Virginia & Gavin David

Gavin and Virginia David were members of SAILOR when the "Dressed For Drowning" album was recorded in 1980.
At that time the line-up of the band was: Philip Pickett (piano, 12 string guitar, synthesisers, lead vocals), Henry Marsh (electric guitars, synthesisers, piano, vocals), Gavin David (vocals) and Virginia David (lead and backing vocals).
Phil had been introduced to Ginny (as she was known) by her cousin. They met through the local folk scene that thrived in and around the little community that Phil lived in during the Seventies.
After the "Dressed For Drowning" album SAILOR also recorded a second album named "TV Land" in this line-up which unfortunately remained unreleased.


Biography of Virginia David...
with special thanks to James McCarraher:

Born on the 07 January 1957, Ginny spent much of her earlier life in the West Country, going on to complete her A levels at Cheltenham Technical College.
Blessed with a beautiful singing voice, Ginny performed in her own band, The North Coast Band and was a regular performer at the Lostwithiel Folk Club.
Ginny was often in demand to record Seventies covers albums such as the Top Hits Series and learned to adapt her voice to cover such artists as Kate Bush.
She met Phil Pickett through the Lostwithiel Folk Club and was invited with her brother Gavin to join The Private Eyes, which was renamed SAILOR, becoming the second incarnation in the history of the band.
Travelling to James William Guercio’s Caribou Ranch, they recorded two albums, "Dressed For Drowning" and "TV Land". Ginny has happy memories of making both albums: "I learned so much with SAILOR. I think working in a close-harmony group is a wonderful education for any singer because it teaches you to listen while singing. One of my favourite memories is when Carl Wilson, who lived on the ranch, came and sang with us on a song. To be in that situation with one of the worlds greatest vocalist, one of the Beach Boys, was truly cool. I learned how to breathe when singing from watching him that day."
The end of the Caribou experience and the split of SAILOR brought to an end an exciting and thrilling chapter in Ginny’s career. However, she felt encouraged to pursue her ambitions as a singer: "After SAILOR I spent my twenties in London pursuing my singing career. I worked with many producers and musicians, singing and writing. Mostly though it was session work for which the Caribou experience had been an amazing apprenticeship and I had a great time working in the music world. I met and wrote with Tony Hymas and Jeff Beck. I then made a solo album with Pete Bellotti of Donna Summer fame, which Jeff Beck played on, another great moment for me! I then married and had three children, which somehow took my attention for a few years. During that time I continued to sing but mainly in the shower! I am now returning to my roots and singing with Anna Tanvir, harpist and singer in France, with our band Blue Maize. We sing with young female singer Lauren Candler and jazz guitarist Yann Beaujouan. The band is acoustic, close harmony again and tending towards the folk sound although American and Canadian songs are creeping in. My daughter Jessica now is fronting a melodic rock band and writing great songs so it all continues on."
© James McCarraher 2004.

A full and detailed account can be found in the book "A Glass Of Champagne – The Official Sailor Story".


1980


2003


Biography of Gavin David...
with special thanks to James McCarraher:

Gavin was born on the 03 November 1954 in Cairo (just before the Suez crisis) into an academically strong family (his father was a headmaster and grandfather, a bishop). He was educated at King’s School in Gloucester and Dean Close in Cheltenham.
Gavin and his younger sister shared a mutual love of music and played in their own band, The North Coast Band, Gavin on bass and Ginny on lead vocals. They also collaborated with Randy Van Warmer and teamed up as a trio with Tony Hazzard who had penned several Sixties hits including "Fox On The Run".
Meeting Phil through their local folk club, Gavin and Ginny were invited to join Phil and Henry as The Private Eyes (who became SAILOR Mark II). Gavin travelled with Ginny to James William Guercio’s Caribou Ranch where they recorded two albums between 1980 and 1981, "Dressed For Drowning" and "TV Land".
Gavin recognises that it was a magical experience: "We were plucked from the depths of Cornwall, transplanted to another country and we made the best of it. I was sad that things hadn’t worked out for this incarnation of SAILOR because we had had so much support and enthusiasm from many people."
Gavin has since left the music business but has led a full and interesting life: "Following SAILOR I briefly worked with another old friend with Cornwall connections - Rick Borrie. We formed the rock band Rhetoric, which later worked the London small club scene doing original stuff mainly penned by Rick. I played bass and sang. However, my heart wasn't in it. I was disillusioned with the music business and after six months (late summer 1981), I left the U.K to become a real sailor. I ended up licking my wounds in the eastern Mediterranean (on the Greek island of Kos) where I was rescued by a ship load of Vikings (Danes) sailing around the Aegean on a beautifully ramshackle old schooner - the skipper was a mad character straight out of a pirate adventure, leaping around the deck and swinging in the rigging like Johnny Depp in 'Pirates of the Caribbean'. We ended up in Turkey in a place called Bodrum. As I stepped down the gangway I felt I'd arrived home; it was the most extraordinary feeling. I stayed there for the next ten years. The following year (1982) I worked as a charter skipper out of Bodrum and one late September day bumped into the Danish schooner again where I met my wife to be, Annette. We settled in Bodrum and lived there till 1991 during which time we got married on the beach under an olive tree and had two kids (Kaj and Nina). I started and ran my own yacht business called SOS Bodrum with a Turkish friend, which is still going strong under his steady hand. I sold my shares in 1993 following our return to the UK for yet another life-change. Since our return, I have been through university studying landscape architecture, which I now practise with a large architectural and environmental consultancy. I still have my original Seventies six string acoustic from the London/Cornish band days. To be honest I don't play very much (regrettably) but I am known to exercise the beast once in a blue moon when the fancy takes me, usually when I've had a few."
© James McCarraher 2004.

A full and detailed account can be found in the book "A Glass Of Champagne – The Official Sailor Story".


1983


2003


Go to:

Georg Kajanus
Henry Marsh
Phil Pickett
Grant Serpell
Gavin & Virginia David
Peter Lincoln
Anthony England
Rob Alderton
Oliver Marsh
Nick Parvin
The crew...


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