Richard Coughlan
September 2, 1947 – December 1, 2013
Richard Coughlan was an English drummer who spent almost his entire career as the drummer for influential Canterbury scene prog rock band, Caravan. With a career that more or less started when he was 10 years old, Coughlan has been called one of rock’s longest tenured musicians. After playing in different bands during his teens, Coughlan found himself playing for the Wilde Flowers, a Canterbury progressive rock band whose members eventually went on to form either Soft Machine, or in Coughlan’s case, Caravan, the genres two most influential bands. Formed in 1968, Caravan became the first British act to sign to prestigious American label, Verve. Over the next decade or so, the band built a loyal legion of fans thanks in part to their ability to blend jazz and psychedelic rock. Also called art rock, Caravan’s sound can be credited for paving the way for the likes of Genesis, Roxy Music, David Bowie, and later, Muse and Radiohead. Caravan remained active – with different members coming and going – with Coughlan remaining in the fold until he died following a fight with pneumonia on December 1, 2013. He was 66.
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