Steve Peregrin Took

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Steve Peregrin Took's Grave in February, 2014.jpg

Steve Peregrin Took (born July 28, 1949 in London as Stephen Ross Porter ; † October 27, 1980 ibid) was a British rock musician (drums, percussion, guitar, bass, vocals), band leader and songwriter . He was best known as a partner of Marc Bolan in the duo Tyrannosaurus Rex .

Early Years and Tyrannosaurus Rex (1967–1969)

Stephen Ross Porter, born in Eltham in London in 1949, borrowed his stage name "Peregrin Took" from the fantasy novel The Lord of the Rings . At the age of 17, having played drums in a mod band called "The Waterproof Sparrows" for a few months , he replied in 1967 to an advertisement in the International Times in which Marc Bolan was looking for musicians for a new band after his departure from John's Children . which he called "Tyrannosaurus Rex". Already after the first appearance, which turned out to be a failure, the new band broke up. Only Bolan and Took stayed together. They performed as an acoustic duo with guitar and bongos in underpasses. Took used different percussion instruments , including children's toys. Her style changed from pure rock 'n' roll to an exotic mixture of different directions aimed at a hippie audience.

In 1968 they started recording a number of albums. John Peel promoted them on his radio program. The third album Unicorn managed 1969 to number 12 in the UK - album charts . Meanwhile, differences between the two partners became apparent. Took turned to the underground and drug scene. He also wrote his own songs, which Bolan did not want to perform with Tyrannosaurus Rex. Instead, Twink recorded two of the pieces for his Think Pink album in 1969 , with Took also contributing vocals and percussion. Took's friends also included Syd Barrett , with whom he worked on unpublished material. Took can also be heard as a background singer with David Bowie on the BBC session album Bowie at the Beep, which was only released in 2000 . Eventually Bolan kicked Took out of his band and replaced him with Mickey Finn .

Pink Fairies (1969–1970) and Shagrat (1970–1971)

Took formed a new band called The Pink Fairies with Twink (drums), Twink's friend Sally "Silver Darling" Meltzer (keyboard) and Mick Farren (vocals), who had just been fired from his band The Deviants . Took and Twink supported Farren with the recording of his first solo album Mona - The Carnivorous Circus (recorded in December 1969, released in 1970). Twink founded a new version of the Pink Fairies in early 1970 with the ex-musicians of the Deviants. Around the same time, Took and Farren founded the band Shagrat with Larry Wallis (guitar) and Tim Taylor (bass), named after another character from the Lord of the Rings .

Farren soon left Shagrat, and drummer Phil Lenoir joined them. Took took over the leadership of the group. They recorded three tracks and played at the Phun City Festival. After Lenoir and Taylor dropped out, Took and Wallis continued as an acoustic trio with drummer Dave Bidwell. They made a few more recordings, but the Shagrat project disbanded in 1971. The Shagrat recordings were later released on vinyl and CD (for example in 1990 and 2001).

Solo (1971-1976)

Steve Took subsequently appeared as a soloist with acoustic guitar, especially at concerts by the band Hawkwind and Pink Fairies . From 1972 to 1973 Tony Secunda, previously manager of Marc Bolan , took over Tooks Management. Recordings with various musicians from the underground scene, including Syd Barrett, were made in Took's apartment . However, it wasn't until 1995 that parts of these sessions were released as The Missing Link To Tyrannosaurus Rex . Various attempts to gain a foothold with new bands have not been particularly successful. In the meantime, Took lived in Canterbury and Margate .

Steve Took's Horns (1976–1978) and Inner City Unit (1979–1980)

Back in London, Took performed as Steve Took's Horns with various musicians. In mid-1977 the line-up stabilized with Trev Thoms (guitar) and Dino Ferari (drums). Tony Landau became the manager of the group. They recorded three tracks in November 1977 and played Nik Turner's “Bohemian Love-In” on June 18, 1978 at the Roundhouse . Unsatisfied with the performance, Took broke up the band. In 2004 the recordings from 1977 were released as Blow It !!! The All New Adventures of Steve Took's Horns on CD , filled with outtakes , remixes and other material.

In 1979 and 1980 Took played several times as a guest at Nik Turner's Inner City Unit, where Trev Thoms and Dino Ferari were also part of the cast.

death

Steve Took died on October 27, 1980 at the age of 31. The cause of death was found to be suffocation on a cocktail cherry.

Discography

  • 1970: Mick Farren: Mona - The Carnivorous Circus with Steve Took as "Shagrat the Vagrant" (Transatlantic Records)
  • 1971: Twink: Think Pink (LP with 2 songs by Took, recorded in the summer of 1969, Sire Records)
  • 1990: Shagrat: Amanda / Peppermint Flickstick (Single, Shagrat Records)
  • 1992: Steve Took's Shagrat: Nothing Exceeds Like Excess (EP, Shagrat Records)
  • 1995: Steve Peregrine Took: The Missing Link to Tyrannosaurus Rex (CD, Cleopatra), reissued in 2002 as Crazy Diamond (CD, Voiceprint)
  • 2001: Steve Peregrine Took's Shagrat: Lone Star (CD, Captain Trip)
  • 2001: Shagrat: Pink Jackets Required (CD, Get Back)
  • 2004: Steve Took's Horns: Blow It !!! The All New Adventures Of Steve Took's Horns (CD, Cherry Red Records)

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Allmusic, see web links
  2. ↑ a b c d e f biography on Steve Took Domain, see web links
  3. ↑ Steve Peregrin Took on Findagrave.com (English)
personal data
SURNAME Took, Steve Peregrin
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Porter, Stephen Ross (maiden name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British rock musician, band leader and songwriter
DATE OF BIRTH July 28, 1949
PLACE OF BIRTH London
DATE OF DEATH October 27, 1980
Place of death London