On This Date (December 21, 1988) Paul Avron Jeffreys / Cockney Rebel; Died On Pan Am Flight 103
Posted by themusicsover on December 21, 2008
Paul Avron Jeffreys
February 13, 1952 – December 21, 1988
Paul Avron Jeffreys was a founding member of the 1970s rock band Cockney Rebel. The bass player was one of the 270 victims of the Lockerbie bombing on 21 December, 1988. He had just married Rachel Jones and the couple were on their way to their honeymoon in America. They were on board Pan Am Flight 103 when it was ripped apart by a terrorist bomb in the skies above Lockerbie, killing 243 passengers, 16 crew members and 11 residents of the Scottish borders town. Paul, a Londoner born on 13 February, 1952, was auditioned for Cockney Rebel by former folk musicians Steve Harley and John Crocker in 1973. After just five gigs they were signed by EMI. They quickly found success in Europe and released an acclaimed debut album, The Human Menagerie. But after recording follow-up The Psychomodo, most of the band (with the exception of the drummer) quit due to rising tensions, leaving the lead singer to continue performing as Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel. Jeffreys went on to play with a string of bands over the next 14 years, including Chartreuse, Warm Jets, Electric Eels and Linda and the Prophets. He occasionally wrote songs, including Electric Eels’ 1980 single “Don’t Wanna go to Moscow.” – Lasting Tribute
