P.P. Arnold: Professionally known as P.P. Arnold, Pat Arnold (born Patrica Ann Cole, on 3 October 1946, in Los Angeles, California) is an American born soul singer of significant success in the United Kingdom in the 1960s and beyond.
Life and career
Birth to 1965
Born to a gospel singer’s family, Arnold married early and had two children, and worked a series of jobs until the early 1960s. Maxine Smith, an ex-girlfriend of her brother, contacted her with an incredible offer, as she and her friend Gloria Scott had arranged an audition for three girls to replace the original Ikettes, the dancer/singer troupe that provided vocal and dance accompaniment for the Ike and Tina Turner Revue. A third girl had stood up Smith and Scott, and someone to make up the trio, Smith contacted Arnold, whom she knew to be an excellent singer.
1966 to 1969
After touring around U.S. with the Revue, she came to England with them in 1966 to support of The Rolling Stones. Her powerful voice immediately impressed Mick Jagger, and he convinced Stones manager Andrew Loog Oldham to sign Arnold to a recording contract with his Immediate Records record label. To begin a solo career, Arnold quit the Turner band to remain in London.
1970 to 1980
In 1970 she moved to the musical stage, appearing beside P.J. Proby in the rock musical Catch My Soul. She then formed a new backing band including the upcoming members of Ashton, Gardner & Dyke, plus Steve Howe. She contributed session musician backing vocals to notable UK sessions (including the classic Nick Drake song “Poor Boy”) during this period and also toured with Eric Clapton, who produced a number of unreleased sessions with her. She met American bassist Fuzzy Samuels of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, during the same time and they got married and had a son.
1994 onwards
In 1994 she joined the cast of the award-winning musical Once On This Island. While the production was in Birmingham, she met leading UK band Ocean Colour Scene, one of the new wave of latter-day “Mod” groups who, idolized The Small Faces.
It led to her singing the lead vocal, backed by Primal Scream, on a cover of The Small Faces’ “Understanding”, included on a successful Small Faces tribute album. She also worked with them on their 1997 album Marching Already followed by numerous TV appearances including Later with Jools Holland and touring with Ocean Colour Scene in 1997-98.
She also recorded vocals in the 2000-released album Standing On The Shoulder Of Giants by Oasis.
Deciding to put together a new band to promote her material, Arnold joined Chaz Jankel, former pianist with Ian Dury and The Blockheads. This was followed by an invitation to tour widely with Roger Waters. She was a backup vocalist on his 1999-2000 tour In the Flesh as well as the 2006-2007 tours Dark Side of the Moon Live.
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