The Blues Band
| The Blues Band | |
|---|---|
 |
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| General information | |
| Genre (s) | Blues , rhythm and blues , blues rock , rock |
| founding | 1979 |
| Website | www.thebluesband.com |
| Founding members | |
| Paul Jones | |
| Tom McGuinness | |
Guitar, vocals |
Dave Kelly |
| Gary Fletcher | |
| Hughie Flint (until 1982) | |
| Current occupation | |
Vocals, harmonica |
Paul Jones |
guitar |
Tom McGuinness |
Guitar, vocals |
Dave Kelly |
bass |
Gary Fletcher |
Drums |
Rob Townsend (since 1982) |
The Blues Band is a British rock and blues band that was founded in 1979 by the otherwise successful Paul Jones , Tom McGuinness and Hughie Flint ( McGuinness Flint ) with Dave Kelly and Gary Fletcher and is still active (with only one line-up).
founding
Singer and harmonica player Paul Jones (actually Paul Pond born February 24, 1942) was in the 1960s, lead singer of Manfred Mann and later worked as a solo artist, actor and radio presenter; at Manfred Mann he played together with bassist and guitarist Tom McGuinness (born December 2, 1941 in Wimbledon , London ). McGuinness founded in 1969 with Hughie Flint (born March 15, 1941), formerly drummer with John Mayall 's Bluesbreakers , the formation McGuinness Flint . In 1979, Jones, McGuinness and Flint as well as singer and guitarist Dave Kelly (who had played with the John Dummer Blues Band , Howlin 'Wolf and John Lee Hooker , among others ), and bassist Gary Fletcher met together - especially in London pubs - to make music for the joy of rhythm and blues .
Band history
Their first recording, the Official Blues Band Bootleg Album , was made in the studio from a mixture of standard blues songs and their own compositions (including Come On In, written by Jones and McGuinness, and Flatfoot Sam , which became one of their most-played live songs) record company wanted the recordings, the band released it first at concerts and via mail order among their fans before Arista Records , the blues band under contract took and the LP officially published - with success: it increased in the UK on March 8, 1980 charts and rose to number 40. On April 19, 1980, the band created a solid fan base in Europe, especially in Germany, with their appearance as the first act of the 6th Rockpalast -Rocknacht in Essen's Grugahalle .
In July 1980 the Blues Band released an EP (in Germany as a normal single ) with the Bob Dylan title Maggie's Farm as the first song - at the beginning of the conservative government of Prime Minister Margaret “Maggie” Thatcher, especially in Great Britain, it was often covered , so also from the specials (text line: I ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more. ). This EP remained the only singles chart success of the blues band , but in 1980 and 1981 the next two albums returned to the charts.
In 1982 Flint left the group; He was the former drummer of Family , Rob Townsend (* 7 July 1947) replaced. In 1983 the band split briefly after releasing a live album called Bye Bye Blues , but formed again a little later. Although they never came close to chart success again, the band has stayed together ever since and after more than a quarter of a century is still present together on stage and on record. Almost twenty albums were created during this time, the latest, Thank You Brother Ray (2006), is a tribute to Ray Charles with cover versions of his songs. In 2004 a live DVD, Across Borders - Live, was also released .
In addition to their work in the blues band, Jones, McGuinness and Townsend are also members of the Manfreds , a band that could be viewed as a new edition of Manfred Mann without its namesake. Jones and Kelly occasionally perform as a duo, and Kelly gives concerts with the Dave Kelly Band (which is actually The Blues Band without Jones and with Kelly as the singer).
Discography
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Albums
- 1980: The Official Blues Band Bootleg Album
- 1980: Ready
- 1981: Itchy Feet
- 1982: Brand Loyalty
- 1983: Bye Bye Blues (Live)
- 1986: These Kind of Blues
- 1989: Back for More
- 1991: Fat City
- 1993: Homage
- 1995: Wireless
- 1996: Live at the BBC
- 1997: 18 Years Old & Alive
- 1999: The Best of the Blues Band (USA)
- 2000: Brassed Up
- 2001: Scratchin 'on My Screen
- 2002: Stepping Out
- 2004: Be My Guest
- 2004: The Official Gary Fletcher Bootleg Album (Demos)
- 2005: Blues Band Box (4-CD compilation)
- 2006: Thank You Brother Ray
- 2011: Few Short Lines
- 2013: Live At Rockpalast (CD / DVD set)
- 2017: The Big Blues Band Live Album
- 2018: The Rooster Crowed
Singles
- Come on in / The Blues Band Song (1980)
- Find yourself another Fool / SUS Blues (1980)
- Nadine / That's all right (1980)
- Who's right, who's wrong? / Itchy Feet (1981)
- Come on / Green Stuff (1981)
- Take me Home / So Bad (1982)
- Hey Hey Little Girl / SUS Blues (1982) - limited live single
- Seemed like a good Idea / Rolling Log (1982)
- Blue Collar / Duisburg Blues (1989)
Video albums
- Across Borders - Live (2004)
- Steppin 'Out on Main (2005)
- Live At Rockpalast (2013, CD / DVD set)
literature
- Roy Bainton: Talk to Me Baby - The Story of the Blues Band . Firebird Books, ISBN 1-85314-201-8 .