View source for Ian Bairnson

{{Short description|Scottish musician (1953–2023)}}
{{More citations needed|date=April 2023}}
{{EngvarB|date=May 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2014}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name              = Ian Bairnson
| image             = IanBairnson1982.jpg
| image_size        =
| landscape         = <!-- yes, if wide image, otherwise leave blank -->
| alt               =
| caption           = Bairnson, 1982
| birth_name        = John Bairnson
| native_name       =
| native_name_lang  =
| alias             =
| birth_date        = {{birth date|df=yes|1953|08|03}}
| birth_place       = [[Lerwick]], [[Shetland Isles]], Scotland
| origin            =
| death_date        = {{death date and age|df=yes|2023|04|07|1953|08|03}}
| death_place       =
| genre             = [[Soft rock]], [[progressive rock]]
| occupation        = Musician
| instrument        = Guitar, saxophone, keyboards
| years_active      = 1968–2019
| label             =
| associated_acts   = [[The Alan Parsons Project]], [[Kate Bush]], [[Bucks Fizz (band)|Bucks Fizz]], [[Junk (band)|Junk]], [[Pilot (Scottish band)|Pilot]], [[Keats (band)|Keats]]
| website           = [http://www.ianbairnson.com/ IanBairnson.com]
}}
'''John''' "'''Ian'''" '''Bairnson''' (3 August 1953 – 7 April 2023) was a Scottish musician and member of [[Pilot (Scottish band)|Pilot]] and [[the Alan Parsons Project]].<ref name=TheAvenue>{{cite web |url=http://www.theavenueonline.info/site1/bios/bairnson.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020731150634/http://www.theavenueonline.info/site1/bios/bairnson.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=31 July 2002 |title=Biography: IAN BAIRNSON |last1=Martin |first1=Steve |date=15 September 2004 |work=TheAvenueOnline ! The ALAN PARSONS Fan Club |publisher=The Avenue / Avenue Communications |access-date=29 December 2010 }}</ref> He was a multi-instrumentalist, who played saxophone and keyboards, but mainly performed as a guitarist, which he played with a [[Sixpence (British coin)|sixpence]].{{r|GW}} In addition to his work with Parsons, Bairnson played guitar on four [[Kate Bush]] albums, including the guitar solo on her 1978 debut single, "[[Wuthering Heights (song)|Wuthering Heights]]".
== Early life ==
Bairnson was born in [[Lerwick]], [[Shetland]], on 3 August 1953.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.musikalske.net/alanparsons/alanparsons.htm |title=The Alan Parsons Project |work=musikalske.net |accessdate=2021-04-11|language = sv}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://katebush.proboards.com/thread/855 |title=The Sensual World of Kate Bush |work=katebush.proboards.com|date=2004-11-27 |accessdate=2021-04-11|language = en}}</ref> He grew up in [[Levenwick]], also in Shetland, before his family moved to [[Edinburgh]], Midlothian, when he was nine years old, following the death of his father. Bairnson learned how to play the guitar when he was six.<ref name="GW">{{Cite web |author1=Michael Astley-Brown |date=2023-04-08 |title=Ian Bairnson, guitarist for the Alan Parsons Project and Kate Bush, dies aged 69 |url=https://www.guitarworld.com/news/ian-bairnson-dies-aged-69 |access-date=2023-04-08 |website=guitarworld |language=en}}</ref>
== Pilot and the Alan Parsons Project ==
{{Main articles|Pilot (Scottish band)|The Alan Parsons Project}}
He was a [[session musician|session guitarist]] before joining up in 1973 with former [[Bay City Rollers]] musicians [[David Paton]] and [[Billy Lyall]] in the band [[Pilot (Scottish band)|Pilot]], contributing the harmony guitar parts to their [[hit record|hit]] single "[[Magic (Pilot song)|Magic]]". During this time with Pilot, he first collaborated with [[Alan Parsons]], the record producer on their debut self-titled album.<ref name=TheAvenue /> It was this relationship that helped incorporate most of the band's members (bassist/lead singer Paton and drummer [[Stuart Tosh]]) into the Alan Parsons Project. He played the distinctive guitar solo on the [[song|track]] "I Wouldn't Want to Be Like You" from Parsons' ''[[I Robot (album)|I Robot]]'' (1977) album.
As a guitarist, he was featured on every Alan Parsons Project album, including the 1984 side project [[Keats (band)|Keats]].<ref name=Discography>{{cite web |url=http://www.ianbairnson.com/discography/discography.htm |title=Ian Bairnson Official Site Discography|date=20 June 2009 |work=Ian Bairnson Official Site |access-date=29 December 2010}}</ref>
In 2019, Bairnson added guitar solos to two songs from Alan Parsons' new album, ''[[The Secret (Alan Parsons album)|The Secret]]'', specifically the tracks "Years of Glory" and "I Can't Get There from Here".
