Peter Coe

About

From Peter Coe Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More | AllMusic:

As a member of Georgie Fame’s Blue Flames, Peter Coe contributed the intense tenor saxophone solo so integral to the group’s chart-topping British smash “Yeh Yeh.” Two years later, he achieved international immortality as a member of the brass section that buoys the Beatles’ soul-influenced perennial “Got to Get You into My Life.” Born November 21, 1930, in Cambridge, England, Coe studied illustration at the Cambridge School of Art but also pursued saxophone, honing his skills in a series of local dance bands. […]

Upon returning to London, Coe split his time between graphic design and music until 1963, when he signed on with emerging blue-eyed soul singer Georgie Fame, the former Billy Fury backing pianist who assumed control of his band, the Blue Flames, after Fury sacked the group. A series of minor hits including “Do the Dog,” “Green Onions,” and “Bend a Little” preceded the blockbuster “Yeh Yeh,” previously recorded by Latin jazz giant Mongo Santamaria — Fame’s rendition hit number one in the U.K. in January 1965, breaking the Beatles’ stranglehold on the top spot. Coe resurfaced on Fame’s smash follow-up “Getaway,” and his gritty, impassioned solos — profoundly influenced by the sound and sensibilities of American R&B — are essential to the soulful authenticity of Fame’s finest moments.

In the summer of 1966, Coe entered London’s Abbey Road Studios, joining fellow tenor saxophonist Alan Branscombe and trumpeters Eddie Thornton, Ian Hamer, and Les Condon to contribute the Stax-inspired brass arrangement for the Beatles’ “Got to Get You into My Life,” the penultimate track on the classic LP Revolver. A longtime fan favorite, the song was finally issued as a single in 1976, entering the U.S. Top Ten six years after the Beatles split. By that time, Coe was long since out of popular music — after a yearlong stint as a big-band contractor and director for Polydor Records, he resumed his illustration career in 1970, forming his own design firm. He nevertheless led an occasional jazz quartet in and around London, and his semi-pro orchestra won the BBC big-band championship on three separate occasions. Coe relocated to Spain in 1987, playing for six years at Magnum’s Jazz Bar near Marbella. He died on March 16, 2009, at the age of 78.

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Eddie Thornton and Glenn Hughes were members of Georgie Fame and the Blue Flames, a British rhythm and blues group whose repertoire spanned jazz, soul, ska, and calypso, that Paul McCartney and John Lennon had seen live a few times in some London nightclubs. Through this connection, they were invited to the “Got To Get You Into My Life” session in May 1966 by Paul. However, Glenn Hughes fell ill and was replaced at the last minute by Peter Coe, another member of the Blue Flames. Three other freelancers joined them.

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Georgie (Fame) called me, so I rushed up to the EMI Studios. Because I play tenor sax it meant having two tenors instead of a tenor and baritone…The Beatles wanted a definite jazz feel. Paul and George Martin were in charge. There was nothing written down but Paul sat at the piano and showed us what he wanted and we played with the rhythm track in our headphones. I remember that we tried it a few times to get the feel right and then John Lennon, who was in the control room, suddenly rushed out, stuck his thumb aloft and shouted ‘Got it!’ George Harrison got a little bit involved too but Ringo sat playing draughts in the corner.

Peter Coe – Trumpet player – From The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions by Mark Lewisohn, 2004

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Last updated on November 15, 2023