Zior=Monument

http://thefirstmonument.webs.com/

This page is dedicated to ZIOR,the one group of people that represent the beauty, weirdness ,strangeness  and the inventiveness in creating unique sound in british progressive hard rock history.
Please be free to visit us and leave comments.

Zior had their roots in Southend's early sixties R&B scene. Kevin Bonsor had previously been in a local R&B outfit, The Essex Five, and then classical/rock fusion outfit, Cardboard Orchestra. Pete Brewer had been in another Southend R&B band, The Night Riders. He and Bonsor were Zior's founding members recruiting Truba and Skeels (who'd once played in a London band called The Bum) via a Melody Maker advert.

Zior did have a reputation as a wild live band. They were heavily into Black Magic and Satanic Mass, etc. They recorded an album on the Beacon label, later in 1971, which was credited to Monument, though, in fact, it featured all four members of Zior.

Pete Brewer eventually ended up a successful musical instrument/equipment dealer in Southend. Skeels sells dress jewellery in his native Newcastle. Bonsor worked for many years as an engineer/producer at Tin Pan Alley Studios and also became a DJ in the late 70s, hosting 'Capital's Big Night Out' at The Lyceum in London's Strand.

Taken from The Tapestry of Delights - The Comprehensive Guide to British Music of the Beat, R&B, Psychedelic and Progressive Eras 1963-1976, Vernon Joynson
ISBN 1 899855 04 1