Chris Slade | |
---|---|
Background information | |
Birth name | Christopher Slade Rees |
Born | Pontypridd, Wales | 30 October 1946
Origin | Cardiff, Wales |
Genres | Hard rock, heavy metal, blues rock, progressive rock, jazz fusion |
Occupation(s) | Musician |
Instrument(s) | Drums, percussion |
Years active | 1964–present |
Labels | Bronze, EMI, Albert Productions, Inside Out Music, Atlantic, Interscope |
Website | www |
Chris Slade (born Christopher Slade Rees; 30 October 1946) is a Welsh [1] musician, who is arguably best known for playing for Manfred Mann's Earth Band from its inception in 1971 to 1978 on eight albums, and AC/DC, for which he drummed from 1989 to 1994 and performed on the 1990 album The Razors Edge . He returned to AC/DC in February 2015 to replace Phil Rudd for the "Rock or Bust World Tour". [2] [3] Slade has also played with Tom Jones, Toomorrow, Uriah Heep, The Firm, and Asia. [4]
Slade was born Christopher Rees in Pontypridd, Glamorgan, South Wales. He has worked with Gary Numan, Tom Jones, Olivia Newton-John (as co-members of the band Toomorrow), and Uriah Heep. Slade was an original founding member of Manfred Mann's Earth Band, playing on their eight studio albums released from 1972 to 1978.
In the mid-1980s Slade played with Paul Rodgers and Jimmy Page in The Firm. [4] He has played with Pink Floyd's David Gilmour, and Gary Moore on his 1989 world tour. [5]
Slade received his highest exposure in November 1989 when he was asked to join AC/DC after drummer Simon Wright had departed. AC/DC were signed to the same management company as Gary Moore, with whom Slade had just finished touring. The Young brothers (Angus and Malcolm) initially hired Slade only temporarily through management, then asked him–during the recording of the only album he made with them – to join the band. Slade played on The Razors Edge album in 1990 and the accompanying world tour, and the "Big Gun" single released in 1993. According to Slade, after working on demos for the following album, Ballbreaker , Malcolm Young called Slade and told him they wanted to try a reunion with former drummer Phil Rudd. Slade replied, "That's me out then, I'm gone." Young said that he wanted to keep Slade on hand if Rudd's return did not work out, but Slade refused. However he made statements that he still got on well with AC/DC and "it was an honour and a privilege to play with those guys". [6]
After his departure Slade spent a few years living in the UK countryside, before receiving a call from Geoff Downes of the British progressive rock group Asia. Slade played with Asia for six years, before departing in September 2005.[ citation needed ]
Slade has fronted an AC/DC tribute band, Chris Slade Steel Circle, and is currently touring the World with THE CHRIS SLADE TIMELINE – a band formed to celebrate 50 years as a rock drummer. The band takes music from all aspects of his lengthy career and has appeared at major festivals including Hellfest, 24 Hours of Le Mans, Harley Davidson Aquitaine, and Saint Tropez and is the only rock band to play the Moscow Olympic Stadium for the Kremlin Cup tennis tournament. [7] [8]
Speculation regarding Slade's return to AC/DC started shortly after Phil Rudd's legal troubles became public. [9] In a December 2014 podcast by Chris Jericho, Jericho mentioned that he had it on good authority that Slade would be returning to AC/DC. [10]
Slade was photographed signing albums with the band on 7 February 2015. [11]
After the photo appeared publicly, Slade finally admitted that he was going to be the band's drummer and admitted to secrecy surrounding his return, and stated that it was done for the right reasons. [12] The band issued a statement, "Chris Slade will be on drums for the upcoming Rock or Bust world tour.". [13]
Since that time, in addition to playing live, Slade has appeared in all promotional photos taken with the band and appeared in the music video for the single "Rock the Blues Away". In late April 2015 AC/DC's official website listed him as the band's drummer. [14]
On 30 September 2020, his role within the band was made clear: Phil Rudd was returning to AC/DC on the drums, effectively making Slade leave the band for a second time. In the same announcement, Brian Johnson and Cliff Williams were also returning to the band.
