Groundhogs

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Groundhogs
Tony McPhee 1991
Tony McPhee 1991
General information
origin New Cross , London , England
Genre (s) Blues-Rock , Hard Rock , British Blues , Psychedelic Rock
founding 1963
Website thegroundhogs.co.uk
Founding members
John Cruickshank (1963/64)
Tony McPhee
Peter Cruickshank (1963-1974, 2003/04)
Bob Hall (1963-1965)
Dave Boorman (1963-1965)
Current occupation
Tony McPhee
Joanna Deacon (since 2011)
Dave Anderson (since 2007)
Carl Stokes (since 2011)

Groundhogs are a British rock band around Tony McPhee , which were founded in London in 1963 and had their heyday in the early 1970s. The name of the band means woodchucks .

Band history

The Groundhogs initially consisted of John Cruickshank (vocals), Tony McPhee (guitar), Bob Hall (piano), Pete Cruickshank (bass) and Dave Boorman (drums). They named themselves after the song "Groundhog Blues" by Hooker.

They were hired by champion Jack Dupree and in 1964 by John Lee Hooker as a backing band for their performances in England. Hooker also helped them to a single, which was released in the US, but was commercially unsuccessful.

The Groundhogs recorded the album Live at the A-Go-Go Club in England with Hooker . In 1965 the group made some of their own recordings, which were either unpublished or without any notable success.

With the end of the British blues boom, the Groundhogs changed their style in late 1965 and transformed into a soul group with a brass section. They recorded titles like I'll Never Fall in Love Again . Due to the lack of success, the Groundhogs finally disbanded and Tony McPhee worked as a session musician, among others. a. for champion Jack Dupree.

The band formed Herbal Mixture in 1966 , which moved towards psychedelic music , but had little commercial success.

Tony McPhee re- founded the band. After the first album in 1968, the style of music was increasingly electrified. The classical line-up, now consisting of Tony McPhee (vocals, guitar), Pete Cruickshank (bass) and Ken Pustelnik (drums), recorded four albums, of which Split rose to number five on the British album charts. The Rolling Stones hired the band as the opening act for the 1971 tour of England.

The band never became as well known as other power trios of the time (e.g. Cream or Taste ). Tony McPhee, however, is considered one of the most outstanding British blues guitarists. His style, often based on Jimi Hendrix , with extended solos and unusual sound effects, shaped the sound of the group. Initially, the texts were often politically motivated, e.g. B. Thank Christ for the Bomb .

In 1972, Pustelnik was replaced by Clive Brooks. The group was disbanded in 1976. McPhee played in the following years with changing musicians but also with original line-up in clubs and at festivals under the name Groundhogs or Tony McPhees Groundhogs.

The band has a loyal fan base and is still active today.

Discography

As The Groundhogs

  • The Groundhogs with John Lee Hooker and John Mayall (1968)
  • Scratchin 'the Surface (studio album; November 1968)
  • Blues Obituary (studio album; July 1969)
  • Thank Christ For The Bomb (studio album; May 1970) - UK charts - # 9
  • Split (studio album; March 1971) - Number 5
  • Who Will Save the World? The Mighty Groundhogs (studio album; March 1972) - 8th place
  • Hogwash (studio album; October 1972)
  • Solid (studio album; June 1974) - 31st place
  • Crosscut Saw (studio album; February 1976)
  • Black Diamond (studio album; October 1976)
  • Hoggin 'The Stage (live) (April 1984)
  • Razor's Edge (studio album; May 1985)
  • Moving Fast, Standing Still (1986)
  • Back Against the Wall (studio album; May 1987)
  • Extremely Live (1988)
  • Hogs On The Road (live) (1988)
  • No Surrender (live) (Dec 1990)
  • Groundhog Night ... Groundhog Live (Jun 1993)
  • Who Said Cherry Red (Oct 1996)
  • Live at Leeds 71 (Live) (Aug 1998)
  • Hogs in Wolf's Clothing (studio album; Jan 1998)
  • The Muddy Waters Song Book (studio album; Apr 1999)
  • UK Tour '76 (1999)
  • Live At The Astoria (Sep 2001)
  • Joker's Grave (2005) (2 CD set in digipak, ADD 24 Bit / 96 kHz high-end mastering, contains the albums Solid and Live At The Astoria , label: Eagle Rock / Membran)
  • Live at Anti WAA Festival 1989 (CD, 2014; Nibelung Records)

As Tony McPhee and the Groundhogs

  • Two Sides of Tony (TS) Mc Phee (1973) (Tony Mc Phee Solo)
  • No Surrender (August 1989)
  • Foolish Pride (1993) (Tony McPhee Solo)
  • Bleaching the Blues (April 1997) (Tony McPhee Solo)

DVDs and videos

  • Live At The Astoria (1999) [Video]
  • 60/40 Split (2005) [DVD]
  • Live at Anti WAA Festival 1989 (DVD, 2014; Nibelung Records)

Web links