== Additional work ==
Bairnson played on [[Kate Bush]]'s first four albums ''[[The Kick Inside]]'' (1978)<ref name="Discography" /> (notably playing the guitar solo on "[[Wuthering Heights (song)|Wuthering Heights]]"){{r|GW}} ''[[Lionheart (Kate Bush album)|Lionheart]]'' (1978), ''[[Never for Ever]]'' (1980) and ''[[The Dreaming (album)|The Dreaming]]'' (1982).
Bairnson also played with the band [[Bucks Fizz (band)|Bucks Fizz]]<ref name=Discography /> for whom he co-wrote two of their [[Top 40|Top 20]] hits, "[[If You Can't Stand the Heat (Bucks Fizz single)|If You Can't Stand the Heat]]" (1982) and "[[Run for Your Life (Bucks Fizz single)|Run for Your Life]]" (1983).
In 2009 he appeared on the album of the German bass player Chris Postl, ''Parzivals Eye''. Chris Postl played in [[RPWL]], a German band. He toured with a number of different bands, the latest being [[Junk (band)|Junk]]<ref name="Discography" /> (Bairnson, Pau Chaffer, Sarah Rope and Ángel Celada). During his session career he played on more than a hundred albums in different styles, for artists such as [[Yvonne Keeley]], [[Joe Cocker]], [[Jon Anderson]], [[Chris DeBurgh]], [[Mick Fleetwood]], and [[Neil Diamond]]. He played live with [[Sting (musician)|Sting]], [[Eric Clapton]], [[Beverley Craven]] and many more.
After moving back to the UK in 2013, Bairnson got together with David Paton and produced an album called ''A Pilot Project'' where they paid homage to [[Eric Woolfson]]’s legacy. In November 2016 Paton and Bairnson got together again, touring Japan with a Pilot revival and some Alan Parsons Project songs as well.
== Personal life and death ==
Bairnson lived in Spain from 2003 to 2013, where he had a recording studio and continued working as a session guitarist.
His wife, Leila, announced on her [[Facebook]] page in 2018 that Bairnson had been diagnosed with a progressive neurological condition that affected his communication skills, so he would no longer play in public.<ref>Leila Bairnson, [https://www.facebook.com/groups/104709059089/posts/10156664420274090/ Facebook post], June 20, 2018; accessed March 22, 2023; Steve Cardownie, [https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/news/opinion/columnists/music-lessons-are-key-to-producing-talents-like-ian-bairnson-steve-cardownie-3476703 "Music lessons are vital if Scotland is to produce musicians as talented as Ian Bairnson,"] ''Edinburgh News'', December 1, 2021; accessed March 22, 2023.</ref> On her Facebook page, she subsequently announced that Bairnson had died on 7 April 2023, following a long time with [[dementia]]. He was 69.{{r|GW}} <ref>{{cite web |first=Nadeem |last=Badsham |title=Ian Bairnson, guitarist with Pilot and for Kate Bush, dies aged 69 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2023/apr/09/ian-bairnson-guitarist-with-pilot-and-for-kate-bush-dies-aged-69 |website=[[The Guardian]] |access-date=9 April 2023 |language=en-GB |date=9 April 2023 }}</ref>
== Discography ==
=== With [[Pilot (Scottish band)|Pilot]] ===
{| class="wikitable"
!Year
!Album
|-
|1974
|''[[From the Album of the Same Name]]''
|-
|1975
|''Second Flight''
|-
|1976
|''Morin Heights''
|-
|1977
|''Two's a Crowd''
|-
|2002
|''Blue Yonder''
|-
|2014
|''A Pilot Project''
|-
|2019
|''The Traveller - Another Pilot Project''
|-
|2021
|''The Magic EP''
|}
==== Singles ====
{| class="wikitable"
!Year
!Title
|-
| rowspan="3" |1974
|"Just a Smile"
|-
|"[[Magic (Pilot song)|Magic]]"
|-
|"[[Ra-Ta-Ta (Chris Juwens song)|Ra-Ta-Ta]]"
|-
| rowspan="4" |1975
|"[[January (Pilot song)|January]]"
|-
|"Call Me Round"
|-
|"Just a Smile" (new version)
|-
|"Lady Luck"
|-
| rowspan="3" |1976
|"Running Water"
|-
|"Canada"
|-
|"Penny in My Pocket"
|-
| rowspan="2" |1977
|"Get Up and Go"
|-
|"Monday Tuesday"
|}
=== With [[The Alan Parsons Project]] ===
==== Albums ====
{| class="wikitable"
!Title
!Album details
|-
