Marriott befriended Frampton during the latter months of 1968 and the pair bonded over their unwanted 'teen heart-throb' status in the UK and their shared desire to be taken more seriously as musicians. Frampton was at something of a loose end professionally, having recently left the Herd. Marriott, acting as mentor to his younger new friend, agreed to help Frampton find a new musical direction.
Marriott had initially wanted Frampton to join his established group Small Faces as a second guitarist in order to expand their musical horizons, rather than form an entirely new group with him. This proposal met with resistance from his Small Faces bandmates Ronnie Lane and Ian McLagan. Frampton guested during a few of the band's live shows in October which, although well received by audiences, seemingly did nothing to convince Marriott's reluctant bandmates to allow Frampton to join them on a permanent basis. Consequently, Marriott was soon helping Frampton to form his own band as a backup plan.
In December 1968 at the behest of their long-time recording engineer/producer Glyn Johns, the Small Faces served as a backing band for French singer Johnny Hallyday during recording sessions in Paris for his latest album, "Rivière... Ouvre Ton lit" (aka "Je Suis Né Dans La Rue"), and Marriott invited Frampton along to participate. The week-long sessions may have been another of Marriott's attempts to test the waters to expand the Small Faces lineup, but tensions were reportedly brought to a head and the seeds sown for the group's break-up in the new year. The Hallyday sessions therefore proved to be the Small Faces' final studio recordings. Embryonic versions of "Bang!" and "What You Will" from Humble Pie's debut album were recorded by the Small Faces and Frampton during the sessions, and the five musicians can be heard playing together (and also in various combinations with Hallyday's regular band) throughout the album, with Frampton's distinctive guitar work especially prominent. Their performances together offer a tantalising glimpse of how an expanded Small Faces lineup might have sounded.
It was not to be, however. For reasons that remain ill-defined to this day, Lane and McLagan were now more opposed than ever to Frampton joining the group. As a result, Marriott's efforts to put a band together from scratch for Frampton became more concerted, and Greg Ridley and Jerry Shirley were successfully auditioned. An increasingly-frustrated Marriott stormed off stage during a Small Faces live performance with Alexis Korner at the Alexandra Palace on New Year's Eve, and backstage he duly announced to his bandmates that he was leaving. He then approached Frampton with a view to joining him in the band he had helped to form for him.
1969–1970: Official formation and UK chart success
After fulfilling outstanding live performance commitments, including a European tour in January, the Small Faces' dissolution was formally announced in March 1969, and Marriott and Frampton's plans to form a new group together were unveiled (although the band were already formed and had been rehearsing together since January).
Having been instantly labelled by the UK music press as a supergroup, the band chose the name Humble Pie in order to downplay such expectations and signed with Andrew Loog Oldham's record label Immediate Records. Their debut album, As Safe as Yesterday Is, was released in August 1969, along with the single, "Natural Born Bugie"/"Wrist Job", which reached No. 4 hit in the UK Singles Chart; the album peaked at No. 16 in the UK album charts. As Safe as Yesterday Is was one of the first albums to be described by the term "heavy metal" in a 1970 review in Rolling Stone magazine.[1][2]
Their second album, Town and Country, was rush-released in the UK in November 1969 while Immediate Records were on the verge of financial collapse and the band was away on its first tour of the US. This album featured a more acoustic sound and songs written by all four members. Humble Pie concerts at this time featured an acoustic set, with a radical re-working of Graham Gouldman's "For Your Love" as its centrepiece, followed by an electric set. Recent tape archives show that the band recorded around 30 songs in its first nine months of existence, many of which remained unreleased for decades, including an interpretation of Henry Glover's "Drown in My Own Tears".
During 1970, with the Immediate label having finally collapsed, Humble Pie signed to A&M Records and Dee Anthony became their manager. Anthony was focused on the US market and suggested the band discard the acoustic set and instigate a more raucous sound with Marriott as the front man. The group's first album for A&M, Humble Pie, was released later that year and alternated between progressive rock and hard rock. A single, "Big Black Dog", was released to coincide with the album and failed to chart, however the band was becoming known for popular live rock shows in the US.