Slade endorses Drum Workshop drums, pedals and hardware, [15] [16] Paiste cymbals, [16] Remo drumheads, [16] LP percussion and London drumsticks. [16] Before switching to DW, he previously endorsed Pearl drums, pedals and hardware. [15]
With Tom Jones
With Toomorrow
With Tom Paxton
| With Manfred Mann's Earth Band
With Terra Nova
With Kai Olsson
With Frankie Miller
| With Uriah Heep
With Gary Numan
With Denny Laine
With David Gilmour
With The Firm
| With AC/DC
With Asia
With Bloodstock
With Damage Control
With MIWA
|
AC/DC are an Australian rock band formed in 1973. They were founded by brothers Malcolm Young and Angus Young. Their current line-up comprises Angus, bassist Cliff Williams, drummer Phil Rudd, lead vocalist Brian Johnson and rhythm guitarist Stevie Young. Their music has been variously described as hard rock, blues rock and heavy metal, but the band calls it simply "rock and roll". They are cited as a formative influence on the new wave of British heavy metal bands, such as Iron Maiden and Saxon. AC/DC were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2003.
UFO are an English rock band formed in London in 1968. They became a transitional group between early hard rock and heavy metal and the new wave of British heavy metal. The band's current lineup includes vocalist Phil Mogg, lead guitarist Vinnie Moore, rhythm guitarist and keyboardist Neil Carter, bass guitarist Rob De Luca, and drummer Andy Parker. They have gone through several line-up changes, leaving Mogg as the only constant member, and had two breaks. The band also featured former Scorpions guitarist and Michael Schenker Group (MSG) founder Michael Schenker, who was a member of UFO from 1973 to 1978 and rejoined the band sporadically between 1993 and 2003, when Moore replaced him. In May 2018, Mogg announced that he would retire from UFO after one last tour as a member of the band in 2019; however, the band plans to resume their farewell tour in 2022.
Uriah Heep are an English rock band formed in London in 1969. Their current lineup consists of guitarist Mick Box, keyboardist Phil Lanzon, lead vocalist Bernie Shaw, drummer Russell Gilbrook, and bassist Dave Rimmer. They have experienced numerous lineup changes throughout their 54-year career, leaving Box as the only remaining original member. Notable former members of the band are vocalists David Byron, John Lawton, John Sloman and Peter Goalby, bassists Gary Thain, Trevor Bolder, John Wetton, Bob Daisley, Paul Newton, and John Jowitt, drummers Nigel Olsson, Iain Clark, Lee Kerslake and Chris Slade, and keyboardists Ken Hensley, Gregg Dechert and John Sinclair.
Brian Johnson is an English singer and songwriter. In 1980, after the death of Bon Scott, he became the third lead singer of the Australian rock band AC/DC.
Kenneth William David Hensley was an English musician, singer, songwriter and producer, best known for his work with Uriah Heep during the 1970s.
Phillip Hugh Norman Rudd is an Australian drummer, best known as the drummer of AC/DC across three stints. On the 1977 departure of bass guitarist Mark Evans from AC/DC, Rudd became the only Australian-born member of the band. In 2003, he entered the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame along with the other members of AC/DC. In 2014, Rudd released his first solo album, Head Job. Due to ongoing legal problems in New Zealand, where he is a resident, Rudd was unable to join the band for the 2015 Rock or Bust World Tour and was replaced by Chris Slade. On 30 September 2020, AC/DC confirmed that Rudd would be rejoining the band for their comeback album Power Up.
Simon Wright is an English drummer best known for his work with rock bands AC/DC and Dio. He started playing drums at the age of 13 and cites Cozy Powell, Tommy Aldridge and John Bonham as his greatest influences. He was also the drummer for Rhino Bucket, UFO and Operation: Mindcrime.
Lee Gary Kerslake was an English musician, best known as the longtime drummer and backing vocalist for the rock band Uriah Heep and for his work with Ozzy Osbourne in the early 1980s.
