Christopher Robert "Chris" Stainton is an English session musician, keyboard player, bassist and songwriter, who first gained recognition with Joe Cocker in the late 1960s. In addition to his collaboration with Cocker, Stainton is best known for his work with Eric Clapton, The Who, Andy Fairweather Low and Bryan Ferry.
Career
Stainton was born in Woodseats, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. After passing his eleven-plus examination, Stainton attended Rowlinson Technical School, Norton, Sheffield. Stainton's musical career began in 1960, when he played bass guitar with a local Sheffield band, 'Johnny Tempest and the Mariners'. The Mariners became 'The Cadillacs', before Stainton joined Joe Cocker in The Grease Band during 1966. Stainton co-wrote "Marjorine", Cocker's first UK Singles Charthit in 1968. Chris played bass guitar on Joe Cocker's subsequent number 1 hit With a Little Help from My Friends. His time as a Cocker backing musician came to a zenith on the Mad Dogs & Englishmentour, in the United States and Canada in 1970. His initial involvement with Cocker lasted until the end of 1972. Throughout that decade Chris Stainton appeared with musicians such as Spooky Tooth, The Chris Stainton Band, Tundra, Bryn Haworth Band, Boxer, Maddy Prior Band, Rocks and Elkie Brooks. By 1979 he teamed up with Eric Clapton for the first time, beginning an intermittent working relationship that has lasted to the present time. He joined Clapton on Roger Waters's The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hikingtour during 1984, and also toured again with Joe Cocker on and off from 1988 until 2000. In 1985 Stainton and Clapton both appeared in the George Harrison-produced film Water in a mock 'charity concert' – the Concert for Cascara. In November 2002, Chris appeared at the Concert for George, and has more recently appeared as one of Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings. Chris Stainton has been a member of the Eric Clapton band virtually full-time since 2002, touring worldwide almost every year until the present time. He toured with Clapton on his 2008 North American and European tour, which included a three-night collaboration with Steve Winwood at Madison Square Garden in February 2008, and toured with Winwood and Clapton in 2009 and 2010. In July 2012, Chris was announced as a keyboardist for The Who's 2012–2013 Quadrophenia & More Tour. He performed with the band at the closing ceremony of the London Olympics. However, he subsequently withdrew prior to the start of the tour, to join Clapton on his tour of the US and Europe, that ultimately ended at O2 Arena Prague on 19 June 2013. Chris toured with Clapton in Japan, the Middle East and Europe in 2014. On 11 September 2015 Chris Stainton was honoured and performed with the Tedeschi Trucks Band in a tribute/reunion concert for Joe Cocker, at the Lockn' Festival in Arrington, Virginia. The concert honoured Joe and the Mad Dogs and Englishmen Tour. Alumni included from the 1970 Tour included Leon Russell, Rita Coolidge, Claudia Lennear, Bobby Jones, Pamela Polland, Matthew Moore, Daniel Moore, Chuck Blackwell and Bobby Torres and original Tour photographer Linda Wolf. Wolf's iconic photographs from the 1970 Tour introduced the concert to the audience. A documentary movie of the reunion and concert to be released in 2016, directed by Jojo Pennebaker, son of D. A. Pennebaker and Jesse Lauter. Chris Stainton played on Eric Clapton's 2016 album I Still Do and subsequently joined Clapton for a brief tour of Japan in April 2016.
Personal life
Stainton currently lives in Camberley, Surrey, with his wife of 45 years, Gail. He is a Pro Tools aficionado and spends a lot of time composing and recording music in his home studio.
