List of Big Big Train band members
The band's first line-up included Spawton (guitar, keyboards) and Poole (bass), alongside vocalist Martin Read, keyboardist Ian Cooper and drummer Steve Hughes.
Later in the 80s Andy Poole formed a songwriting partnership in Bournemouth, England, with his childhood friend, Ian Cooper.
Meanwhile, Poole and Cooper's band, Archshine, recorded a few demos and occasionally emerged from their home studio to play some gigs.
Shortly afterwards, he met Poole and they discovered that they shared a mutual appreciation of Genesis, Van der Graaf Generator and other progressive bands.
During this time, the band continued to perform live dates, gradually playing to larger crowds in higher profile venues.
The response to the album was very positive, culminating in a licensing deal in Japan where the CD was re-released in 1995, with a bonus track.
After a few more live performances, the band's momentum was all but spent and Spawton and Poole retreated back to their studio to work on the next album.
Events had turned full circle; Poole and Spawton, with no particular goal in mind and without a band line-up, slowly began work on some demos, more out of habit than anything else.
The line-up of the band during the recording of Bard consisted of Spawton, Poole, Read, Müller, the returning Cooper, and drummer Phil Hogg.
The album featured guest appearances from future full-time member Nick D'Virgilio, and Dave Meros (both of Spock's Beard), as well as Pete Trewavas of Marillion.
In 2008, BBT appeared on the Classic Rock Magazine CD for issue 112, with the song Summer's Lease, which is also found on The Difference Machine.
Both Hughes and Filkins left the band in February 2009, and were replaced by then-Spock's Beard drummer Nick D'Virgilio and vocalist and flute player David Longdon respectively.
He was brought up in Sutton Coldfield, and first got into progressive rock through his brother playing Genesis' Selling England by the Pound.
[27] Andy Poole was BBT's co-founder, he played bass with the band until 2012 when he moved onto additional keyboards and guitar.
Poole departed the band in early 2018, saying "it has been a long old trip aboard this train and now the time is right for me to disembark: I am ready for new and exciting adventures.
"[28] Nick D'Virgilio (born (1968-11-12) 12 November 1968 (age 56)) has been BBT's drummer, vocalist and multi-instrumentalist since 2009, he originally recorded with the band as a guest musician in 2007.
[31] He played flute, keyboards, acoustic and electric 6 & 12 string guitars, bass, mandolin, lute, banjo, accordion, percussion, dulcimer, psaltry, vibraphone, theremin and glockenspiel.
Martin Read was BBT's original lead singer, he sang on albums Goodbye to the Age of Steam (1994), English Boy Wonders (1997) and Bard (2002).
Following his first departure, he was replaced by Tony Müller, when he rejoined in 1999 he played alongside Muller who moved to co-lead vocalist.
[18] Danny Manners joined BBT in 2012 on keyboards and double bass, being the band first keyboardist since Ian Cooper's second departure in 2004.
[37] Rikard Sjöblom (born (1982-02-23) 23 February 1982 (age 42)) has been BBT's guitarist and keyboardist since 2014, having previously been frontman of Swedish prog band Beardfish.
[44] Carly Bryant was BBT's keyboardist after the departure of Danny Manners in 2020, she played keyboards and sang co-lead vocals on Common Ground (2021) and Welcome to the Planet (2022).
