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Tier 3 · vertical & regional
Darryl Way
Person · male · United Kingdom · Taunton · born 1948 · recording since 1979
British musician
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Also known as ダリル・ウェイ
Timeline
10 events▣ Album 8◦ Birth 1★ Debut release 1
1940s
1970s
· Debut release
Debut release: Variations
First documented Album in the MusicBrainz discography.
source: musicbrainz
1990s
2010s
2020s
Biography
English biography454 words · 6 sectionssource: wikipedia-en · licence CC BY-SA 4.0 · revision 1368186429
Biography
Richard Darryl Way (born 17 December 1948 in Taunton, Somerset, England) is an English rock and classical musician who was a founding member of the progressive rock band Curved Air and co-writer of their albums from 1970 to 1976. He is best known as a violinist but also plays keyboards.
Early life
Way began his musical training at Dartington College of Arts, and later studied at the Royal College of Music.
Career
Way met Francis Monkman and they formed the band Sisyphus, which evolved into Curved Air.
After three albums and a hit single with Curved Air, Way left in 1972 and formed the band Darryl Way's Wolf, which also recorded three albums before splitting. His next band, Stark Naked & the Car Thieves, went on hiatus when Curved Air reformed in late 1974. After their Curved Air – Live album, the band split, only to be reformed by Way primarily using members of Stark Naked & the Car Thieves. He recorded two studio albums with this new incarnation of the group before leaving again.
Way played on two tracks on Jethro Tull's 1978 album Heavy Horses. He then went on to release several solo albums, including Concerto for Electric Violin
Concerto for Electric ViolinSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 4 tracks11st Movement: Allegro moderato9:3822nd Movement: Slow10:5233rd Movement: Scherzo3:5744th Movement: Finale (Gigue)11:32, which premiered on The South Bank Show with the Royal Philharmonia Orchestra in 1978. There was a subsequent performance at Leeds Town Hall in the early 1980s which was broadcast live on BBC Radio Leeds.
Curved Air reunited briefly in 1990 and a live recording of their reunion concert was released in 2000.
In November 1996, Way's opera, The Russian Opera, premiered at The Place Theatre in London, and his songwriting work includes music set to lyrics by Steven Berkoff.
In 2008, Way took part in a series of Curved Air reunion concerts.
With Curved Air
Air Conditioning (1970) including Vivaldi
Second Album (1971) on which he co-wrote their sole charting hit Back Street Luv
Phantasmagoria (1972)
Live (1975)
Midnight Wire (1975)
Airborne (1976)
Renegade b/w We're Only Human (1984)
Live At The BBC (1995)
Alive, 1990 (2000)
With Darryl Way's Wolf
Canis Lupus (1973)
Saturation Point (1973)
Five in the Morning b/w Bunch of Fives (1973)
Night Music (1974)
Darryl Way's Wolf (compilation from Canis Lupus and Saturation Point) (1974)
Solo
Concerto for Electric Violin (1978) - Francis Monkman synthesizes an orchestra
Little Plum b/w Sweet Dreams (1982) - produced by Martin Gordon for Snat Records
As Long as There's a Spark... (1983) - EP
Little Plum (remix) b/w Love Is The Driver (1984)
Edge of the World (1984)
The Human Condition: Suite for String Orchestra, Piano and Percussion (1987)
Under the Soft (1991)
Classical Rock (music for TV and Film) (2010)
Ultra Violins (2013)
Children Of The Cosmos (2014)
Myths, Legends And Tales (2016)
Vivaldi's Four Seasons In Rock (2018)
Destinations (2019)
Discography & profile
Normalised profile
Percentiles are computed over every artist in the database, so a tier-3 artist can still sit in the 95th percentile on a single axis.
| Metric | Value | Percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Wikipedia language versions | 8 | 49.7th |
| Spotify monthly listeners | — | no data |
| Release groups in DB | 11 | 82.8th |
| Studio albums | 10 | 91.1th |
| Awards recorded | 0 | 0th |
| Timeline events | 10 | 86.7th |
| Recording span (years) | 43 | 83.8th |
| Genres | 1 | 56th |
Percentiles are computed at render time; missing values mean the artist has no data on that axis.
