Neon

Rab Noakes is a force to be reckoned with in the world of music in Scotland and beyond.

Rab’s first album was released in 1970. Thirty years later in the year 2000, Rab formed his own record label and released a couple of new releases.

In the intervening years Rab Noakes has made his presence felt as a creative entity across music and media.

From being one of the singer-songwriters of the 1970’s to his present activities with Neon Productions he has released eleven albums and toured extensively. The once sought-after hit single remained elusive but didn’t impede his progress.

In recent years he has been involved in a rich mixture of production, writing and performance.

Before he and his wife Stephanie Pordage set up Neon in 1995 he spent an eight-year spell as a BBC employee where he ran the radio music and entertainment shows in Scotland. A formal job in radio was appropriate as the radio had played a major part in Noakes’ creative development from an early age.

Born in 1947 Rab Noakes enjoyed the benefits of growing up as rock’n’roll was born and of being present as new sounds – from Little Richard to Woody Guthrie drifted across the Atlantic.

Impressed by the success of Scots Bert Jansch and The Incredible String Band he dusted down an old guitar and began touring in Britain and Denmark with a set embracing pop, country and folk. Prior to the release of his first album in 1970 five Noakes songs appeared on albums by Archie Fisher and Barbara Dickson

A relationship with Gerry Rafferty has continued since Noakes was a founder member of Stealers Wheel. Noakes played guitar on one of Rafferty’s recent albums, Over my Head.

Lindisfarne and Rab met in the North East of England when they were each playing regularly in that part of the world. The group demonstrated its respect for Rab by recording one of his songs on each of their first two albums

They also shared a producer in Bob Johnston who had introduced Bob Dylan to working in Nashville with the Blonde on Blonde record.

Noakes himself recorded in Nashville with acclaimed producer Elliot Mazer. The resulting album Red Pump Special remains a collectors’ item and is cited as an influence by several young upstarts.

Noakes worked with Terry Melcher at Lennon’s Tittenhurst Park on an album for Ringo Starr’s record label.

In the eighties Noakes teamed up with some young Glaswegian musicians including Brendan Moon, Lorraine McIntosh and Andy Alston to form Gene Pitney’s Birthday. Into the ’nineties this grew into The Varaflames whose members have included harmonica ace Fraser Speirs, Rod Clements of Lindisfarne, guitar ace Jerry Donahue, Deacon Blue's Ewen Vernal and Pick Withers of Dire Straits.

Rab Noakes has also been involved with some high-profile music production activity on shows such as John Byrne’s Your Cheatin’ Heart and Elaine C. Smith’s TV series. Neon continues to provide quality TV and radio programmes from its base in Glasgow’s Kinning Park. The unique knowledge and abilities in the Neon team continue to give the programmes an edge.

As we carry on into the 21st century Rab Noakes is preparing to go on the road with Fraser Speirs. They now work together often and have developed a unique act which covers a broad range of popular styles. As well as a handsome helping of original Noakes material they play a rich mixture of Blues, Country and Pop that reflects a lasting love of popular music as popular culture. He also plans to record and release a number of albums and to make a few appearances with the current Varaflames line up of Jim McDermott, David Paton, Colin Macfarlane and Fraser Speirs.

The first record on the Neon label to become available was ‘Throwing Shapes’ by The Varaflames.

That was followed up with Rab and Fraser releasing a new album, ‘Lights Back On’, an album sure to win him many new admirers. The strong mix of carefully selected versions of others' songs paired with Noakes’s own eloquent compositions have helped create one of the best albums to come out of Scotland in years.

A limited edition release of the ‘stuffhouse ep’ has made 750 numbered copies of this future rarity available

‘Demos and Rarities Volume One’ was released in 2002. Neon partner and Rab’s wife, Stephanie Pordage volunteered to go through the many hours of recordings and has dug out the best and most appropriate material.

Noakes’ own record production skills have been much in demand with albums by John Watt and macAlias being released and well-received. In 2003 he recorded with a young group from Aberdeen called Stuka.

Fraser Speir's album, ‘About Time’, was recorded at Glasgow's Celtic Connections festival in 2000 and features guest performances from many artistes, Rab included.

In 2004 Neon expanded to release Karine Polwart’s ‘faultlines’ album produced by Rab. Later in the year Neon released two more Rab productions ‘At this Moment’ by Karen Dunbar and ‘Thai Whisky Tears’ by The Cellers.

2004 also saw the Neon release of 'Standing Up', Rab's solo album originally issued on the Mediart label in 1994. Also that year, the River Records label released a CD comprising mostly live recordings made for commercial radio in the early eighties.

Rab’s latest release of new material on Neon is his second album with the Varaflames - ''Unlimited Mileage' - released in November 2007.

Do you see the lights? Rab’s debut album from 1970 is now available on CD for the first time. This was released on the Neon label in 2008.

Having sat on the Scottish Arts Council for four years Rab was appointed to the Joint Board of SAC & Scottish Screen in 2006.

Rab is also elected to the Executive Committee of the Musicians’ Union.

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