It was during this period that Peter Frampton acquired his famed "Phenix" guitar, the black 1954 Les Paul Custom that became his signature instrument and his favourite guitar for the next decade. Humble Pie was playing a run of shows at the Fillmore West in San Francisco in early December 1970 and during the first show Frampton was plagued by sound problems with his then-current guitar, a semi-acoustic Gibson 335, which was prone to unwanted feedback at higher volumes. After the show he was approached by fan and musician Mark Mariana, who loaned him the modified 1954 Gibson Les Paul, and by the end of the second show Frampton had become so enamoured of the guitar that he offered to buy it on the spot, but Mariana refused payment. Frampton played it almost exclusively for the next ten years. It was featured on the cover of Frampton Comes Alive and was thought to have been destroyed in 1980 when a plane carrying Frampton's stage equipment crashed in Venezuela during a South American tour, killing the crew, but with the guitar in fact surviving the accident with some minor damage. It was eventually returned to Frampton in 2011.[3]
On 9 July 1971 Humble Pie opened for Grand Funk Railroad at their historic Shea Stadium concert, an event that broke the Beatles record for fastest selling stadium concert, to that date. Also in 1971, Humble Pie released their most successful record to date, Rock On, as well as a live album recorded at the Fillmore East in New York entitled Performance Rockin' the Fillmore. The live album reached No. 21 on the US Billboard 200 and was certified gold by the RIAA. "I Don't Need No Doctor" became an FM radio standard in the US, peaking at No. 73 on the Billboard Hot 100 and propelling the album up the charts. By the time of the album's release, Frampton had left the band and went on to enjoy success as a solo artist.
1972–1975: Clem Clempson, The Blackberries and further success
Frampton was replaced by Clem Clempson and Humble Pie moved toward a harder sound emphasising Marriott's blues and soul roots. Their first record with Clempson, Smokin', was released in March 1972, along with two singles "Hot 'n' Nasty" and "30 Days in the Hole" (the latter of which became one of their best-known efforts). It was the band's most commercially successful record and reached No. 6 on the US charts, helped by a busy touring schedule. After the success of Smokin', the band's record label A&M released Humble Pie's first two Immediate albums as one double album titled Lost and Found. The marketing ploy was a success and the album charted at No. 37 on the Billboard 200.
Looking for a more authentic R&B sound, Marriott hired three female backing vocalists, The Blackberries. The trio consisted of Venetta Fields, Clydie King and Sherlie Matthews, who was later replaced by Billie Barnum. They had performed with Ike and Tina Turner as The Ikettes and with Ray Charles as The Raelettes.[4] This new line-up included Sidney George on saxophone for the recording of Eat It, a double album released in April 1973 made up of Marriott originals (some acoustic), R&B numbers, and a Humble Pie concert recorded in Glasgow. The album peaked at No. 13 in the US charts. Album number seven, Thunderbox, was released in February 1974 and Street Rats a year later.
Street Rats (February 1975) was created at the same time as Marriott was producing a solo album and a collaboration album with Greg Ridley. After the release of this album and their 1975 "Goodbye Pie Tour", Humble Pie disbanded, citing musical differences. Marriott went on to produce his first solo album Marriott and promptly moved back to the UK.
1979–1981: Steve Marriott's Humble Pie without Frampton and Ridley
In late 1979, Marriott and Shirley, now managed by Leber-Krebs, revived Humble Pie, adding Bobby Tench,[5] former vocalist and guitarist from The Jeff Beck Group, along with bassist Anthony "Sooty" Jones from New York. They submitted "Fool for a Pretty Face", a song Marriott and Shirley had just written, to record labels. They secured a recording contract with Atlantic Records subsidiary Atco and in the UK their material was released by Jet Records, owned by former Small Faces manager Don Arden. They recorded the album On to Victory (April 1980) and "Fool for a Pretty Face" reached No. 52 on the US Billboard Hot 100. On to Victory peaked at No. 60 on the Billboard 200.
