Chris Rainbow dead at 68

By Scott Munro
( Prog )
published

Alan Parsons first to pay tribute to singer and musician

Scottish vocalist and musician Chris Rainbow, who worked with Alan Parsons and Camel, has died at the age of 68.

He appeared on seven Alan Parsons Project albums between 1979 and 1987 – Eve, The Turn Of A Friendly Card, Eye In The Sky, Ammonia Avenue, Vulture Culture, Stereotomy and Gaudi.

Parson says: “It was with great sadness that I read today of the passing of Chris Rainbow. He was an amazing talent and an integral part of The Project sound.

“Eric Woolfson and I used to call him the One Man Beach Boys. I will always remember his funny stories, his mimicking ability, and his hilarious catchphrases. Sessions with him were always filled with laughter. I will miss him greatly.”

Rainbow – born Christopher James Harley – also released a string of solo albums. His first was 1975’s Home Of The Brave. He provided lead vocals on Camel releases The Single Factor and Stationary Traveller in 1982 and 1984 respectively.

No cause of death has been announced.

Scott Munro
Scott Munro
Louder e-commerce editor

Scott has spent more than 30 years in newspapers and magazines as an editor, production editor, sub-editor, designer, writer and reviewer. After initially joining our news desk in the summer of 2014, he moved to the e-commerce team full-time in 2020. He maintains Louder’s buyer’s guides, scouts out the best deals for music fans and reviews headphones, speakers, books and more. He's written more than 11,000 articles across Louder, Classic Rock, Metal Hammer and Prog and has previous written for publications including IGN, the Sunday Mirror, Daily Record and The Herald covering everything from daily news and weekly features, to video games, travel and whisky. Scott grew up listening to rock and prog, cutting his teeth on bands such as Marillion and Magnum before his focus shifted to alternative and post-punk in the late 80s. His favourite bands are Fields Of The Nephilim, The Cure, New Model Army, All About Eve, The Mission, Ned's Atomic Dustbin and Drab Majesty, but he also still has a deep love of Rush.