🔸 Sadly, a few days ago, superb vocalist Tracy Hitchings passed away. She was one of my fave female prog-rock singers ever since I listened to her for the first time with Landmarq. I liked her voice right on the spot. Today we say goodbye to one of the Queens of the Progressive.

Farewell To TRACY HITCHINGS: «A Queen of the Progressive»

🔸 Her wide vocal range and great charisma on stage, turned British singer Tracy Hitchings into a active female character in the prog rock world. Since late 80s, he’s played alongside big names like John Wetton, Steve Hackett, Rick Wakeman or Clive Nolan, to name just a few.

(by) Hiscio
PROG ROCK JOURNALIST

FROM QUASAR TO STRANGERS ON A TRAIN

🔸 Tracy‘s first work began on the 1989 album The Loreli by Quasar. She contributed lyrics to four of the band’s five album tracks. After touring heavily for 18 months, the following year, 1990, Hitchings collaborated with Clive Nolan and Karl Groom to form Strangers On A Train, and together they recorded the album The Key Part I:The Prophecy.

LANDMARQ

🔸 Following Damian Wilson’s departure of the band, Landmarq was in search of a lead vocalist. Hitchings, in wanting to explore new endeavors, joined the band and recorded the vocally centered album Science of Coincidence in 1998.

🔸 The following year, the band would record the live album Thunderstruck. In 2002, they released the rare EP Aftershock. In 2006, the band recorded another live album entitled Turbulence-Live in Poland. The performance was released in both CD and DVD.

SOLO CAREER AND BEYOND

🔸 After the first collaboration with Nolan and Groom, the trio decided to reunite once again but this time to record Tracy‘s solo album From Ignorance to Ecstasy. The album was recorded and released in 1991, Nolan contributed to the lyrics, music and keyboards on the album. The album marks Tracy‘s signature theatrical vocals with many harmonies, different from her previous work. The album is a mix of different progressive styles with much shorter compositions.

🔸 From then on, she appeared on a number of projects, like Gandalf’s album Gallery of Dreams, or Ulysses debut album Neronia. In 1993, Tracy reunited with Groom and Nolan to record the follow-up to Strangers On A Train’s debut album, The Key Part II: The Labyrinth, where she shared vocal duties with Pallas‘ singer Alan Reed.

🔸 After that, Tracy sings with Gandalf, on To Our Children’s Children and Karl Groom‘s project Blue Heat. She also appeared in three albums for the Nolan/Groom project Shadowland. In 1995, she contributed backing vocals to the Pendragon album Masquerade Overture, and 1999, to Clive Nolan‘s side project Jabberwocky.