Primal Scream and Charlatans keyboardist Martin Duffy dies at 55
Tributes are being paid to Primal Scream keyboardist Martin Duffy, who also performed with The Charlatans, following his death at the age of 55.
The news was confirmed by The Charlatans frontman Tim Burgess and Creation Records founder Alan McGee, who signed Primal Scream to his label in the 1980s, with lead singer Bobby Gillespie later sharing a poignant tribute.
Duffy died on Sunday after suffering a brain injury following a fall at his home in Brighton, Gillespie said, describing his friend and bandmate as “a beautiful soul” and his “soul brother”. He died on the same day as fellow music star Terry Hall, frontman of ska band The Specials.
Primal Scream’s Bobby Gillespie on stage at Glastonbury in 2011. Pic: AP/Mark Allan
“More sad news,” McGee wrote on Instagram. “Martin Duffy gone .. lovely guy so sad.”
Duffy, who grew up in Birmingham, joined indie-pop band Felt when he was 16, before later joining Gillespie’s Primal Scream – going from part-time to a full-time member.
He was part of the line-up when the band released its third album Screamadelica in 1991, their first commercially successful album and the winner of the inaugural Mercury Prize the following year.
The musician also famously stepped in at the last minute to play with The Charlatans when they supported Oasis at Knebworth in 1996, following the death of their own keyboard player Rob Collins in a car crash just a few weeks earlier. He also went on to help finish the band’s fifth album Tellin’ Stories, which was being recorded that year.
Paying tribute to “a true friend”, Burgess described Duffy’s death as “another tragic loss of a beautiful soul”.
In an emotional tribute shared on Primal Scream’s Instagram account, Gillespie wrote: “We in Primal Scream are all so sad. I’ve known Martin since he was a teenager in Felt. He played keyboards on every album of ours from the first to the last. Finally joining the band in 1991.
“Martin was a very special character. He had a love and understanding of music on a deep spiritual level. Music meant everything to him. He loved literature and was well read and erudite. An autodidact. A deep thinker, curious about the world and other cultures. Always visiting museums in every city we played or looking for Neolithic stones in remote places. Opinionated and stubborn in his views.”
Gillespie went on to say that Duffy played piano “to the level where he was feted not just by his peers in British music” but also “old school master American musicians” such as pianist and singer James Luther Dickinson, drummer Roger Hawkins, bassist David Hood and producer Tom Dowd.
He continued: “Martin was the most musically talented of all of us. His style combined elements of country, blues and soul, all of which he had a God given natural feel for. He never played the same thing twice, ever. He was all about ‘the moment’, better have that ‘record’ button on when Duffy was on fire…
“Martin was also in possession of a unique wit. He had a swift eye for the absurd, the surreal and the ridiculous. He lived to laugh and play music. He was loved by all of us in the Scream. A beautiful soul. We will miss him.”
Duffy was also a member of the rock supergroup The Chavs, formed in 2004 by former Libertines guitarist Carl Barat and Burgess alongside drummer Andy Burrows from Razorlight. In 2012 he performed as part of another supergroup at a fundraising concert at Manchester Cathedral, this time featuring Burgess and Mark Collins of The Charlatans with Peter Hook of New Order.
In recent years he toured as part of Burgess’s live band, playing music from the singer’s solo albums.
Throughout his career, he also contributed keys to songs by Oasis, The Chemical Brothers and Beth Orton.
Oasis star Liam Gallagher was among those paying tribute.
Cherry Red Records, Felt’s first label before Creation, shared a statement, saying: “We’re sad to hear the news that Martin Duffy has passed away. An amazing musician who made incredible contributions to every album he played on, he will be missed. A true rock ‘n’ roll star.”
Music journalist Paul Stokes posted a photo of Duffy on Twitter, and wrote: “Martin Duffy made so many important contributions to so many great records. His performance with @thecharlatans at Knebworth in the aftermath of Rob Collins death was a moment of pure emotional brilliance. He will be truly missed.”
Electro band Asian Dub Foundation tweeted: “Very sad news, someone we toured with alongside #PrimalScream and a fantastic person all round has left us. Brilliant keyboardist #MartinDuffy ADF salute you, thanks for all the good vibes.”
Happy Mondays singer Rowetta shared a series of heartbroken emojis, while former Oasis guitarist Paul “Bonehead” Arthurs tweeted in response to Burgess: “Sad sad news Tim.”
No details of the cause of Duffy’s death have been announced.
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John David Washington says he felt like he had to conceal his desire to act because of the external expectations of him being the child of Denzel and Pauletta Washington.
