Career
He was a multi-instrumentalist and usually played all the instruments on his recordings. After leaving school in 1963, Philosophy Cordell joined North London band Steve Douglas and the Challengers as a guitarist. The band soon morphed into The Prophets, but saw no mainstream success.
Following this, Cordell formed a band called Tuesday"s Children, and following a few single releases he left in 1967 to go solo.
His first single, "Pumping the Water" was released in 1969 (although is sometimes credited under its B-side "Red Lady"). On this he was the sole instrumentalist, playing all the instruments himself as well as doing the vocals.
Much of his subsequent work would be without vocals. In 1971, under the name Springwater he released the single "I Will Return" which gave him his first hit, reaching Number.
5 in the United Kingdom, Number. 1 in Switzerland and top three in Germany and the Netherlands.
Under this name he released three more singles as well as his debut album Springwater in 1972, none of these could repeat the success however. In 1973 (after a one-off single under the name Variation) he reverted to performing under his own name and released a single "Close to You" on Motown spin-off label MoWest Records. Concurrent to this he released another single "Dan the Banjo Manitoba" on another Motown spin-off Rare Earth Records.
This single was released under the moniker Dan the Banjo Manitoba and although failed to chart in the United Kingdom, became a number one hit in Germany.
During 1974 and 1975 he released a number of other singles under both his own name and Dan the Banjo Manitoba, releasing an album under the latter. Around this time he also assisted with production on the Tucky Buzzard album Allright on the Night.
In 1977, under his own name he released another album Born Again, but this would prove to be his last. After a few more singles in the late 1970s he once again performed under the name Springwater, releasing two singles in 1980.
None of these found success however.
Cordell died on 31 March 2007, leaving behind three children.
