Gary Grainger | |
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 Grainger in 2010 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | 20 October 1950 Kilburn, London, England |
| Origin | Hastings, Sussex, England |
| Genres | Rock, pop, blues rock |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, songwriter |
| Instrument(s) | Guitar |
| Years active | 1972–present |
Gary Grainger (born 20 October 1950) is an English rock, blues, jazz and pop songwriter and guitarist, most known for his work with Rod Stewart. [1]
Gary Grainger's professional career took off with the formation of Strider. After two albums – Misunderstood and Exposed and two extensive tours with The Faces in 1974, Grainger got his big break with Rod Stewart in 1976. The formation of the Rod Stewart group, including Jim Cregan, Phil Chen, Carmine Appice and Billy Peek, saw Grainger write key songs for the albums Foot Loose & Fancy Free , Blondes Have More Fun , and Foolish Behaviour .
Throughout 1986 and 1987, Grainger worked with Roger Daltrey, with UK TV appearances on No. 73 and Saturday Live. He played on Daltrey's 1987 album, Can't Wait to See the Movie . When Daltrey resumed activity with The Who and suspended solo work, Grainger formed a band with Jimmy Copley and Jaz Lochrie.
Grainger performed live and on TV appearances with Nick Lowe in support of Lowe's Party of One album in 1990. He also appeared on Lowe's 1994 album The Impossible Bird . [2]
In 1991, Grainger formed The Humans with Jess Roden, Jim Capaldi, Bill Burke and Nick Graham. The Humans recorded their first batch of songs at John Entwistle's Hammerhead studios, with Bob Pridden as producer and engineer, with Steve Winwood on Hammond Organ. Only "Railroad of Desire" was released from these recordings on 1995's self-titled album. The band performed regularly throughout the UK and Europe until the late 1990s.
In the mid-nineties Grainger was recruited to produce and play guitar for the Brit Pop band The Face at the request of The Who's long-time crew member Bob Pridden. He played on the original recordings, during which time he recommended Zak Starkey for the sessions. For live shows, Grainger opted out and The Face used Gary Nuttall, who went on to become long-time guitarist for Robbie Williams. [3]
In 1998 Grainger formed Blues Club with Alan Rogan. Peter Hope-Evans of Medicine Head was on mouth organ and Kinks drummer Mick Avery joined. They were initially recorded and produced by Pete Townshend with Jess Roden on vocals. When Avery had other commitments, Chris Slade (AC/DC) joined on drums up until 2000. It was this line-up of Blues Club that appeared on BBC TV's Casualty programme. Blues Club continued for another decade, with Grainger's son Chris replacing Avery and Slade on drums. [4]
In 2000, Grainger received a call to work with Kenney Jones. Initially collaborating for some charity gigs, the band proved popular and formed a more solid line-up featuring Boz Burrell on bass, Robert Hart on vocals. Formula One racing champion Damon Hill joined the band on many of the early gigs. [5] Their first recording was the charity single "It's All About the Children" and was produced by the legendary Chris Kimsey. The single also featured Paul Young on vocals.
Grainger played at the Ronnie Lane 2004 Tribute at the Royal Albert Hall onstage with Kenney Jones, Sam Brown, Ronnie Wood and Pete Townshend. [6]
In 2007, Roger Daltrey played corporate shows in Canada. Grainger was asked to join, playing Townshend's parts along with The Who's touring band of Zak Starkey, John "Rabbit" Bundrick, Simon Townsend and Phil Spalding played bass. [7]
From 2010 to 2012, Grainger resumed working with Rod Stewart bandmate Jim Cregan in a project called "Apart From Rod". Touring the UK and Europe, Apart From Rod was a presentation of duo's large catalogue of hits that they had written for Stewart, including Grainger's songs "Hot Legs", "Passion", and "I Was Only Joking". [8]
Gary Grainger has worked with B.A. Robertson, Damon Hill, Rod Stewart, Danny Bowes, Jess Roden, Jim Capaldi, John Entwistle, Kenney Jones, Nick Lowe, Paul Carrack, Paul Young, Pete Townshend, Ringo Starr, Robert Hart, Roger Daltrey, Ronnie Wood, Sam Brown, and Strider. [9] [10] [2]
Grainger was born in London and grew up in London's Kilburn area. He has one son, Chris Grainger, who is a drummer. [11]
With Strider
With Rod Stewart
With Roger Daltrey
With Jess Roden and the Humans
With Nick Lowe
With the Jones Gang
Roger Harry Daltrey is an English singer, musician and actor. He is co-founder and lead singer of rock band the Who.
