Gary Fletcher (musician)

Last updated

Gary Fletcher
The Blues Band - Gary Fletcher 2.jpg
Fletcher with The Blues Band in 2013.
Background information
Born London, England
Genres Blues
Occupation(s)Instrumentalist, songwriter
Instrument(s) Bass guitar, guitar
Website www.garyfletchermusic.co.uk

Gary Fletcher is a British blues musician, best known for playing bass guitar with The Blues Band. He is also a guitarist and songwriter.

Contents

Early life

Born in London in the early 1950s, he became interested in blues music in the late 1960s, so he learnt to play his sister's acoustic guitar. Being left-handed, he turned the guitar over, without reversing the strings, so he learnt and continues to play "upside-down". [1]

After his first band, The Breath of Life, he played in Streatham folk-rock band Garfield Row, who were helped by Glenn Cornick. After playing in several blues, folk-rock and country bands, he ended up playing and writing for rock band Panama Scandal. He joined blues band Sam Apple Pie in the mid-1970s, after they had already recorded both their albums, and shortly before they became The Vipers.

Fletcher and his friend Steve Gurl, who had played with Cornick in Wild Turkey, won a recording contract, whilst Fletcher, Gurl and Fletcher's wife Hilary, also won a publishing contract. [2]

Career

The Blues Band

In 1978 Fletcher joined The Wildcats led by Wilgar Campbell (Rory Gallagher's ex-drummer), where he met Dave Kelly. Kelly invited him to play bass on his album Willing, and suggested Fletcher as bassist when Kelly, Paul Jones, Tom McGuinness and Hughie Flint formed The Blues Band in 1979. Fletcher has remained with The Blues Band from its inception.

Fletcher has written several numbers for the Blues Band, notably "Green Stuff" from the 1980 album Ready, which is still a common encore, and "Stepping Out On Main" from the album Stepping Out.

Side projects

As well as The Blues Band, Fletcher has also undertaken side projects, writing and recording with other musicians, including The Dave Kelly Band and Christine Collister, Dave Kelly & The Travelling Gentlemen. [1]

He formed The Relatives, with his wife Hilary, who released the Feud of Love album on Arone Records in 1997. The Relatives also played live, supplemented by Hilary's sister Vivien on vocals and Fletcher's son Jack on drums. [3]

He formed The Gary Fletcher Band, a semi-acoustic band featuring Gary on acoustic and electric guitars, his son Jack on bass, John Evans on lead guitar and, depending on availability, Rob Townsend, Don James, or Pick Withers on drums/percussion. They are occasionally joined by Mark Feltham on harmonica. [4] Their album Human Spirit (BGOCD 780) also included contributions from Bernie Marsden, Micky Moody, Dave Kelly and Paul Jones. [1]

In 2007, Dave Sharp and Henry McCullough invited Fletcher to join the first line-up of The Hard Travelers, a band they formed to play Woody Guthrie songs. The first line-up also included keyboardist Zoot Money and drummer Colin Allen, but later became a Sharpe/McCullough duo.

His son Jack was hospitalised after a major accident, and played music to help his recovery. Gary joined him to perform for the patients, and once Jack was released, they played at local parties and pubs as The Fletchers. Both of them sing, and play guitar and bass, but The Fletchers appearances are limited by Gary's commitment to The Blues Band and The Gary Fletcher Band, and Jack's appearances as drummer for Aphid.

Fletcher has also appeared solo, releasing The Official Gary Fletcher Bootleg Album (Hypertension HYP4227) which includes original versions of several songs he wrote for The Blues Band, [2] and recorded a session for BBC Radio 2 broadcast in Mar 2005. [1]

Current

Currently, Fletcher performs live with Dave Kelly, Pick Withers, Pete Emery and Zoot Money as The British Blues Allstars.

