Bryan James "Chas" Chandler (18 December 1938 — 17 July 1996) was an English musician, record producer and manager of several successful music acts.
Chas Chandler was born at 35 Second Avenue, Heaton, Newcastle-upon-Tyne. After leaving school, he worked as a turner in the Tyneside shipyards. He learned to play the guitar but became the bass player when he joined the Alan Price Trio in 1962.
After vocalist Eric Burdon joined them, the group was renamed The Animals and became one of the most successful R&B bands ever.[citation needed] Chandler's best known bass lines are the opening riffs of their 1965 hits "We Gotta Get Out of This Place" and "It's My Life". Chandler was also the most prominent of the group's backing vocalists and did occasional songwriting with Burdon.
After the group split up in late-1966, Chandler turned to becoming a talent scout, artist manager and record producer. It was during his final tour with the Animals in 1966 that Chandler saw a then unknown guitarist play in a New York nightclub. The guitarist went by the name of Jimmy James. In September of that year, Chandler convinced James to go with him to England. During this time, James was renamed Jimi Hendrix.
In England, Chandler recruited bassist Noel Redding and drummer Mitch Mitchell. Together with Hendrix, the trio formed The Jimi Hendrix Experience. Chandler became the band's manager and produced their first two albums. He was also instrumental in introducing Hendrix to Eric Clapton. It was through this introduction that Hendrix got the opportunity to play with Clapton and Cream on stage
Chandler then went on to manage and produce the English rock band Slade for twelve years, during which time they achieved 6 number one chart hits in the U.K. During this time, Chandler bought IBC Studios which he renamed Portland Recording Studios, after the address of 35 Portland Place, London and ran it for four years till he sold it to Don Arden. Chandler also ran a series of record labels from the studios including Barn Records and Six of the Best, and formed a music publishing agency and management and production companies
In 1977 Chandler played with, and recorded, The Animals during a brief reunion, and joined them again for a further revival in 1983, at which point he sold his business interests and became a musician again.
During the early 1990s he helped develop Newcastle Arena, a ten-thousand seat sports and entertainment venue that opened in 1995.
Chandler had one son, Steffan, from his first marriage. He later married Madeleine Stringer, the 1977 Miss United Kingdom and the sixth runner-up at Miss World 1977, and they had a son, Alex, and two daughters, Elizabeth and Katherine, together.
Chandler died of an aortic aneurysm at Newcastle General Hospital, on 17 July 1996, mere days after performing his final solo show.
Chandler's former home in Heaton is to be remembered with a black plaque placed on the wall.
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