Mickey Jupp

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Mickey Jupp
MickeyJupp 0071b.jpg
Background information
Birth nameMichael Graham Jupp
Born (1944-03-06) 6 March 1944 (age 80)
Worthing, Sussex, England
Genres Rock, pub rock, rhythm and blues
Occupation(s)Musician, guitarist, songwriter
Instrument(s)Guitar, piano
Years active1963–present
Labels Bell Records, Vertigo, Stiff Conquest Music
Website www.MickeyJupp.com

Michael Graham "Mickey" Jupp (born 6 March 1944, in Worthing, Sussex, England) is an English musician and songwriter, mainly associated with the Southend music scene.

Contents

Career

Jupp played in several Southend bands after leaving art college in 1962 and was in the R&B group the Orioles (1963 to late 1965), [1] which included Mo Witham (guitar, vocals) and Bob Clouter (drums), but the band were never recorded.

After a break from music, Jupp formed Legend in 1968, who were signed to Bell Records. [1] They released an eponymous album Legend, playing a mix of pop, rockabilly and blues rock styles using no electric instruments. The original band: Nigel Dunbar (drums), Chris East (guitar, vocals and harmonica) and Steve Geere (string bass and vocals), who recorded this album with Jupp (guitar, piano and vocals), split soon afterwards, so Jupp assembled a new line-up, with Mo Witham on guitar, John Bobin on bass and Bill Fifield on drums. A recording deal with Vertigo produced a second album, in 1970, using the same line-up. Confusingly, this album was also called Legend, but is usually referred to as the "Red Boot" album, after the cover picture. Fifield left to join T.Rex (where he was renamed Bill Legend, after the band he had left, by Marc Bolan), and was replaced on drums by Bob Clouter who had played with Jupp in the Orioles. This line-up recorded the second Vertigo album Moonshine issued in 1972 (and re-released on CD in 2007), after which the band broke up. [2]

Returning to Southend, Jupp pursued a low-key existence until the pub-rock revolution (spearheaded by local bands such as Dr. Feelgood, for whom he wrote the hit single "Down at the Doctors") created a fresh interest in rock and roll. He signed to Stiff Records in 1978, [1] and they initially released a compilation album of the first three Legend albums, which was also called Legend, giving three albums with this title. This was followed by his first solo album, Juppanese, [1] an album in two different styles. The first half was recorded with Rockpile and produced by Nick Lowe, and is in a simple raw style, whereas the second half, produced by Gary Brooker of Procol Harum, was slicker. [3] The album had a cover photo of Jupp sitting at a table of oriental food, pulling at the corners of his eyes. Jupp had a long-standing connection with Procol Harum; Brooker, then with R&B group the Paramounts, was one of his early idols. When Procol's bassist David Knights went into management, Legend were his first act. He also produced their final album Moonshine. Robin Trower also produced Legend's second single "Georgia George Part 1" [4] which was actually Jupp backed by Mo Witham and Procol's Matthew Fisher and B.J. Wilson. [5]

The follow-up album Long Distance Romancer (1979), [1] was produced by Godley and Creme, and has a slick, highly produced, sound, which was generally seen as less successful. [6]

Jupp went on to release a further seven solo albums, some appearing on Swedish and German labels. His songs have been recorded by Rick Nelson, Elkie Brooks, the Judds, Chris Farlowe, Delbert McClinton, Nick Lowe, Dave Edmunds, Gary Brooker, the Hamsters, Dr. Feelgood, Roger Chapman, and the Searchers.

At one time the Mickey Jupp Band had Joy Sarney as its vocalist. [7]

In February 2009, the early Legend line-up of Chris East, Mo Witham, John Bobin, Bob Clouter and Mickey Jupp self-released a new album, Never Too Old To Rock, featuring a selection of Jupp–East songs written over the previous twenty years. [8]

In 2021, Jupp signed to Conquest Music, with a view to releasing a series of albums containing songs he wrote and recorded at his home in Boot, Eskdale, Cumbria, England. The series of albums is "the Boot Legacy". Conquest Music subsequently announced that the first album in the series Up Snakes, Down Ladders would be released on 5 August 2022, preceded by a five track digital only sampler the "I'd Love to Boogie" EP and that the second album in the series would be released before Christmas. [9]

Appreciation

On 6 February 2015, most of a two-hour edition of the Belgian radio show Dr Boogie on Classic 21 was dedicated to Jupp [10] who was described (in French) as a 'hidden treasure of rock', [11] [12] a 'white Chuck Berry'. [12] and a musician 'almost without ego'. [12]

In August 2015, an authorised biography of Mickey Jupp, entitled Hole in my Pocket: the true legend of Mickey Jupp, the rock and roll genius who declined to be a star, written by Mike Wade, was published by Amazon/South Wing Books.

Discography

(Album titles in italics, singles are 7" 45rpm versions unless noted)

With Legend

1969
1970
1971
1972
1978
2008
2012

Solo releases

1977
1978
1979
1980
1981
1982
1983
1984
1987

Oddities CD only, Line LICD-9.00464 (Germany) (CD compilation of BBC sessions, singles, and unreleased tracks)

1988
1991
1992
2004
2005
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2022
2023

Other album appearances

1971
1978
1979
1981
1982
1983
1984
1985
1986
1987
1988
1991
1992
1993
1994
1996

Southend Rock 2 The Lunch Label 01702-001, CD compilation with "Standing at the Crossroads Again" (UK)

1999

Some Sides of Line: 20th Anniversary Line LMS-9.01356, CD compilation with "Poison Girls" (Germany)

The Greatest Pop Ballads Repertoire Records RR-4763, 2CD compilation with "Pilot" (Germany)

2001
2007
2008
2010
2011

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Colin Larkin, ed. (1992). The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music (First ed.). Guinness Publishing. p. 1331. ISBN   0-85112-939-0.
  2. Stephen Thomas Erlewine (6 March 1944). "Mickey Jupp | Biography & History". AllMusic . Retrieved 7 February 2016.
  3. Stephen Thomas Erlewine. "Juppanese – Mickey Jupp | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic . Retrieved 7 February 2016.
  4. "Legend – Georgia George Part 1 / July – Bell – UK – BLL 1082". 45cat.com. Retrieved 7 February 2016.
  5. Liner notes to Repertoire Records Legend CD
  6. Stephen Thomas Erlewine. "Long Distance Romancer – Mickey Jupp | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic . Retrieved 7 February 2016.
  7. "Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular Music – JUPP, Mickey". Donaldclarkemusicbox.com. Retrieved 7 February 2016.
  8. "Mickey Jupp Homepage". Mickeyjupp.com. 27 April 2007. Retrieved 7 February 2016.
  9. "Conquest Music announce: I'd Love To Boogie With Mickey Jupp – Lyric Video Released in Advance of New Album". Rocknloadmag.com. 26 July 2022. Retrieved 2 August 2022.
  10. "La playlist du vendredi 6 février". Rtbf.be. Retrieved 7 February 2016.
  11. "Dr Boogie, spéciale Mickey Jupp". Rtbf.be. Retrieved 7 February 2016.
  12. 1 2 3 "MP3 file". Archived from the original on 9 February 2015. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
  13. "Mickey Jupp – Kiss Me Quick Squeeze Me Slow (CD)". Discogs. 22 December 1994. Retrieved 7 February 2016.

Further reading