Personal life

Outside of music Fletcher is a keen racing driver, although he only took this up in his mid-40s. Initially competing in the 1995/1996 Ford Credit Fiesta Challenge, his first win came in July 1998 at Castle Combe in the Proton Coupe Cup and he came third overall in the 1999 Championship. As music commitments limit the number of races he can compete in, he became a racing instructor. [5]

Discography

Solo/Gary Fletcher Band

With Dave Kelly

With Christine Collister, Dave Kelly and the Travelling Gentlemen

With The British Blues All Stars

With The Blues Band

Compilations

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jethro Tull (band)</span> British rock band

Jethro Tull are a British progressive rock band formed in Blackpool, Lancashire, in 1967. Initially playing blues rock and jazz fusion, the band soon incorporated elements of English folk music, hard rock and classical music, forging a signature progressive rock sound. The group's lead vocalist, bandleader, founder, principal composer and only constant member is Ian Anderson, who also plays flute and acoustic guitar. The group has featured a succession of musicians throughout the decades, including significant contributors such as guitarists Mick Abrahams and Martin Barre ; bassists Glenn Cornick, Jeffrey Hammond, John Glascock, Dave Pegg and Jonathan Noyce; drummers Clive Bunker, Barrie "Barriemore" Barlow and Doane Perry; and keyboardists John Evan, Dee Palmer, Peter-John Vettese and Andrew Giddings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Mayall</span> English blues musician (born 1933)

John Mayall is an English blues and rock musician, songwriter and producer. In the 1960s, he formed John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers, a band that has counted among its members some of the most famous blues and blues rock musicians.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jack Bruce</span> Scottish musician (1943–2014)

John Symon Asher Bruce was a Scottish musician. He gained popularity as the primary lead vocalist and ‍bassist ‍of rock band Cream. After the group disbanded in 1968, he pursued a solo career and also played with several bands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Larry Wallis</span> British rock musician (1949–2019)

Larry Wallis was a British rock guitarist, songwriter and producer. He was best known as a member of the Pink Fairies and an early member of Motörhead.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henry McCullough</span> Northern Irish guitarist, singer and songwriter

Henry Campbell Liken McCullough was a musician and singer-songwriter from Northern Ireland. He was best known for his work as a member of Spooky Tooth, The Grease Band and Paul McCartney and Wings. He also performed and recorded as a solo artist and session musician.

Future Leaders of the World is a rock band formed in 2003. The band released their debut album, LVL IV in 2004, before going through a period of being named Machina, featuring former Evanescence members guitarist John LeCompt and drummer Rocky Gray. After a hiatus, the band reformed in 2014 and released another album under the "Future Leaders of the World" name, Reveal, in March 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Dogs D'Amour</span> English rock band

The Dogs D'Amour are an English bluesey hard rock band formed in London in 1983. Over the years the band has had various line-ups, the only constant being vocalist Tyla. Their music has been described as a mixture of the Rolling Stones, the Faces and glam punk.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pick Withers</span> English rock and jazz drummer

David "Pick" Withers is an English rock and jazz drummer. He was the original drummer of rock band Dire Straits and played on their first four albums, which included hit singles such as "Sultans of Swing", "Romeo and Juliet" and "Private Investigations". Withers was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Dire Straits in 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vic Ruggiero</span> Musical artist

Victor "Vic" Ruggiero, is a musician, songwriter and producer from New York City who has played in reggae, blues, ska and rocksteady bands since the early 1990s, including The Slackers, Stubborn All-Stars, SKAndalous All Stars, Crazy Baldhead and The Silencers. He has also performed with punk rock band Rancid, both live and in the studio. He has released four solo acoustic albums and continues to tour and record worldwide. Ruggiero is known primarily as a singer and organist, although he also plays piano, bass, banjo, cigar box guitar, guitar, harmonica and percussion.

