View Full Version : R.I.P. PAUL 'TONKA' CHAPMAN
Mr Soul '68
10-06-20, 15:15
Legendary South Wales guitarist Paul Tonka Chapman has sadly passed away yesterday, on his 66th birthday. No age at all in this day and age.
Saw him first with local legends Kimla Taz when I was still at school. Then with the legendary (and should have been huge) Lone Star. After that wth UFO several times. A mighty fine and very under-rated guitarist was 'Tonka'.
SLUDGE FACTORY
10-06-20, 16:22
Legendary South Wales guitarist Paul Tonka Chapman has sadly passed away yesterday, on his 66th birthday. No age at all in this day and age.
Saw him first with local legends Kimla Taz when I was still at school. Then with the legendary (and should have been huge) Lone Star. After that wth UFO several times. A mighty fine and very under-rated guitarist was 'Tonka'.
Great guitarist
Saw him with UFO at the top rank after the original gig at Sophia gardens was cancelled because the roof fell in
I was only a nipper , it was a great gig
Interesting reason why he was nicknamed tonka
Mr Soul '68
10-06-20, 16:38
Great guitarist
Saw him with UFO at the top rank after the original gig at Sophia gardens was cancelled because the roof fell in
I was only a nipper , it was a great gig
Interesting reason why he was nicknamed tonka
Yes, I was at that Top Rank gig. February '82 if my memory serves me well?
I think he was called 'Tonka' because he was indestructible?
SLUDGE FACTORY
10-06-20, 16:59
Yes, I was at that Top Rank gig. February '82 if my memory serves me well?
I think he was called 'Tonka' because he was indestructible?
He was called tonka because he had a huge love gun
He was one of the few rock guitarists of his era to use box amps instead of Marshall stacks
happy to say that i saw lone star...sad to see his passing.
googled box amps and i'm none the wiser!!!
crate amps ?
SLUDGE FACTORY
10-06-20, 17:27
googled box amps and i'm none the wiser!!!
crate amps ?
Typo
Vox amps
Yes I was at the delayed gig at the top rank.R.I.P.
SLUDGE FACTORY
10-06-20, 18:01
Trivia question
What band supported UFO that night?
The guitarist went on to join def leppard
The Rev Arthur Belling
10-06-20, 21:03
RIP Tonka great guitarist, he was a massive fan of BC Rich guitars too. Sleep tight
SLUDGE FACTORY
10-06-20, 21:18
RIP Tonka great guitarist, he was a massive fan of BC Rich guitars too. Sleep tight
Apparently when micheal schenker left UFO the band went downhill but some of their best stuff was with chapman on guitar
Making Contact was excellent
MSG was a decent album imo...but tonka in lone star what a band that could have been.
SLUDGE FACTORY
10-06-20, 21:46
MSG was a decent album imo...but tonka in lone star what a band that could have been.
I liked MSG when they had graham bonnet on vocals
But schenker was a moody git and went back to Gary barden
Saw em at st David's hall , they were dreadful
I liked MSG when they had graham bonnet on vocals
But schenker was a moody git and went back to Gary barden
Saw em at st David's hall , they were dreadful
https://youtu.be/JwXXWjdxbu4 the tour i saw
SLUDGE FACTORY
10-06-20, 22:12
https://youtu.be/JwXXWjdxbu4 the tour i saw
You can see why UFO picked him up
You can see why UFO picked him up
Defo
Second album was produced by Roy Thomas Baker of queen fame....giving them that fat bass and drum sound.
great memories
SLUDGE FACTORY
10-06-20, 22:24
Defo
Second album was produced by Roy Thomas Baker of queen fame....giving them that fat bass and drum sound.
great memories
Talking of bassists Pete way from UFO was good
Andy parker was a great drummer as well
Pete way rings a bell ... the drummer not so much.
i think i departed at this time for things likejudas priest and rush
SLUDGE FACTORY
10-06-20, 22:52
Pete way rings a bell ... the drummer not so much.
i think i departed at this time for things likejudas priest and rush
Love priest
Rush were great up to moving pictures then they went all keyboardy and technical
Farewell to kings , caress of steel , hemispheres , permanent waves and moving pictures were my favourites
Taunton Blue Genie
11-06-20, 05:31
happy to say that i saw lone star...sad to see his passing.
I saw them several times and have their albums (one of them being a press copy) - and I was surprised that they didn't make it big.
Taunton Blue Genie
11-06-20, 05:32
I saw them several times and have their albums (one of them being a press copy) - and I was surprised that they didn't make it big.
I thought that the lyrics of 'The Bells of Berlin' seemed fanciful tosh at the time but how wrong was I!
Mr Soul '68
11-06-20, 07:45
I saw them several times and have their albums (one of them being a press copy) - and I was surprised that they didn't make it big.
Sadly, punk 'killed' Lone Star. Unfortunately for them they came out at the wrong time, their debut album being released in 1976, when the UK music press was slavishly groveling to all things punk. Had they formed and released their debut album two or three years earlier I am sure they would have been huge.
Taunton Blue Genie
11-06-20, 08:05
Sadly, punk 'killed' Lone Star. Unfortunately for them they came out at the wrong time, their debut album being released in 1976, when the UK music press was slavishly groveling to all things punk. Had they formed and released their debut album two or three years earlier I am sure they would have been huge.
Good point. A photograph of a £5 note is winging its way to you....
SLUDGE FACTORY
11-06-20, 08:09
The band who supported UFO at the top rank at the rescheduled gig after Sophia gardens roof collapsed were Girlschool , a second rate glam type sleazy outfit with phil Collen from def leppard on guitars
Legendary South Wales guitarist Paul Tonka Chapman has sadly passed away yesterday, on his 66th birthday. No age at all in this day and age.
Saw him first with local legends Kimla Taz when I was still at school. Then with the legendary (and should have been huge) Lone Star. After that wth UFO several times. A mighty fine and very under-rated guitarist was 'Tonka'.
Very sad news. Lone Star were brilliant and hugely underrated; my good friend Tony Smith was a band member.
Mr Soul '68
11-06-20, 13:09
Very sad news. Lone Star were brilliant and hugely underrated; my good friend Tony Smith was a band member.
What's Tony up to now then? I have seen Kenny Driscoll play live a few times in the past decade or so. He still possess a damn fine set of pipes
Lost Johnny
11-06-20, 21:12
Sadly, punk 'killed' Lone Star. Unfortunately for them they came out at the wrong time, their debut album being released in 1976, when the UK music press was slavishly groveling to all things punk. Had they formed and released their debut album two or three years earlier I am sure they would have been huge.
Spot on. Rock music was changing rapidly around 1976/77 and their sound just didn't fit in.
Had they emerged on the rock scene around 1973/74 things could have been so much different for them.
RIP Paul
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6UFjlQq5bA
RIP. I'll give any two Lone Star albums a spin tomorrow.
What's Tony up to now then? I have seen Kenny Driscoll play live a few times in the past decade or so. He still possess a damn fine set of pipes
Tony's living in Ebbw Vale and he's still doing the circuits with an excellent band called Daggers which he fronts. They do a mean "Dazed and Confused" among others.
Mr Soul '68
12-06-20, 17:18
Tony's living in Ebbw Vale and he's still doing the circuits with an excellent band called Daggers which he fronts. They do a mean "Dazed and Confused" among others.
Nice one, hope the band get back playing together after this damn virus is over!
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