Bernard Shaw is a Canadian-English singer, and since 1986, the lead vocalist of British rock band Uriah Heep.
Abominog is the fourteenth studio album by English rock band Uriah Heep, released in March 1982 by Bronze Records in the United Kingdom, and on July 12, 1982 by Mercury Records in the United States. It was their first album without keyboardist Ken Hensley. The album was critically acclaimed and fairly commercially successful, due in part to the band retooling and updating their sound to a contemporary style and delivering a "punchier, more pop metal era-appropriate effort.
"Who Made Who" is a song and a single by the Australian hard rock band AC/DC, taken from their 1986 album, Who Made Who. The 12-inch single format of the single features an extended mix of the song and can be found in the Deluxe Edition of AC/DC's Backtracks Boxset, on Disc 1, Studio Rarities. It was one of only three new tracks on Who Made Who, because the album is not only a soundtrack to Stephen King's Maximum Overdrive, but a compilation album featuring tracks from previous albums. The other two new tracks were instrumentals. "Who Made Who" peaked at #23 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Chart on 19 July 1986, and stayed on the chart for 12 weeks.
Wake the Sleeper is the 21st studio album by the rock band Uriah Heep, released on 2 June 2008 in Europe and on 26 August 2008 in the United States. The announced September 2007 release was rescheduled as a result of the purchase of Sanctuary Records by Universal Music. This was to allow proper promotion of the album, rather than it be 'lost' during the changeover and, although frustrating for them, was something the band members supported. It is their first studio album since 1998's Sonic Origami. It is also their first album since 1980's Conquest without long-time drummer Lee Kerslake, who had to withdraw from the band due to ill health in 2007, putting an end to the band's longest-lasting lineup which existed for 21 years.
Ballbreaker is the thirteenth studio album by Australian hard rock band AC/DC. It was released in 1995 and was re-released in 2005 as part of the AC/DC Remasters series.
Into the Wild is the 22nd studio album by the British rock band Uriah Heep. It was first released in Japan on 12 April 2011 by Universal Music Japan with 12 tracks on SHM-CD and in Europe by Frontiers Records on 15 April 2011 with 11 tracks on a regular CD; the album was released on 3 May 2011 in America. A video for the single "Nail on the Head" was released to promote this album. In April 2011 Into the Wild entered the German Media Control Charts at No. 32. This marks the group's best chart entry in Germany since Uriah Heep's heyday, according to Blabbermouth. Uriah Heep toured in support of the album, with a US tour beginning in June. However, lead vocalist Bernie Shaw had to back out of some of the last tour dates due to health issues, and so his spot was briefly taken over by former vocalist John Lawton, who performed some shows with the band. Into the Wild is the last Uriah Heep album to feature bassist Trevor Bolder, who died in 2013.
Head Job is the first solo album by AC/DC drummer Phil Rudd, released on 29 August 2014. Rudd, who lives in New Zealand, recorded the album with two local musicians whom he had known for 25 years: guitarist Geoffrey Martin and bass guitarist and vocalist Allan Badger. Having worked on solo material since the 1980s between his two stints as drummer with AC/DC, Rudd recorded the final version of the album with his band in Auckland in 2014. The first single from the album, "Repo Man", was released in July 2014. A music video for the song "Head Job" was released in November 2016.
Rock or Bust is the sixteenth studio album by Australian rock band AC/DC, released on 28 November 2014. Rock or Bust is the group's first album to feature rhythm guitarist Stevie Young, replacing founding member Malcolm Young, who had retired from the band earlier in the year due to health concerns. It is the shortest studio album ever released by the band. At approximately 35 minutes, it is two minutes shorter than their previous shortest album, Flick of the Switch, which was released in 1983. It sold 2.8 million copies worldwide.
The Rock or Bust World Tour was a 2015–2016 concert tour by Australian rock band AC/DC, in support of their sixteenth studio album Rock or Bust, which was released on 28 November 2014. This tour had 7 legs around the world lasting more than 17 months starting on 10 April 2015 in Indio, California and finishing on 20 September 2016 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.