George Bruno Money is an English vocalist, keyboardist and bandleader. He is best known for his playing of the Hammond organ and association with his Big Roll Band. Inspired by Jerry Lee Lewis and Ray Charles, he was drawn to rock and roll music and became a leading light in the vibrant music scene of Bournemouth and Soho during the 1960s. He took his stage name 'Zoot' from Zoot Sims after seeing him in concert.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Blues Band</span>

The Blues Band was a British blues band formed in 1979 by Paul Jones, former lead vocalist and harmonica player with Manfred Mann, and guitarist Tom McGuinness also of Manfred Mann and The Roosters. The band’s first line-up also included bassist Gary Fletcher, slide-guitarist Dave Kelly who had previously played with The John Dummer Band, Howling Wolf and John Lee Hooker and drummer Hughie Flint, of John Mayall's Blues Breakers and McGuinness Flint, the band he formed with Tom McGuinness. In 1982, Flint left and was replaced by former Family drummer Rob Townsend. The group broke up in 2022.

Juicy Lucy was a British blues rock band officially formed on 1 October 1969. After the demise of The Misunderstood, Juicy Lucy was formed by US-born steel guitarist Glenn Ross Campbell, and prolific Blackburn saxophonist Chris Mercer. The group later recruited vocalist Ray Owen, guitarist Neil Hubbard, bassist Keith Ellis, and drummer Pete Dobson.

Hughie Flint is an English drummer, known for his stint in John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers, for his group McGuinness Flint in the early 1970s and for his subsequent association with The Blues Band.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Micky Moody</span> English musician (born 1950)

Michael Joseph Moody is an English guitarist, and a former member of the rock bands Juicy Lucy and Whitesnake. He was also a founder-member of Snafu. Together with his former Whitesnake colleague Bernie Marsden he founded the Moody Marsden Band, and later, The Snakes, having previously collaborated with unofficial 5th Status Quo member Bob Young in Young & Moody. Along with Marsden and ex-Whitesnake bassist, Neil Murray, he formed The Company of Snakes and M3 Classic Whitesnake with which they mainly performed early Whitesnake songs. From 2011 to 2015, Moody toured and recorded with Snakecharmer, a band he co-formed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glenn Cornick</span> British bass player (1947–2014)

Glenn Douglas Barnard Cornick was an English bass guitarist, best known as the original bassist for the British rock band Jethro Tull from 1967 to 1970. Rolling Stone has called his playing with Tull as "stout, nimble underpinning, the vital half of a blues-ribbed, jazz-fluent rhythm section".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pete York</span> British rock drummer (born 1942)

Peter York is a British rock drummer who has been performing since the 1960s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Norman Beaker</span> English blues musician

Norman Beaker is a blues guitarist, vocalist, songwriter, band leader and record producer who has been involved in the British blues scene since the early 1970s.

Andy Pyle is a British bassist who is best known for playing with The Kinks from 1976 to 1978. Prior to that, he was in Blodwyn Pig (1968–1972) and Savoy Brown (1972–1974). Later, he played with Wishbone Ash.

The John Dummer Band also known as John Dummer's Blues Band, John Dummer's Famous Music Band, John Dummer's Oobleedooblee Band and The John Dummer Band Featuring Nick Pickett was a British blues band, of the 1960s and 1970s, noted for its extensive roster of members, including Graham Bond, Dave Kelly, Jo Ann Kelly, Tony McPhee, Bob Hall, John O'Leary and Pick Withers, and for supporting US bluesmen such as Howlin' Wolf and John Lee Hooker on UK tours.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ed Deane</span> Musical artist

Edmund John 'Ed' Deane is an Irish guitarist with a career spanning six decades, from the late 1960s to the present day. He is a blues musician, playing the electric and acoustic guitar, and specialising in slide guitar and the lap steel guitar.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Gary Fletcher Biography on Gary Fletcher Music Retrieved 24 July 2009
  2. 1 2 Gary Fletcher on GTA agency site Archived 2008-08-20 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 24 July 2009
  3. "The Relatives". Garyfletchermusic.net. Retrieved 6 December 2023.
  4. The Gary Fletcher Band on Gary Fletcher Music Retrieved 24 July 2009
  5. Motorsport on Gary Fletcher Music Retrieved 24 July 2009