Discography (11 release groups · 10 studio albums)
Albums · 10
1979 · studio album
Search SpotifySearch YouTube Music
Tracklist · 26 tracks · 37:15
A1Theme For Chamber Orchestra1:35A2Variation One [Canon]1:35A3Variation Two [Gallop]2:06A3Variation Three [Minor Mode]3:29A5Variation Four [Solo Piano]1:07A6Variation Five [Gradual Build]2:29A7Variation Six [Short Intro]0:49A8Variation Seven [Slow March]0:52A9Variation Eight [Bass & Snare Drum]0:35A10Variation Nine [Solo Flute]0:45A11Variation Ten [Prestige]1:03A12Variation Eleven [Fanfare]0:30A13Variation Twelve [Main Theme]2:00A14Variation Thirteen [Main Theme]0:48B1Theme For Full Orchestra [A]1:19B2Theme For Full Orchestra [B]1:16B3Variation One [Solo Piano]1:55B4Variation Two [Lyrical]1:52B5Variation Three [Romantic]0:49B6Variation Four [Dance]1:48B7Variation Five [Desolation]3:49B8Variation Six [Pastoral]2:02B9Variation Seven [Progress]0:39B10Variation Eight [Progress]0:32B11Variation Nine [Main Theme]0:47B12Variation Ten [Main Theme]0:441991 · studio album
Search SpotifySearch YouTube Music
Tracklist · 10 tracks · 47:22
1Vapour Highway4:362Electric Bolero5:153Under the Soft4:444And the Walls Came Tumbling Down4:505Tribal City4:596Crocodile Tears4:497One Man's Dream4:308Juliet4:079Allegro Vivace4:3610Sea Aire4:561996 · studio album
Search SpotifySearch YouTube Music
Tracklist · 4 tracks · 35:59
11st Movement: Allegro moderato9:3822nd Movement: Slow10:5233rd Movement: Scherzo3:5744th Movement: Finale (Gigue)11:322014 · studio album
Search SpotifySearch YouTube Music
Tracklist · 12 tracks · 54:22
1Children of the Cosmos5:212Spooks4:313The Best of Times4:564Nature's Way5:135Summer of Love3:336Don't Look Back4:017Fire With Fire4:358Lagan Love3:489A Winter's Tale4:4610A Modern Tale3:5911An American Tale4:4312Sergey4:562016 · studio album
Search SpotifySearch YouTube Music
Tracklist · 10 tracks · 53:16
1Apollo (Racing Against the Sun)5:312Orpheus and the Underworld5:393Whatever Happened4:174Dove of Peace4:095Strange Goings On5:286Aphrodite5:147The Ice Man4:338Crusader5:439Helter Skelter3:4610Prometheus Unchained8:56Vivaldi’s Four Seasons in Rock
2018 · studio album
Search SpotifySearch YouTube Music
Tracklist · 12 tracks · 41:18
1Concerto No. 1 in E major, Op. 8, RV 269 “Spring” (La primavera): 1. Allegro (in E major)3:282Concerto No. 1 in E major, Op. 8, RV 269 “Spring” (La primavera): 2. Largo e pianissimo sempre (in C# minor)2:263Concerto No. 1 in E major, Op. 8, RV 269 “Spring” (La primavera): 3. Allegro pastorale (in E major)3:584Concerto No. 2 in G minor, Op. 8, RV 315 “Summer” (L'estate): 1. Allegro non molto (in G minor)5:125Concerto No. 2 in G minor, Op. 8, RV 315 “Summer” (L'estate): 2. Adagio e Piano - Presto e forte (in G minor)2:366Concerto No. 2 in G minor, Op. 8, RV 315 “Summer” (L'estate): 3. Presto (in G minor)2:567Concerto No. 3 in F major, Op. 8, RV 293 “Autumn” (L'autunno): 1. Allegro (in F major)5:088Concerto No. 3 in F major, Op. 8, RV 293 “Autumn” (L'autunno): 2. Adagio molto (in D minor)2:409Concerto No. 3 in F major, Op. 8, RV 293 “Autumn” (L'autunno): 3. Allegro (in F major)3:2810Concerto No. 4 in F minor, Op. 8, RV 297 “Winter” (L'inverno): 1. Allegro non molto (in F minor)3:5211Concerto No. 4 in F minor, Op. 8, RV 297 “Winter” (L'inverno): 2. Largo (in Eb Major)2:1212Concerto No. 4 in F minor, Op. 8, RV 297 “Winter” (L'inverno): 3. Allegro (in F minor)3:22Vivaldi’s Four Seasons in Rock
2018 · studio album
Search SpotifySearch YouTube Music
Tracklist · 12 tracks · 41:18
1Concerto no. 1 in E major, op. 8, RV 269 “Spring”: 1. Allegro (in E major)3:282Concerto no. 1 in E major, op. 8, RV 269 “Spring”: 2. Largo e pianissimo sempre (in C# Minor)2:263Concerto no. 1 in E major, op. 8, RV 269 “Spring”: 3. Allegro pastorale (in E major)3:584Concerto no. 2 in G minor, op. 8, RV 315 “Summer”: 1. Allegro non molto (in G minor)5:125Concerto no. 2 in G minor, op. 8, RV 315 “Summer”: 2. Adagio e piano presto e forte (in G minor)2:366Concerto no. 2 in G minor, op. 8, RV 315 “Summer”: 3. Presto (in G minor)2:567Concerto no. 3 in F major, op. 8, RV 293 “Autumn”: 1. Allegro (in F major)5:088Concerto no. 3 in F major, op. 8, RV 293 “Autumn”: 2. Adagio molto (in D minor)2:409Concerto no. 3 in F major, op. 8, RV 293 “Autumn”: 3. Allegro (in F major)3:2810Concerto no. 4 in F minor, op. 8, RV 297 “Winter”: 1. Allegro non molto (in F minor)3:5211Concerto no. 4 in F minor, op. 8, RV 297 “Winter”: 2. Largo (in Eb major)2:1212Concerto no. 4 in F minor, op. 8, RV 297 “Winter”: 3. Allegro (in F minor)3:222019 · studio album
