MAGNUM Keyboardist MARK STANWAY Quits After 36 Years

Keyboardist Mark Stanway has quit British rock icons MAGNUM after a 36-year stint with the band.

Stanway, who joined MAGNUM in 1980 prior to the recording of the group's third album, 1982's "Chase The Dragon", said in a statement: "Due to irrevocable circumstances, I am deeply saddened to announce that I have made one of the most difficult decisions in my life — I have officially left MAGNUM.

"I apologize to anyone who was maybe hoping to see me personally over the next few days, but sadly I will not be there. However, I should like it known, that, I am and will remain extremely proud to have been a small part of it all for the past 36 years or so and wish the band and organization all the best for the future.

"I will, of course, firmly remain in music and hope to see many of you a little further down the road."

The remaining members of MAGNUM have not yet commented on Stanway's departure, but bassist Al Barrow assured fans in an online post that the last three dates of the band's current tour — in Dublin, Wolverhampton and Edinburgh — will go ahead as planned.

In a 2009 interview with Let It Rock, Stanway was asked what he thought was his greatest contribution to MAGNUM had been up to that point. He responded: "Tony Clarkin does all the writing for MAGNUM — but here is some information that has, until now, not been generally known… My wife Mo actually wrote the original piece of piano music that I later adapted and used for 'Sacred Hour', although her writing credits were refused! One of my personal inputs that I am still pleased about is a track called 'The Last Dance': this was originally an uptempo track that was supposed to be like when someone puts the last coin in the jukebox for the last dance of an evening. I wrote a much slower piano part and suggested we made it into a ballad, and when I played it to everyone there was a unanimous decision to record it this way. It's on the 'On A Storyteller's Night' album."