In April 1981, at the beginning of the promotional tour for the Go for the Throat album, Marriott crushed his hand in a hotel room door, delaying earlier scheduled appearances by the band, and he later developed a duodenal ulcer forcing the cancellation of all further tour dates in late July 1981. Soon afterwards this line-up disbanded[6] due to the loss of the Atlantic contract and the ceasing of financial support from Leber-Krebs. And to make matters even worse, the band's equipment truck was stolen as well.[5]
1982: Steve Marriott forms a new band billed as Humble Pie
In 1982 Marriott was back on the road with Jim Leverton (bass, backing vocals), former Steppenwolf keyboardist Goldy McJohn and Chicago-born drummer Fallon Williams III. This grouping was originally set to be called The Official Receivers, The Three Trojans (after McJohn departed) or The Pie, but ended up billed by promoters as Humble Pie. McJohn was let go after suffering drug troubles and the remaining trio toured Australia in October 1982 billed as Small Faces to entice patrons. In January 1983 Leverton ran into trouble at U.S. Immigration and was deported back to England.
Marriott based himself in the Atlanta, Georgia, area, where his second wife Pamela Stephens was from, and continued to tour clubs as Humble Pie. Atlanta musician Keith Christopher (from The Brains) took over bass and a young guitarist from Tennessee, Tommy Johnson, joined as well. After a deal with Capricorn Records fell through due to the label ceasing to trade, this line-up went into Pyramid Eye Studios in Chattanooga, Tennessee, to record three songs intended for an album which didn't materialize.
Following Johnson leaving and being replaced by Phil Dix, they were scheduled to record demos with Yes and ELP producer Eddy Offord at Eddy's studio in Atlanta with Rick Richards of Georgia Satellites as the new guitarist. But before recording sessions began, Rick and Keith were fired from the band by Marriott for showing up late to one of the sessions. The recordings were finished with Fallon on drums and Dave Hewitt (from Babe Ruth) on bass, but failed to attract a record label.[7]
On 4 September 1983 Humble Pie performed at the Electric Cowboy Festival in Columbia, Tennessee, where Marriott was carried onstage by a roadie due to a very large cast on his leg. They appeared as a last-minute replacement for the English group Madness. After this there were some more US club dates, which were Marriott's last official live performances under the name Humble Pie. He then disbanded the group and returned to England in late 1983.
1988–2000: Jerry Shirley's Humble Pie, new Marriott and Frampton songs
Jerry Shirley obtained the rights to the name Humble Pie in 1988 and reformed the group with different musicians. This project was called New Humble Pie or Humble Pie featuring Jerry Shirley, where Shirley was the only original member. The band began performing concerts and was based in Cleveland, Ohio, where Shirley was working as an on-air radio personality at Cleveland's WNCX. The line-up included vocalist Charlie Huhn, who also played lead and rhythm guitar. While Huhn and Shirley were the only permanent members of the group,[8] several other musicians appeared, including Wally Stocker and a returning Anthony "Sooty" Jones on bass. Jones was quickly replaced by Sean Beavan (who was engineering their 1989 independent single release "Still Rockin'").[9]
In August 1989 they appeared in the line-up at the Woodstock Festival's 20th Anniversary Celebration.[10] By 1990, Scott Allen had replaced Beavan on bass and a little later that year, Cleveland guitarist Alan Greene had joined in place of Stocker.[9] Bassist Sam Nemon played with this lineup from 1992 to 1996, when Brad Johnson took over. In August 1999 Shirley was seriously injured in an auto accident and later returned to England.[8]
Frampton and Marriott started collaborating again in 1990. Two songs from this collaboration, "The Bigger They Come" and "I Won't Let You Down", with Steve Marriott's vocals, appeared on Frampton's album Shine On: A Collection. Marriott died in a house fire on 20 April 1991.[11]
2000–2003: Former members reform, Back on Track album and Steve Marriott Memorial concert
In 2000 Charlie Huhn continued on as Humble Pie without Shirley to fulfill live dates. Rick Craig of Halloween joined the line up with bassist Kent "Bubba" Gascoyne and Jamie Darnell on drums. Michigan guitarist Patrick Thomas took Craig's place later that year and Ian Evans (from The Outlaws) replaced Gascoyne. After completing touring duties they disbanded and Huhn went on to join Foghat.
