Sean Tyla (born John Michael Kenneth Tyler, 3 August 1946 – 17 May 2020)[1] was an English rock guitarist, keyboardist, vocalist and songwriter, sometimes known as the "Godfather of Boogie".
[2] Best known for his work with Ducks Deluxe and Tyla Gang, he also played with Help Yourself, Joan Jett, and Deke Leonard, and appeared solo.
In February 1972, Tyla formed Ducks Deluxe, initially with Help Yourself's bassist, the late Ken Whaley, guitarist Martin Belmont and percussionist Michael Cousins.
In 2013, they added John McCoy of Gillan and Mammoth fame to replace original member, Brian Turrington who had taken a leave of absence for personal reasons.
The first album, Just Popped Out, was recorded with assistance from many musicians, including several former bandmates such as Nick Garvey, Micky Groome, Malcolm Morley, Tim Roper and Pete Thomas.
"[2] Tyla guested on Joan Jett's eponymous 1980 album, re-released as Bad Reputation in 1981, and I Love Rock 'n' Roll in 1981.
In 1981, in addition to recording his solo albums, and guesting with Joan Jett, Tyla and Man guitarist Deke Leonard formed The Force, together with Micky Groome (bass) and Paul Simmons (drums).
[2] In 1982, Tyla suffered severe stage fright at Dingwalls in Camden "in the middle of the set Sean shuffled up to me and whispered in my ear, 'I'm just going off'...
[11] Tyla retired from the music business in 1985,[4] and became a web-designer,[3] and briefly worked as a salesman at a Renault dealership in Hammersmith, before, according to his autobiography, a spell as a pig farmer and later becoming a professional cricket coach.
In 2007, Tyla resumed public performances with a new Gang comprising Vaughan Lonsdale and Mick Yarre (guitars), Dave Rickaby (bass) and Ken Ward (drums).
This line up performed a limited number of gigs with the intention of touring but it wasn't long before Sean was offered the opportunity to work once more with his former bandmates from Ducks Deluxe.
The success of this anniversary gig led to further concerts in France and Spain in 2008 and a tour of Sweden in 2009, by when the line up was Tyla and Belmont with bassist Kevin Foster (of Hank Wangford and The Lost Cowboys) and drummer Jim Russell (of Stretch and The Inmates) They released a mini CD of new tracks Box of Shorts in 2009 and a full album, Side Tracks And Smokers in 2010, comprising a mixture of unreleased early recordings and current material.