Haras Fyre
Haras Fyre, also professionally known as Patrick Grant, is a BMI affiliated songwriter as well as a singer and multi-instrumentalist.
Background
Born and raised in Newark, New Jersey, Fyre's upbringing included music ranging from Victor Herbert to Frankie Valli. Fyre credits radio personality "Cousin Brucie" Morrow's extraordinary range of music presentation as having played a major role in encouraging Fyre's musical diversity.As a teenager, Fyre 'permanently borrowed' his brother's trombone and learned to play the instrument by playing along with recordings made famous by the band Chicago. Later, admirers who associated Fyre's trombone playing with the style of Chicago's trombonist "James Pankow," nicknamed Fyre "Chicago." During Fyre's stint with a popular East Orange, New Jersey band known as Parkway North, Fyre's passion for the bass nearly overtook his interest in the trombone. Parkway North's bassist - "Romeo Williams" lent his prized Baldwin Bass to Fyre and patiently taught Fyre a few rudiments on the instrument.
In 1971, Fyre joined a local band called the Matchmakers, where he met vocalist and pianist Gwen Guthrie. The two became romantically involved, moved in together and, with The Matchmakers' saxophonist James Wheeler and trumpeter Jerome McCoggle, they joined the New York City based band "East Coast," which was the brainchild of future Cameo founder Larry Blackmon.
Transition into songwriting
The freelance producer for East Coast's second album told Fyre and Guthrie that their songs were of no commercial value; that the songs were 'unsellable.' Guthrie and Fyre were convinced of the opposite. The Commodores late manager Benny "The Ash" Ashburn, who had been 'keeping a protective eye' on Guthrie and Fyre, agreed with the songwriters. "The Ash" supported Fyre and Guthrie in taking their songs elsewhere.When producer Bert DeCouteaux heard the song demos, he said, "You two simply must get out of my office now - - because I want to immediately start writing charts for these songs. Come back tomorrow and don't forget to bring your bass!" With that request, Fyre's life as a trombonist ended, and his life as a bass player in New York City's music scene began. The following day, Fyre was sitting in the recording studio playing bass with Carlos Alomar together with Bowie's drummer Dennis Davis while Bert DeCoteaux played piano. Guthrie sang.
Within one month after their having left the "East Coast" band, Fyre and Guthrie started harvesting the rewards of promoting their music outside of the band: the very first of their 'unsellable' songs sold internationally. "Love Don't You Go Through No Changes On Me" brought newcomers "Sister Sledge" into the national spotlight, placing them on:
- Billboard Magazine's national chart position #5 measured by audience response for the year 1974 in the Disco category
- Billboard Magazine's national chart position #7 measured by FM radio audience response
- Billboard Magazine's national "Hot 100"
On that very first album, Patrick Grant is credited as a bass player amongst New York City's top studio musicians - alongside the name of , who was Fyre's ultimate bassist role model of Motown's "Funk Brothers" notoriety.
Haras explains: "I was highly influenced by Dee Murray, James Jamerson and Bob Babbitt. Before I learned how to musically express my own personality on the bass, I mostly used Bob Babbitt's musical 'vocabulary.' After all, Babbitt seemingly played on every fourth song on the radio - not exactly a bad role model! Therefore I didn't care about other bassists ridiculing me: I was always hired and they were not! Before playing, I would ritually mumble 'I now Babbittize you in the name of the Fender, the Song and the Holy Groove.' Surprisingly, on my very first Sister Sledge recordings, there was an additional bassist playing on the sessions who could actually 'Babbittize' considerably better than I could. I cannot describe my shock upon having discovered that 'the big guy wearing the apple hat' was none other than Mr. Bob Babbitt in person! I said nothing but watched everything, then played bass as sensitively as I knew how, struggling not to feel intimidated in the presence of a Musical Giant such as Bob Babbitt. Sometimes I unjustly got accolades for having played on some songs where actually Babbitt played, especially the big hits. There's good, there's better, and then there's Babbitt, who, after more than half of a century of making hits, practically still defines the way a bass feels on the radio. Babbitt was making several hit records daily when I was only 8 years old and, even in 2011, it's impossible to hear the radio longer than 15 minutes before hearing 'Funk Brother' Bob Babbitt's Fender Flair.'"
Haras and Guthrie penned the "It's Happening at the Phone Company" jingle for AT&T, which they also played live at a few international trade fairs with top studio drummer Jimmie Young, and Bert DeCoteaux on piano. Playing bass with this power quartet helped morph Fyre into "Dr. Bass" as he played regularly in a band with Weather Report studio drummer Herschel Dwelllingham, pianist Nat Adderley, Jr., and singer .
Songwriting "pause"
The relationship Guthrie and Fyre had with their publishing company didn't last long. Within two months of having made their songwriting debut, Fyre's and Guthrie's Music Machine had delivered several songs to the Billboard charts and the machine was still accelerating - but then sand was thrown into the gears, causing the machine to stop running. Guthrie and Fyre enjoyed a warm familial relationship with publisher Bert DeCoteaux, but one of the company associates was a total distraction for both Guthrie and Fyre, killing their creativity and rendering them jointly and individually useless in that constellation.Artists and producers who came to Fyre and Guthrie seeking songs often turned away, lamenting, "Gwen, Haras, we love your music and we love Bert but, sorry; please contact us the minute your situation changes..." Guthrie and Fyre were so frustrated at being 'bound & gagged' that Guthrie quit writing within the organization, going on her individual way as a session singer. One week later, Fyre, without Guthrie, penned a final parting song for the company, "Satan's Daughter" which appeared on the GG album of British Glam Rocker Gary Glitter. Any further works Fyre had in development with Fleming Williams, with Police Academy actress Marion Ramsey, and the works in progress with film composer and friend Michael R. Colicchio had to be abandoned.
"Under the Boardwalk"
Fyre's composition "Supernatural Thing" did more than provide songwriting success relative to Ben E. King. As Ben E. King had been a vocalist with the perennially popular group known as "The Drifters," Fyre had inroads to Ben E. King's past associates. Yes, Fyre's songwriting efforts had been internally sabotaged - - but Fyre found shelter "Under The Boardwalk"; he packed up his bass and headed for London to join the backup band of The Drifters, who had a singing lineup of Johnny Moore, Billy Lewis, Joe Blunt and Clyde Brown, managed by the late Faye Treadwell.After two years of touring with The Drifters, Fyre returned to the USA, residing for four years in Connecticut until permanently moving to Europe, where he resides in Switzerland.
2011
Although Fyre lives in Switzerland, he is frequently seen as a musical proponent for Germany's Allianz Insurance Group and for Formula 1 automobile races, where he often appears in televised segments with Mercedes-Benz Motorsport-boss Nobert Haug during the motorsport season.Fyre composes and presents music for televised sporting events, corporate events and private affairs, speaking fluent German.
Fyre appeared on European television as the first "Werbeträger" for the internationally German-based auto/technical giant DEKRA despite his not ever having been a race driver during his twenty-three year association with DEKRA. He was regularly featured together with 9-time Olympic Gold Medalist Magdalena Brzeska for whom he composed a song.