Having returned to the U.K, Shirley re-formed Humble Pie in 2001 with a line-up including the original bassist Greg Ridley, former Humble Pie member vocalist and guitarist Bobby Tench and new rhythm guitarist Dave Colwell (of Bad Company). They recorded Humble Pie's thirteenth studio album, Back on Track (2002), which comprised new songs and was released by Sanctuary Records.[12] Keyboard players Zoot Money and Victor Martin were brought in for recording sessions. A brief tour of UK and Germany with Company of Snakes followed with new keyboardist Dean Rees and guitarist Johnny Warman. But Ridley fell ill late in 2002 and the band split up.
Shirley appeared at the Steve Marriott Tribute Concert held at the London Astoria in 2001, to commemorate the 10th anniversary of Marriott's death. The concert featured a grouping of early Humble Pie members Frampton, Clempson, Ridley and Shirley.[13] Former member guitarist Bobby Tench also appeared as the frontman for the house band, which included Zak Starkey, keyboard player Rabbit Bundrick and bassist Rick Wills. This concert was released as a DVD by Chrome Dreams in 2005 entitled The Steve Marriott Astoria Memorial Concert 2001,[14] and as an album with the title One More for the Ol' Tosser (2006).[15]
In May 2003 Ridley had recovered enough to undertake two gigs, one at a club in Bucharest, Romania, with a group he called Greg Ridley's Humble Pie that included Ridley, Rees, Chris George (guitar), Stefan John (guitar) and Karl Randall (drums). He died later that year, on 19 November 2003, in Alicante, Spain of pneumonia and resulting complications. He was 62.[16]
2018 reunion and beyond
During 2018 Jerry Shirley still owned the Humble Pie name and instigated a new lineup which he would direct but not tour with. Shirley stated: "We all have a great sense of love and pride for Humble Pie, the [former] members their families and what we were able to achieve and it goes without saying that no one will ever replace Steve, Peter or any member of the band. My goal is keep the legacy of Humble Pie intact as one of the greatest live acts in rock, while satiating the need for generations of our beloved fans to again enjoy our music performed live by world class musicians".[17]
Shirley chose Dave Colwell, who had played and recorded with the band on the 2002 album Back on Track as a front man and lead guitarist, alongside former Savoy Brown and Cactus singer Jimmy Kunes. The new line up included second guitarist James "Roto" Rotondi, bassist David C. Gross (replaced later in 2018 by Ivan "Funkboy" Bodley) and drummer Bobby Marks. They began a fifteen-show tour of the U.S on 31 August 2018 in Riverhead, New York. The band performed songs from the Humble Pie catalogue and other songs such as Bad Company's "Can't Get Enough (of your Love)" and Free's "All Right Now".[17]
In 2023 Shirley's "Humble Pie Legacy" lineup of Dave Colwell (guitar), Jim Stapley (vocals, guitar, Hammond, harmonica), Ivan Bodley (bass) and Bobby Marks (drums) continued.[18]
The Steve Marriott Astoria Memorial Concert 2001 (2005) Chrome Dreams
Related Research Articles
Stephen Peter Marriott was an English guitarist, singer and songwriter. He co-founded and played in the rock bands Small Faces and Humble Pie, in a career spanning over two decades. Marriott was inducted posthumously into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012 as a member of Small Faces.
Street Rats was the eighth studio album by the English rock group Humble Pie, released in 1975. The album went to number 100 on the US Billboard 200 album chart.
Town and Country is the second studio album by rock band Humble Pie, released in November 1969. It was released only in the UK.
Smokin' is the fifth studio album by English rock band Humble Pie, released in 1972 through A&M Records. It was the band's international breakthrough, peaking at number 6 on the US Billboard 200 album chart, and hit number 20 in the UK and number 9 in Australia.
Rock On is the fourth album by the English rock group Humble Pie, released in March 1971. It reached #118 on the Billboard 200. It is the last Humble Pie studio album to feature guitarist/singer Peter Frampton, who left the band towards the end of the year.
Eat It is the sixth album by English rock band Humble Pie, released in April 1973 through A&M Records. Released as a double album, it peaked at number 13 on the US Billboard 200, number 34 in the UK Albums Chart, and number 9 in Australia.
Humble Pie is the third studio album by English rock band Humble Pie. Released in 1970, it was their first album with A&M Records.
Alfred Gregory Ridley was an English bassist who was the bassist and a founding member of the rock band Humble Pie and Spooky Tooth.
