Bev Bevan (born Beverley Bevan, 24 November 1944, Sparkhill, Birmingham, England) is an English rock musician, who was the drummer and one of the original members of The Move and the Electric Light Orchestra (ELO). After the end of ELO in 1986, he founded ELO Part II without the original ELO singer-songwriter, Jeff Lynne.

Bevan also served as the touring drummer for Black Sabbath from 1983-1984, and played percussion on The Eternal Idol album in 1987.

Biography

After education at Moseley Grammar School where he gained two O level passes, he worked as a trainee buyer in a city centre department store called The Beehive with school friend Jasper Carrott. His professional music career started with a stint with Denny Laine in his group Denny Laine and the Diplomats, then with Carl Wayne and The Vikings, followed by The Move in 1966. The Electric Light Orchestra released their first album in 1971, by which time The Move existed only as a recording outfit. They released their final single, "California Man" in 1972, and the subsequent successes of the Electric Light Orchestra, and the Roy Wood led Wizzard, led to their being laid to rest.

Bevan has a deeply pitched singing voice. While with The Move he lent lead vocals to two tracks: a remake Of "Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart" and the country and western spoof, "Ben Crawley Steel Co".

In 1980 Bevan published a biography of the Electric Light Orchestra. He also made a solo single in 1976, a cover version of the Sandy Nelson instrumental, "Let There Be Drums".

In 1983 he replaced Bill Ward from Black Sabbath for their Born Again tour. Bevan also appeared in two music videos ("Trashed" and "Zero the Hero").

After the death of Carl Wayne in 2004, he formed a new band, Bev Bevan's Move, with Phil Tree and former ELO Part II colleagues Phil Bates and Neil Lockwood, to play a set comprising mostly The Move classics on tour. Bates left in July 2007 to re-join ELO Part II, by then renamed to The Orchestra.

Bevan currently presents a radio show on BBC Radio West Midlands on Sunday afternoons. He also reviews records for the Midlands' Sunday Mercury and has a blog on their website.

Bevan played on all but one Electric Light Orchestra and ELO Part II albums (the exception being 2001's Zoom which marked Lynne's return to recording under the ELO name, with only Richard Tandy present from previous band line-ups).

Personal life

Bevan lives in rural Warwickshire with his wife, Valerie, and their son, Adrian.

Bibliography

References

1. Blogs.sundaymercury.net