessfully - auditioned for. Squire brought in fellow former Syn member Peter Banks making the group a quartet. With the addition of Banks, Bayley became the rhythm guitarist, with Banks tackling lead and Bayley focusing on lead vocals. In early 1968, the group recorded five songs for BBC Radio, all of which were written by Bayley and Squire. On 18 May 1968, Squire's new friend Jon Anderson guested with Mabel Greer’s Toyshop at a gig in Highgate, London. Shortly after this, Banks left the group to join Neat Change, prompting Bayley to become lead guitarist in the group again and Anderson joined the group as a second lead singer. Soon after this transition, Hagger also left the group. Bayley, Squire and Anderson put an advert in the Melody Maker magazine for a drummer and recruited Bill Bruford who first played with Mabel Greer’s Toyshop on 7 June 1968 in Deptford, London. The quartet spent much of June and July 1968 rehearsing in the Lucky Horseshoe Café on Shaftesbury Avenue, London. In mid-July, they added organist Tony Kaye to the group, becoming a quintet, playing a gig in Kingston, London on 20 July 1968. Within a week, Bayley left the group and was replaced by Banks. By 2 August 1968, the group had changed their name to Yes. The group's first album, released in summer 1969, included two songs co-written by Bayley: "Beyond and Before" and "Sweetness" - the former was often the opening number at Mabel Greer’s Toyshop gigs when Bayley was in the group. Bayley went on to become successful businessman and spent time living in Connecticut, USA. He became director of London-based TechHouse Communications in 1994. Having read about the death of former band-mate Peter Banks in March 2013, Robert Hagger contacted Bayley and the pair met up for the first time in 45 years. In July 2013, Bayley and Hagger decided to re-form Mabel Greer’s Toyshop and began rehearsing in France, recruiting bassist Hugo Barré/ The trio began working on an album and went on to work with Tony Kaye again on Hammond Organ. Billy Sherwood produced the album and contributed additional bass and keyboards. Recorded in 2014 and released in March 2015, the album was titled "New Way of Life" after one of Bayley's new songs for the album. The album included the five songs Bayley and Chris Squire had co-written in 1967/68. The album also featured additional vocals by Alex’s Keren and Bayley's daughter Annouchka (born June 1979). Chris Squire, who had given the new Mabel Greer’s Toyshop his blessing, sadly passed away three months after the album's released. Consisting of Bayley, Hagger and Barré, along with newly-recruited keyboardist Max Hunt, Mabel Greer’s Toyshop began rehearsing and recording in 2016, completing their second album - "The Secret" - in 2017. The title song included an unreleased guitar solo by the late Peter Banks. Much of the album, like their debut, was written by Bayley, demonstrating his guitar work and lyrical talents.