David Colwell is a British rock guitarist who has been a member of Bad Company, Samson, ASAP, The Eastenders, The Entire Population of Hackney, 720, The Torpedoes, Angel Street, Roger Chapman's Shortlist, The Jones Gang, FM, Frankie Miller's Fullhouse and Rock Steady. He recorded Back on Track with Humble Pie in 2001, touring with them until the band broke up in 2003. He started a supergroup called Rock Steady which, among others, includes bass guitarist Rick Wills, best known for his work with Foreigner and his associations with Small Faces, Peter Frampton and Bad Company and did a New Zealand tour with this band. In November 2018 he joined again Humble Pie for their US tour. Dave Colwell has his own band now which is called Bucket's Rebel Heart. Their debut album "20 Good Summers" was released in December 2018 on Pride& Joy records and January 2019 in Japan on Marquee records.
Jerry Shirley is an English rock drummer, best known as a member of the band Humble Pie, appearing on all their albums. He is also known for his work with Fastway, Joey Molland from Badfinger, Alexis Korner, Billy Nicholls, Syd Barrett, John Entwistle, Sammy Hagar and Benny Mardones.
Charles Huhn is an American rock singer and guitarist. He got his start playing with Vic Amato, Andy Dennen and Al Lesert in the band Cirrus, in and around Grand Rapids, Michigan, playing many gigs in West Michigan before joining Ted Nugent in 1978.
As Safe as Yesterday Is is the debut studio album by English rock band Humble Pie, released in August 1969.
"Natural Born Bugie" is the debut single released in 1969 by English rock band Humble Pie, who were one of the first British supergroups. It was written as a mid tempo rock song by Steve Marriott, for Andrew Loog Oldham's Immediate label and became the band's first single release. The original UK B-side was "Wrist Job" and it was replaced with "I'll Go Alone" for a later release in United States. The three guitarists sang a verse each.
"The Sad Bag of Shaky Jake" is a single released in 1969 by English rock band Humble Pie. The B-side "Cold Lady" was written by drummer Jerry Shirley in a R&B style and Shirley plays Wurlitzer piano and guitarist Peter Frampton plays the drums.
"Big Black Dog" is a single released in 1970 by English rock band Humble Pie, one of the first British supergroups which formed in 1969. It was the band's first single for A&M Records and the follow-up single to "Natural Born Bugie" (1969). It was written by the band's guitarist, Peter Frampton.
"30 Days in the Hole" is a song by English rock band Humble Pie. Released in late 1972, it was composed by the band's guitarist/singer Steve Marriott for the group's fifth album Smokin' (1972). The song received minor airplay at the time but failed to chart. However, it gained a following on album oriented rock (AOR) and classic rock radio formats and consequently it remains one of Humble Pie's best known songs.
"Shine On" is a song by British rock band Humble Pie from their 1971 album Rock On. It was written by Peter Frampton. The B-side of the single is "Mister Ring", written by Greg Ridley.
On to Victory is a studio album recorded by the English rock band Humble Pie. It was the first with a new lineup including vocalist and guitarist Steve Marriott, drummer Jerry Shirley, vocalist and guitarist Bobby Tench from the Jeff Beck Group, and American bassist Anthony "Sooty" Jones. They recorded "Fool for a Pretty Face", which Marriott had written earlier and the song proved good enough for them to secure a recording contract with Atco in 1980. In UK their material was released by Jet Records, owned by the former Small Faces manager Don Arden. The album peaked #60 on the Billboard 200 album chart "Fool for a Pretty Face" was released as a single and reached #58 on the US singles charts and a promotional tour followed as part of The Rock'n Roll Marathon, supporting Frank Marino & Mahogany Rush, Angel & Mother's Finest.
Back on Track is the eleventh studio album by Humble Pie recorded after Jerry Shirley re-formed the band in 2001 with a line-up including their original bassist Greg Ridley, guitarist and vocalist Bobby Tench and the new addition of rhythm guitarist Dave "Bucket" Colwell, who wrote or co-wrote seven of the ten tracks on this album. Back on Track was released by Sanctuary in UK and Europe on 19 February 2002. Keyboard players Zoot Money and Victor Martin were brought in for the Back on Track recording sessions. The album was recorded at Jacobs Studios and Astoria Studios and the CD cover cites special thanks to David Gilmour.
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