FUMBLE band members – Sean Mayes

Charles Thomas Sean Mayes was schooled in Bristol before winning a place at Trinity College, Cambridge, there to gain a degree in philosophy. At 7 years he started playing piano, eventually writing classically influenced pieces for school concerts.

At college his musical interests stayed along classical lines until a friend introduced him to artists like The Everly Brothers, Buddy Holly and Little Richard. Jerry Lee Lewis' "Hi Heel Sneakers" made a special impression. He decided to join a group.

The only setback was, nobody really wanted to play that kind of music - "Hi Heel Sneakers" sure, but the real melodic goldies no.
Sean ended up forming an R& B group 'Wildie Beasties' with Barry (probably the originator of that name) Sean was playing organ, as there was no easy way to amplify a piano.
Sean and Barry then formed the 'Soulbenders' which lasted until Sean left university and joined Des and Mario. Now one step closer to what Sean wanted to play, they formed the 'Baloons'.

Sean Mayes died in May 1995 at the age of 49

"I knew him as a kindly, patient, exasperating and brilliant man - solid as a rock. His death at 49 from AIDS is a ludicrous waste and for once the cliche really is true - we shall not see his like again" - Tom Robinson -

Sean collected many press articles and kept a diary. Always carrying his typewriter with him, Sean virtually chronicled every day on the road with Fumble. Most of the press articles on this website are from his collection, as well as a gig list of the first 20 years. You find both in the archive section.

Sean wrote a book about life on tour with David Bowie. It describes the travelling from town to town with lots of memories and interesting stories from the time when he was in David Bowie's Band for the 1978 Heroes world tour. Kevin Cann finished the book which was published four years after his death in 1999.