Guy Babylon Biography
Guy was born on December 20, 1956 in New Windsor, Maryland. He attended Francis Scott Key High School
and continued his education with an athletic scholarship at the University of South Florida. Six months after graduating with
a BA in music composition and theory, he moved to California and joined up with the band Iron Butterfly.
After a year or so he went his own way, composing music for radio and tv spots, tv and cable shows,
doing demo work and putting together a home studio.
Guy's senior high school yearbook photo:
In the March 1987 issue of Keyboard magazine, Guy was announced as the winner of the 2nd Annual Reader Tape Contest with his entry, Babylon Bleu, and was highlighted in a feature article.
In the late 80s, the single KISSING sung by Seidah Garrett was a big dance hit. Guy composed the music and performed
on the KISSING track for the album, Kiss of Life.
Guy and Bob Birch both were part of the band Ashton, and performed on the group's album Modern
Pilgrim. Pictured below is Ashton: from left, Devin Powers, Zak Starkey, Mark Ashton, Mandy Meyer,
Bob Birch and Guy Babylon.
Guy met Davey Johnstone in 1987 while doing some session work. A year later, Davey called Guy and told him Elton
was looking to add an additional keyboard player and asked Guy if he was interested.
Guy's first live performance with Elton was for a benefit at the Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles in July 1988.
Guy embarked on his first world tour as part of the Elton John Band in 1989.
Guy takes a bow with Elton on his first world tour in 1989, © Hercules magazine
See a video clip of Guy's introduction at his first concert as a member of the Elton John Band in July 1988.
Guy with Elton through the years
Check out the new Tour Books page, with photos of Guy on tour throughout
the year!
Some trivia for you - Guy joined the Elton John Band in July 1988 as a keyboardist. He became the lead
keyboardist in 1992, and on Sept. 6, 1993, he began his long stint as the only keyboardist Elton would
ever need! That was at the Walden Woods show.
Ever wonder how many shows Elton has done? Since 1970, he has done over 2600 shows. Guy has participated in
over 1150 of those shows. Guy is the third-longest standing member of Elton's band, after Davey Johnstone and
Nigel Olsson.
Guy joined with Davey Johnstone to form Warpipes in 1990. The band released their first album, Holes in the
Heavens, in 1991 to critical acclaim, but their record company went bankrupt. The album was re-released in
1995, with the self-title Warpipes. Warpipes also included Nigel Olsson, Bob Birch, and Billy Trudel.
Guy won a Grammy Award in 2001 for his work arranging the musical Aida. Guy has also been involved in the
musical Billy Elliott and the more recent Lestat, which closed in May 2006.
Guy continues to record and perform with the Elton John Band, including performances in Las Vegas for
the Red Piano shows at the Colosseum in Caesar's Palace. The most recent album is The Captain and the Kid.
l-r at the Red Piano: Elton, John Mahon, Bob Birch, Guy Babylon, Nigel Olsson, and Davey Johnstone