Quadrophenia is the sixth studio album by the English rock band the Who, released as a double album on 26 October 1973 by Track Records. It is the group's third rock opera, the previous two being the "mini-opera" song "A Quick One, While He's Away" (1966) and the album Tommy (1969). Set in London and Brighton in 1965, the story follows a young mod named Jimmy and his search for self-worth and importance. Quadrophenia is the only Who album entirely composed by Pete Townshend.
The Who Sell Out is the third studio album by the English rock band the Who. It was released on 15 December 1967 by Track Records in the UK and Decca Records in the US. A concept album, The Who Sell Out is structured as a collection of unrelated songs interspersed with fake commercials and public service announcements, including the second track "Heinz Baked Beans". The album purports to be a broadcast by pirate radio station Radio London. The reference to "selling out" was an intended irony, as the Who had been making real commercials during that period of their career, some of which are included as bonus tracks on the remastered CD.
Faces are an English rock band formed in 1969 by members of Small Faces after lead singer and guitarist Steve Marriott left to form Humble Pie. The remaining Small Faces—Ian McLagan (keyboards), Ronnie Lane, and Kenney Jones —were joined by guitarist Ronnie Wood and singer Rod Stewart, both from the Jeff Beck Group, and the new line-up was renamed Faces.
Blondes Have More Fun is British musician Rod Stewart's ninth album, released in November 1978. As was the popular musical trend at the time, it is Stewart's foray into disco music. The album was commercially successful, reaching number 3 in the UK and number 1 in the US, but was critically divisive. The lead single "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy" became one of Stewart's biggest hits, peaking at No.1 in both the UK and US.
Kenneth Thomas Jones is an English drummer best known for his work in the groups Small Faces, Faces and the Who. Jones was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012 as a member of Small Faces/Faces.
It's Hard is the tenth studio album by English rock band the Who. Released in September 1982, it was the final Who album to feature bassist John Entwistle, who died in 2002. It was also the second and final Who studio album with drummer Kenney Jones, as well as the last to be released on Warner Bros. Records in the US. It was released on Polydor Records in the UK, peaking at No. 11, and on Warner Bros. in the US where it peaked at No. 8 on the Billboard Pop Albums chart. The US rights to both this album and Face Dances subsequently reverted to the band, who then licensed them to MCA Records for reissue. The album achieved gold status by the RIAA in the US in November 1982. It was their last album for over two decades until Endless Wire in 2006.
Face Dances is the ninth studio album by English rock band the Who. It was released in 1981 by Warner Bros. in the United States and on Polydor in the United Kingdom. It is one of two Who studio albums with drummer Kenney Jones, who joined the band after Keith Moon's death three years earlier.
The Ultimate Collection is a 2002 two-disc greatest hits set by the Who with both singles and top hits from albums, all of which have been remastered. The compilation was released by Polydor Records internationally and on MCA Records in the U.S. The first 150,000 copies added a third disk with rare tracks and music videos. The album debuted on the Billboard 200 album chart on 29 June 2002, at No. 31 and hit No. 17 on the British charts. It was certified gold by the RIAA on 15 July 2002 and platinum on 13 March 2008.
