Phil May (singer)

{{Infobox musical artist

| name = Phil May

| image = Phil May - Pretty Things do Saltburn 5 (9973427724).jpg

| caption = May on stage with the Pretty Things in 2013

| image_size =

| background = solo_singer

| birth_name = Philip Dennis Arthur Wadey

| alias = Philip Dennis Arthur Kattner

| birth_date = {{Birth date|1944|11|9|df=y}}

| birth_place = Dartford, Kent, England

| death_date = {{death date and age|2020|5|15|1944|11|9|df=y}}

| death_place = King's Lynn, Norfolk, England

| occupation = {{hlist|Singer|musician|songwriter}}

| instrument = {{hlist|Vocals|harmonica|percussion}}

| genre = {{hlist|Rock and roll|pop|rock}}

| years_active = 1965–2020

| website =

}}

Philip Dennis Arthur May (born Wadey, later Kattner; 9 November 1944 – 15 May 2020{{cite book |last1=Larkin |first1=Colin |title=The Encyclopedia of Popular Music |date=2011 |publisher=Omnibus Press |isbn=9780857125958 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_NNmFiUnSmUC&pg=RA46-PA2003}}{{cite book |last1=Delinotte |first1=Didier |title=Les Pretty Things, une institution |date=2000 |publisher=Camion Blanc |isbn=9782357797697 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=a71xCwAAQBAJ&pg=PT8}}) was an English vocalist. He gained fame in the 1960s as the lead singer of Pretty Things, of which he was a founding member. May remained a member throughout the band's changing line-up over the years, and was one of the band's main lyricists. He was the primary lyricist for the album S.F. Sorrow.

Biography

=Early life=

Born Philip Wadey in Dartford, Kent, he was raised by his aunt and uncle, whose surname was May. In childhood he was sent back to live with his mother and stepfather, whose surname was Kattner, but later decided to change his name back to May.

=The Pretty Things=

He formed the Pretty Things at Sidcup Art College in 1963 with guitarist Dick Taylor, who had recently left the fledgling Rolling Stones.{{cite news |last1=Beaumont-Thomas |first1=Ben |title=Phil May, frontman with the Pretty Things, dies aged 75 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/may/15/phil-may-frontman-with-the-pretty-things-dies-aged-75 |accessdate=15 May 2020 |work=The Guardian |date=15 May 2020}} With May as lead singer, the band became part of the British blues rock scene and quickly gained a recording contract. They became popular and had a number of hit singles including the UK Top Ten "Don't Bring Me Down".

In the late 1960s, The Pretty Things started to branch out into psychedelia and May became a prominent counterculture figure, known for his claim of having "the longest hair in Britain",{{cite web |last1=Hann |first1=Michael |title=How The Pretty Things Made S.F. Sorrow |url=https://www.loudersound.com/features/how-the-pretty-things-made-sf-sorrow |website=Louder Sound |date=6 May 2019 |accessdate=15 May 2020}} drug-taking and bisexuality.{{cite news |title=Pretty Things frontman Phil May dies aged 75 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-52683543 |accessdate=15 May 2020 |work=BBC News |date=15 May 2020}} The 1968 album S.F. Sorrow, which was released on the Motown imprint Rare Earth, was regarded as the first rock opera album. The songs and lyrics were based on stories written by May, which were often written while the album was being recorded. May later admitted that his usage of LSD had a major impact on the album, saying ""It was like a sharpening of the imagination for me. I don't think S.F. Sorrow would have been impossible without it, but there's a lot of acid [in] the imagery." The album was not successful at the time, only later becoming a cult favourite. May remained with the Pretty Things until they retired in 2018, following a final concert with guests including David Gilmour and Van Morrison.

=Phil May and the Fallen Angels=

In 1976 a new group called the Fallen Angels, led by guitarist Mickey Finn, with Greg Ridley from Spooky Tooth and Humble Pie, Twink from the Pretty Things, and Bob Weston from Fleetwood Mac set out to record an album and for vocals recruited May.{{cite web |last1=Jurek |first1=Thom |title=Phil May & the Fallen Angels |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/fallen-angels-mw0000321383 |website=AllMusic |accessdate=15 May 2020}} However, after they had recorded only eight partially complete songs, all except May abandoned the project. May recruited some more players to complete the album Phil May and the Fallen Angels, which was only released in the Netherlands.

=Personal life=

May identified as bisexual. He was married Electra Nemon, daughter of Oscar Nemon.{{Cite web |title=Phil May, front man with the Pretty Things, leading lights of the Sixties R&B boom – obituary|work= The Telegraph|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/obituaries/2020/05/20/phil-may-front-man-pretty-things-leading-lights-sixties-rb-boom/ |date=20 May 2020}} They had a son, Paris, and a daughter, Sorrel. The marriage ended in divorce.{{cite news |last1=Beacom |first1=Brian |title=Obituary: Phil May, who fronted the Pretty Things, a key name in the Sixties R&B explosion |url=https://www.heraldscotland.com/opinion/18500524.obituary-phil-may-fronted-pretty-things-key-name-sixties-r-b-explosion/ |access-date=16 December 2024 |work=The Herald |publisher=Newsquest Media Group Ltd |date=6 June 2020}}

He died on 15 May 2020, aged 75, in a hospital in King's Lynn, from complications following hip surgery after a cycling accident. He was survived by his long-term partner, Colin Graham.