Search SpotifySearch YouTube Music
Tracklist · 10 tracks · 49:02
1Downtown L.A.4:402Metropolis4:453The Stras5:304The Wild West6:155A Rainy Day in Vienna5:416The Restless City3:317Riviera Blue5:088Antigua Bay4:069Freedom Road4:1110Mystic Mountain5:152022 · studio album
Search SpotifySearch YouTube Music
Tracklist · 10 tracks · 47:19
1Life5:462Guiding Star4:543Chaconne5:184Back on the Road5:045Morphueus5:086Traveller5:287Time Machine4:008Here We Go3:499Chelsea Girls3:5810Mods and Rockers3:54— · studio album
Search SpotifySearch YouTube Music
Tracklist · 26 tracks · 37:26
1Theme for Chamber Orchestra1:382Variation One (Canon)1:383Variation Two (Gallop)2:074Variation Three (Minor Mode)3:305Variation Four (Solo Piano)1:086Variation Five (Gradual Build)2:317Variation Six (Short Intro)0:508Variation Seven (Slow March)0:549Variation Eight (Bass & Snare Drum)0:3610Variation Nine (Solo Flute)0:4711Variation Ten (Prestige)1:0512Variation Eleven (Fanfare)0:3213Variation Twelve (Main Theme)1:3314Variation Thirteen (Main Theme)0:4915Theme for Full Orchestra (A)1:2116Theme for Full Orchestra (B)1:1817Variation One (Solo Piano)1:5718Variation Two (Lyrical)1:5319Variation Three (Romantic)0:4920Variation Four (Dance)1:4921Variation Five (Desolation)3:5122Variation Six (Pastoral)2:0423Variation Seven (Progress)0:3924Variation Eight (Progress)0:3325Variation Nine (Main Theme)0:4926Variation Ten (Main Theme)0:45
Other · 1
| Cover | Year | Title | Notes | First release |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | Classical RockSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 31 tracks · 1:06:581Baroque Blitz2:57 2Baroque Blitz (30 second version)0:30 3Classical Action3:00 4Classical Action (30 second version)0:30 5No Time to Lose2:56 6No Time to Lose (30 second version)0:30 7The Warriors Enter2:54 8The Warriors Enter (30 second version)0:30 9Classical Interface3:03 10Classical Interface (30 second version)0:30 11Chaconne 15:18 12Chaconne 24:00 13No Worries4:39 14Rocking the Classics3:09 15Rocking the Classics (30 second version)0:30 16Twin Towers2:45 17Twin Towers (30 second version)0:30 18Chasing the Dragon3:18 19West Bank3:02 20Steeplechaser3:05 21Steeple Chaser (30 second version)0:30 22Rock City3:21 23Rock City (30 second version)0:30 24Classical Rock3:16 25Classical Rock (30 second version)0:30 26Game Plan3:12 27Game Plan (30 second version)0:30 28Time Scale3:16 29Time Scale (30 second version)0:30 30Tournament3:17 31Tournament (30 second version)0:30 | — |
Stats & PK
Percentile within all 23,672 published artists.Put Darryl Way head-to-head →
| Metric | Value | Percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Wikipedia language versions | 8 | 49.7th |
| Spotify monthly listeners | — | no data |
| Release groups in DB | 11 | 82.8th |
| Studio albums | 10 | 91.1th |
| Awards recorded | 0 | 0th |
| Timeline events | 10 | 86.7th |
| Recording span (years) | 43 | 83.8th |
| Genres | 1 | 56th |
Awards & honours
Line-up
| Name | From | To | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gong(band) | — | present | |
| Curved Air(band) | — | present | |
| Curved Air(band) | — | present | |
| Gong(band) | — | present | |
| Darryl Way’s Wolf(band) | — | present | original |
Where this record comes from
aliases/urls—musicbrainz · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://musicbrainz.org/artist/a0e996dc-30f9-4f10-ae87-e514e56d43b7discography—musicbrainz · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://musicbrainz.org/artist/a0e996dc-30f9-4f10-ae87-e514e56d43b7core—wikidata · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2493793genre—wikidata · CC0 · retrieved 11 October 2026
https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2493793seed-list—wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darryl_Waybiography—wikipedia-en · CC BY-SA 4.0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darryl_Way
Why this artist is in the database
- List of progressive rock artists
Tier rule: curated genre/region list
Image: no portrait (not displayed: the licence credit is missing)
Wikidata: Q2493793 · MusicBrainz: a0e996dc-30f9-4f10-ae87-e514e56d43b7
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