Matchbox (band)

Matchbox
General information
origin	Middlesex , England
Genre (s)	Rockabilly , rock 'n' roll
founding	1971, 1996
resolution	1985
Website	www.rockabillyrebel.co.uk
Founding members
singing	Wiffle Smith (until 1976)
guitar	Steve Bloomfield
bass	Fred Poke
Drums	Jimmy Redhead
guitar	Ian Terry
Current occupation
singing	Graham Fenton (since 1977)
guitar	Steve Bloomfield (1971–1981, since 1996)
bass	Fred Poke (1971–1981 since 1996)
Drums, vocals	Jimmy Redhead (1971, 1979–1985, since 1996)
guitar	Gordon Scott (1979–1985, since 1996)
former members
piano	Rusty Lupton (1976)
Drums	Bob Burgos (1976-1978)
guitar	Dick Callan (1980-1985)
guitar	Garry Hogan (1985-1985)

Matchbox is a British rockabilly band that was formed in 1971. In addition to the Stray Cats, they are considered the fathers of the rockabilly revival in the mid / late 1970s. In addition to rock 'n' roll , the band repeatedly included pop-oriented song material in their repertoire. In the 1980s , the group achieved a total of five top 20 hits with titles such as Rockabilly Rebel , Midnite Dynamos and Over the Rainbow . Her single I Want Out (1983) from the album Crossed Line was co-produced with Kirsty MacColl .

Band history

The instrumental line-up of the band has always remained the same over the years, but there have been several personnel changes. In the beginning and on the first album Riders in the Sky , 1977 the group still consisted of the singer Wiffle Smith, Steve Bloomfield on guitar, the pianist Rusty Lupton, Fred Poke on bass and the drummer Bob Burgos. The following year Smith was replaced by former Hellraisers singer Graham Fenton. Lupton dropped out.

The band had their breakthrough as the accompaniment of Bo Diddley and as support of Carl Perkins . In 1979 Matchbox became known to a wider audience in Germany with the album of the same name. There were German cover versions by Leinemann and Ted Herold . The new wave of rockabilly began. In addition to Bloomfield, Fenton and Poke, the former Cruisers members Gordon Scott could be heard on rhythm guitar and Jimmy Redhead on drums. Bloomfield now liked to use the mandolin too ; a rather untypical instrument for rockabilly, which can be understood as a trademark for Matchbox . In 1980 guitarist Dick Callan joined the line-up. In 1981 the style of music gradually changed. The Flying Colors and Crossed Line albums tended towards pop. The last album Going Down Town was released in 1985 only in Sweden.

Since 1995 Matchbox have been back in the line-up, in which they celebrated their greatest successes in the early 1980s, and have also released a new album. The band still performs regularly across Europe today.

Others

In 1980 the band Lee starred in the musical documentary film Blue Suede Shoes alongside Bill Haley , Crazy Cavan , Freddie Fingers Lee and Ray Campi .

The name of the band goes back to the title of the same name by Carl Perkins and expresses the reminiscence of the classic rockabilly style of the 1950s. Until the late 1970s, Matchbox expressed this bond through their style of clothing and hairstyles; Fred Poke, like Lee Rocker with the Stray Cats , lurched across the stage with a large double bass .

In the mid-1980s, Graham Fenton recorded some tracks under the name Graham Fenton's Matchbox, among others with former Matchbox members Bob Burgos and Ian Terry , but these are not considered official Matchbox albums.

Discography

Albums

year	Title music label	Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, music label , placements, weeks, awards, notes)				Remarks
		DE	AT	CH	UK
1976	Riders In The Sky Rockhouse	-	-	-	-
1979	Midnite Dynamos magnet	DE28 (9 weeks) DE	-	-	UK23 silver (9 weeks)UK
1980	Settin 'The Woods On Fire ACE	-	-	-	-
	Matchbox magnet	-	-	-	UK44 (5 weeks) UK
1981	Flying Colors Magnet	-	-	-	-
1982	Crossed line magnet	-	-	-	-
1998	Comin 'Home self-publication	-	-	-	-

gray hatching : no chart data available for this year

Singles

year	Title B side	Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, B-side , rankings, weeks, awards, notes)				Remarks
		DE	AT	CH	UK
1975	Rock 'N' Roll Band Born To Rock 'N Roll	-	-	-	-	Music label: Dawn
1978	Rock Rollin 'Boogie Troublesome Bay	-	-	-	-	Music label: Raw
1979	Rockabilly Rebel I Don't Wanna Boogie Alone	DE17 (29 weeks) DE	AT12 (8 weeks) AT	CH9 (5 weeks) CH	UK18 (12 weeks) UK	Music label: Magnet
	Buzz Buzz a Diddle It Everybody Needs A Little Love	DE45 (10 weeks) DE	AT17 (8 weeks) AT	-	UK22 (8 weeks) UK	Music label: Magnet
	Black Slacks Mad Rush	-	-	-	-	Music label: Magnet
1980	Midnite Dynamos Love Is Going Out Of Fashion	DE8 (24 weeks) DE	AT15 (8 weeks) AT	CH4 (9 weeks) CH	UK14 (12 weeks) UK	Music label: Magnet first edition with Scotted Dick on the B-side
	When You Ask About Love You've Made A Fool Of Me	DE29 (14 weeks) DE	AT16 (2 weeks) AT	-	UK4th silver (12 weeks)UK	Music label: Magnet
	Over the Rainbow - You Belong to Me (Medley) Don't Break Up The Party / Stay Cool	DE42 (12 weeks) DE	-	-	UK15 (11 weeks) UK	Music label: Magnet
	Please Don't Touch All The Boys (Love My Baby)	-	-	-	-	Music label: Charley
1981	Babe's in the Wood Tokyo Joe	DE44 (9 weeks) DE	-	-	UK46 (6 weeks) UK	Music label: Magnet
	Love's Made a Fool of You Springheel Jack	DE66 (3 weeks) DE	-	-	UK63 (3 weeks) UK	Music label: Magnet
	Matchbox Make Like A Rock And Roll	-	-	-	-	Music label: Bellaphon
	Only Wanna Rock Riders In The Sky	-	-	-	-	Music label: Bellaphon
1982	One More Saturday Night Rollin 'On	-	-	-	UK63 (2 weeks) UK	Music label: Magnet
	24 Hours Anabella’s On Her Way	-	-	-	-	Music label: Magnet
	Riding The Night Mad, Bad And Dangerous	-	-	-	-	Music label: Magnet
1983	I Want Out Heaven Can Wait	DE58 (1 week) DE	-	-	-	Music label: Magnet feat. Kirsty MacColl

swell

1. ↑ Matchbox in the Internet Movie Database (English)
2. ↑ Matchbox Official Discography on the artist website , accessed March 1, 2020
3. ↑ ^{a b} Chart sources: DE AT CH UK
4. ↑ ^{a b} BPI gold / platinum database (Great Britain)

Web links

• Official website (English)
• Matchbox at Discogs (English)
• Matchbox at Allmusic (English)