David Longdon
David Longdon was born in Nottingham on 17 June 1965. Music found him early. Discovering The Who at age 9 was enough to inspire him to start writing songs almost immediately, and he never really stopped.
He came up through the band The Gifthorse, signing to Rondor Music and recording for Epic Records. A promising start. But the music industry is rarely straightforward, and the path that followed was a long one, winding through session work, solo recordings and a sustained collaboration with French pop artist Louis Philippe, whose albums David graced across more than a decade.
In 1996, he came extraordinarily close to one of the biggest roles in rock music. Following Phil Collins’ departure from Genesis, David auditioned for the band’s lead vocalist position, working closely with Tony Banks, Mike Rutherford and producer Nick Davis during sessions for what became Calling All Stations. He progressed through multiple rounds before the role ultimately went to Ray Wilson. A remarkable achievement to get that far.
His debut solo album, Wild River, was self-produced in 2004 with a loose collective of Nottingham musicians known as The Magic Club. Released quietly at the time, it found a much wider audience when it was remastered and reissued in later years. Then came the moment that changed everything. In 2008, Martin Orford invited David to sing on his album The Old Road. That connection led, in turn, to Big Big Train.
He joined the band in 2009 and gave everything to it. His voice was extraordinary: warm, precise, with incredible range and capable of genuine emotional power. David had soul. More than a singer, he played flute, keyboards, guitar, mandolin, banjo and a remarkable range of other instruments, and he brought a co-writer’s instinct to everything he touched.
Over twelve years, he recorded nine studio albums with Big Big Train. The last of them, Welcome To The Planet, was released after his death in 2022.
His reputation as a vocalist of rare quality led to further collaborations. He sang on a vocal version of Steve Hackett’s beloved Spectral Mornings, a performance Hackett himself described warmly. And alongside Fairport Convention’s Judy Dyble, he recorded a joint album, Between a Breath and a Breath, released in 2020. A meeting of two singular voices, it remains a beautiful and timeless piece of work.
He was, by every account, as generous and warm in person as he sounds on record. People who worked with David tend to use the same words: kind, funny, generous, genuinely interested in others. But above all, exceptionally talented.
David died on 20 November 2021, aged 56, following an accident at his home in Nottingham. He was mourned by fans across the world and remembered in obituaries in The Times, The Guardian, Mojo, NME, Rolling Stone, and Prog Magazine as one of the finest voices in progressive rock.
A second solo album, Door One, was released posthumously in 2022, a final and deeply moving gift to the people who loved his music.
David’s music endures. So does the belief that drove it: that music belongs to everyone. The Foundation exists to act on that belief.
Please support the David Longdon Foundation, which exists to pry open doors that talent alone cannot. It supports young musicians from disadvantaged backgrounds with financial bursaries and mentoring from a panel of professional musicians and music industry experts. It also raises funds to bring the healing power of music to children with special developmental needs and disabilities. David Longdon Foundation