He tells Sky News it took some time for him to pursue an acting career, choosing football instead to assert his “independence” and create his own “identity” separate from his famous family.
“I’ve been wanting to do this my whole life… but I was hiding it,” he said.
“I had to conceal that passion based on my relationship to the world and more specifically, my folks being in the industry, so I chose ball.
“I loved ball, but I was sort of hiding my love for the arts under a helmet – literally an American football helmet – and so when I wanted to become an actor, when I decided to pursue it, that was a big shock to some people.”
The 40-year-old actor says when he decided to pursue an acting career, he kept the decision quiet.
“Some people didn’t know I was even pursuing it professionally until I got a job,” he said.
John David with fellow actor Danielle Deadwyler. Pic: David Lee/ Netflix
Since switching to acting, John David has starred in a number of notable roles including the protagonist in Christopher Nolan’s Tenet, Ron Stallworth in BlacKkKlansman and Joshua in The Creator.
He also led the stage revival of the 2022 Tony-nominated play The Piano Lesson on Broadway alongside Samuel L Jackson.
“He [Jackson] originated the role [I play] in 1987 at Yale with Lloyd Richards and August Wilson,” John David said.
“So it was of great importance for us to learn from both he and Michael Potts about August Wilson. It was a great blessing for me, I think, for all of us to have him present on set.”
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The Piano Lesson is the third August Wilson play to be adapted for the screen by Denzel Washington’s production company Mundy Lane Entertainment.
It is part of a pledge made by the Gladiator II actor to make all 10 of the playwright’s works into films.
The Netflix project is directed by another Washington family member, Malcolm, and stars most of the cast from the Broadway revival.
The Piano Lesson is Malcolm Washington’s directorial debut. Pic: Katia Washington/ Netflix
Set in 1936 Pittsburgh in the aftermath of the Great Depression, the film centres on a family heirloom, a piano, that is etched with the carvings of their family history made by their enslaved ancestor.
Malcolm says he started reading the play for the first time during the pandemic and immediately wanted to be involved in the film adaptation.
“I think with this movie, reclamation of story and identity is so central to the theme and it’s something that’s central to my life where I both acknowledge the fertile ground that I was raised on and who I am today.
“That’s what Wining Boy [played by Michael Potts] really is trying to do, he’s trying to build on that legacy, so that’s a story that really resonated with me.”
The filmmaker added: “I take all the gifts that my ancestors laid in front of me, and I’m trying to build something for the next generation to pass down – all of their gifts, plus mine to the next generation and let them build on it.”
Malcolm has dedicated his directorial debut to his mother, Pauletta Washington. Pic: David Lee/Netflix
Malcolm says his goal was to put family at the forefront of the production. By dedicating his feature debut to “Mama”, he is acknowledging the dedication and sacrifices that mothers make for the growth of their families.
“There’s so much pointing to my mother in particular, who inspired this adaptation so much. I see so much of her life in Berniece’s character [played by Danielle Deadwyler] – and that became a guiding light for me in this adaptation,” he said.
“As we made this thing and started reconnecting with our ancestors, my mum became like a kind of representative of them.
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“And when the movie ends, I want people to kind of have that moment of reflection for their own lives. So in dedicating it to her, I was trying to dedicate it to all mums everywhere.”
The Piano Lesson is now available on Netflix.
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The film, starring Oscar-nominated actress Cynthia Erivo and Grammy-winning pop star Ariana Grande as Elphaba and Glinda, surpassed both Gladiator II and Paddington In Peru.
It has also had the largest opening weekend for a stage musical adaptation in the cinema chain’s history.
A boss for Vue International said it had seen a “sea of pink and green” over the weekend.
Ariana Grande (left) as Glinda and Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba in the film. Pic: PA
Pic: PA
Pic: PA
Released on Friday, Wicked is up 60% on Les Miserables’ opening weekend in 2012 and three times larger than the 2022 film adaptation of Matilda.
Founder and chief executive of Vue International Tim Richards said: “Vue has seen a sea of pink and green over the opening weekend of Wicked, which has shown continued high demand for the big screen experience.
“We saw record-breaking pre-sales for Wicked, followed by a chart-topping opening weekend – the biggest for 2024.”
The film is the first of two parts, with the second expected in November next year.
Wicked and Gladiator II – known together as Glicked – have reportedly failed to beat out Barbenheimer, Barbie and Oppenheimer, in its own opening weekend last summer.
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Glicked brought in £215m in worldwide ticket sales – with Wicked making the majority of that.
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