Then and Now is a 2004 greatest hits compilation album by The Who released internationally by Polydor Records and by Geffen Records in the United States. It features 18 Who classics and two new tracks—"Real Good Looking Boy" and "Old Red Wine"—which were the first Who originals since "Dig" from Pete Townshend's 1989 album The Iron Man. "Real Good Looking Boy" is a tribute to Elvis Presley, and "Old Red Wine" is a tribute to former band member John Entwistle, who died in 2002. The album was re-released in 2007 and replaced "Old Red Wine" with "It's Not Enough" from the 2006 album Endless Wire and "Summertime Blues" was replaced by "Baba O'Riley".
Foolish Behaviour is Rod Stewart's tenth studio album, released on 21 November 1980 on the Riva label in the United Kingdom and on Warner Bros. Records in both The United States and Germany. The tracks were recorded at The Record Plant Studios and Cherokee Studios in Los Angeles from February to September 1980. "Passion", "My Girl", "Somebody Special", "Oh God, I Wish I Was Home Tonight" and "Gi' Me Wings" were released as singles.
Unplugged...and Seated is a live album released by British musician Rod Stewart on 24 May 1993 by Warner Bros. Records. It is Stewart's second live album and his first appearance on MTV Unplugged. The unplugged versions of "Have I Told You Lately" by Van Morrison, "Reason to Believe", "Having a Party", and "People Get Ready" were released as singles, with "Have I Told You Lately" and "Having a Party" reaching success as singles. A special collector's edition was released in March 2009 on Rhino Records. This two-disc package included the DVD of the performance with 13 songs while the CD contained 17 tracks including two songs not on the original 1993 release.
"Dogs" is a UK single written by Pete Townshend and released by the Who in June 1968. It reached number 25 on the UK singles chart, lower than any single the band had released in several years. The B-side of the UK single was "Call Me Lightning". Both songs were originally released mixed in mono only, as they were not intended for album release.
Who's Missing is a compilation of rare and previously unreleased songs by the English rock band the Who. Its second part, Two's Missing, was released on 11 April 1987.
Quadrophenia is the soundtrack album to the 1979 film Quadrophenia which refers to the 1973 rock opera Quadrophenia. It was initially released on Polydor Records in 1979 as a cassette and LP and was re-released as a compact disc in 1993 and 2001. The album was dedicated to Peter Meaden, a prominent Mod and first manager of The Who, who had died a year prior to the album's release.
Frank Turner Simes is an American musician, singer, guitarist, songwriter, composer and record producer. Simes is the musical director for Roger Daltrey, and has recorded and performed with Mick Jagger, Don Henley, and Stevie Nicks.
The RD Crusaders is a supergroup band created by The Who's Roger Daltrey and newspaper publisher Richard Desmond in 2003. The group has raised several million in funds for charities including Teenage Cancer Trust and Norwood.
Amazing Journey: The Story of The Who is a 2007 documentary by Murray Lerner and Paul Crowder about English rock and roll band The Who. The film features new interviews with band members Roger Daltrey, John Entwistle, Kenney Jones, and Pete Townshend, as well as Sting, The Edge, Noel Gallagher, Eddie Vedder, Steve Jones and others, as well as rare photos of the four members of the band, and archival live footage of performances dating back to 1964. A soundtrack accompanying the film also serves as a greatest-hits compilation for the band.
Tommy is a soundtrack album by The Who with contributions from numerous artists. The soundtrack was used in the 1975 Tommy film that was based on the original album that was released by The Who in 1969. Pete Townshend oversaw the production of this double-LP recording that returned the music to its rock roots, and on which the unrecorded orchestral arrangements he had envisaged for the original Tommy LP were realised by the extensive use of synthesiser.
Live at Hull 1970 is a live album by the English rock band The Who. Their performance at Hull City Hall on 15 February 1970 was recorded with the Pye Mobile Unit by Bob Pridden. In a few songs the bass guitar sound was either badly recorded or lost due to technical problems. For these songs, the bass guitar track from the previous night's Live at Leeds performance was matched to the Hull performance, allowing the show to be presented in full.
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