Born in England during the early '40s, Tristan Fry came from a musical family, his father a professional percussionist and his mother a pianist. He took up both instruments as a boy and gravitated toward percussion, though he continued to study the piano as well when he entered the Royal Academy of Music. He joined the London Symphony Orchestra in 1963 and spent the next five years as one of their percussionists. His repertory during the '60s was a wide one with the orchestra, including not only the usual romantic classics and other large sections of the classical repertory, but also gave him a chance to work with pop performers such as Danny Kaye -- he also got a featured spot in one number performed by Duke Ellington and his band in conjunction with the LSO. Fry's work as a session musician also got him a gig playing on the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album. Fry left the LSO for a gig with a jazz band led by Johnny Dankworth and played on the contemporary classical album Million Dollar Connection. Subsequently, he became a session musician and recorded with Frank Sinatra, John Martyn, Olivia Newton-John, Elton John, and David Essex, among many others. In the late '70s, Fry joined classical guitarist John Williams, keyboard virtuoso Francis Monkman, guitarist Kevin Peek, and bassist Herbie Flowers in the progressive rock group Sky. In more recent years, Fry has played on the London Symphony Orchestra's Symphony Rock British Invasion and American Classics volumes. ~ Bruce Eder