!''[[Tales of Mystery and Imagination (Alan Parsons Project album)|Tales of Mystery and Imagination]]''
|
* Released: 25 June 1976
* Label: [[Charisma Records|Charisma]] <small>(#CDS-4003)</small>
* Formats: [[LP record|LP]]
|-
!''[[I Robot (album)|I Robot]]''
|
* Released: 8 July 1977
* Label: [[Arista Records|Arista]] <small>(#AL-7002)</small>
* Formats: LP, [[Compact cassette|CS]]
|-
!''[[Pyramid (The Alan Parsons Project album)|Pyramid]]''
|
* Released: June 1978
* Label: Arista <small>(#AB-4108)</small>
* Formats: LP, CS
|-
!''[[Eve (Alan Parsons Project album)|Eve]]''
|
* Released: 27 August 1979
* Label: Arista <small>(#AL-9504)</small>
* Formats: LP, CS, [[8-track tape|8-track]]
|-
!''[[The Turn of a Friendly Card]]''
|
* Released: 7 November 1980
* Label: Arista <small>(#AL-9518)</small>
* Formats: LP, CS
|-
!''[[Eye in the Sky (album)|Eye in the Sky]]''
|
* Released: May 1982
* Label: Arista <small>(#AL-9599)</small>
* Formats: LP, CS
|-
!''[[Ammonia Avenue]]''
|
* Released: 7 February 1984
* Label: Arista <small>(#AL8-8204)</small>
* Formats: LP, CS
|-
!''[[Vulture Culture]]''
|
* Released: 15 February 1985
* Label: Arista <small>(#PD-8263)</small>
* Formats: LP, CS, [[Compact disc|CD]]
|-
!''[[Stereotomy]]''
|
* Released: November 1985
* Label: Arista <small>(#AL9-8384)</small>
* Formats: LP, CS, CD
|-
!''[[Gaudi (The Alan Parsons Project album)|Gaudi]]''
|
* Released: January 1987
* Label: Arista <small>(#AL9-8384)</small>
* Formats: LP, CS, CD
|-
!''[[Freudiana]]''
|
* Released: 11 October 1990 (not published by The Alan Parsons Project, only as a side project for Eric Woolfson)
* Label: [[EMI Records|EMI]] <small>(#198-795415 1)</small>
* Formats: LP, CD
|-
!''[[The Sicilian Defence (album)|The Sicilian Defence]]''
|
* Released: 23 March 2014
* Label: Arista
* Formats: CD
|}
==== Singles ====
{| class="wikitable sortable"
!Year
!Title
|-
|1975
|"[[The Raven (song)|The Raven]]"
|-
| rowspan="2" |1976
|"[[(The System of) Dr. Tarr and Professor Fether]]"
|-
|"To One in Paradise"
|-
| rowspan="3" |1977
|"[[I Wouldn't Want to Be Like You]]"
|-
|"Don't Let It Show"
|-
|"Day After Day (The Show Must Go On)"
|-
| rowspan="4" |1978
|"I Robot"
|-
|"Hyper-Gamma-Spaces"
|-
|"Pyramania"
|-
|"What Goes Up"
|-
| rowspan="2" |1979
|"Damned If I Do"
|-
|"Lucifer"
|-
| rowspan="3" |1980
|"You Won't Be There"
|-
|"The Turn of a Friendly Card"
|-
|"[[Games People Play (The Alan Parsons Project song)|Games People Play]]"
|-
| rowspan="3" |1981
|"[[Time (The Alan Parsons Project song)|Time]]"
|-
|"[[Snake Eyes (The Alan Parsons Project song)|Snake Eyes]]"
|-
|"Gold Bug"
|-
| rowspan="4" |1982
|"You're Gonna Get Your Fingers Burned"
|-
|"[[Eye in the Sky (song)|Eye in the Sky]]"
|-
|"Psychobabble"
|-
|"[[Old and Wise]]"
|-
|1983
|"You Don't Believe"
|-
| rowspan="2" |1984
|"[[Don't Answer Me]]"
|-
|"Prime Time"
|-
| rowspan="3" |1985
|"Let's Talk About Me"
|-
|"Days Are Numbers (The Traveller)"
|-
|"Vulture Culture"
|-
| rowspan="2" |1986
|"Limelight"
|-
|"Stereotomy"
|-
|1987
|"Standing on Higher Ground"
|-
|1990
|"Freudiana"
|}
==References==
{{Reflist}}
==External links==
{{Commons category}}
*{{cite web |url=http://www.ianbairnson.com |title=Ian Bairnson Official Site |access-date=8 April 2021}}
* {{Discogs artist|Ian Bairnson}}
* {{IMDb name|id=0047940}}
{{Pilot}}
{{The Alan Parsons Project}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bairnson, Ian}}
[[Category:1953 births]]
[[Category:2023 deaths]]
[[Category:Musicians from Edinburgh]]
[[Category:People from Lerwick]]
[[Category:Scottish rock guitarists]]
[[Category:Scottish male guitarists]]
[[Category:Scottish saxophonists]]
[[Category:British male saxophonists]]
[[Category:People associated with Shetland]]
[[Category:Shetland music]]
[[Category:Pilot (band) members]]
[[Category:British soft rock musicians]]
[[Category:The Alan Parsons Project members]]