Racing Cars | |
---|---|
Origin | Rhondda Valley, Wales |
Genres | Pop |
Years active | 1973–2010 |
Labels | Chrysalis Records, Angel Air |
Past members | Band members |
Racing Cars was a Welsh pop band, formed in the Rhondda Valley, Wales in 1973. [1] Their only hit single was "They Shoot Horses, Don't They?", which peaked at number fourteen in the UK Singles Chart in 1977, and was inspired by the film, They Shoot Horses, Don't They? Touring included dates supporting Bad Company in 1976.
They were signed to one of the biggest British record labels of the time, Chrysalis Records. [2] Racing Cars's debut album yielded their only hit single with "They Shoot Horses, Don't They?" It reached number fourteen in the UK Singles Chart in 1977, and was inspired by the film, They Shoot Horses, Don't They? Touring to promote their debut releases, Racing Cars backed Bad Company in 1976, including dates at Earls Court and the York Theatre Royal. Without any similar further chart appearances, Racing Cars ultimately acquired one-hit-wonder status. However, the band was sufficiently established on the touring circuit to issue two further albums in 1977 and 1978, which included bit parts for the session pianist Geraint Watkins; American saxophonist Jerry Jumonville; The Bowles Brothers Band (on vocal harmonies); and Ray Ennis from Newport who had previously played with a band called Good Habit. (Note. Not to be confused with Ray Ennis of Swinging Blue Jeans.) These never reached the same commercial heights. Morty and Graham Williams had played together in local bands such as Morty and the Frantics and later evolutions including Strawberry Dust for years before. They were very well known in the Welsh club circuit.
Racing Cars split up for the first time in the late 1970s. In 1980, Morty released a solo album Love Blind. In 1981, Morty joined a band called The Bleeding Hearts with musicians Paul Rosser, Bob Watkins and Dave Iles, it was suggested by Morty that they call themselves Racing Cars, as it was his name. When this band came to an end, lead vocalist Morty has sung backing vocals for artists including The Beach Boys, Tina Turner and Bryan Adams. Morty got together with local musicians and formed the Gareth Thomas Mortimer Band (GTM Band).
Morty, Graham Hedley Williams and Paul Rosser reunited as Racing Cars but said "We were a bit reluctant. We're a bit long in the tooth and a bit out of touch but we finally said yes." They continued to play gigs across Europe, after reforming in 2000 with a new album, Bolt From The Blue which was released on DA Records and a gig at the Cardiff International Arena.
Racing Cars final album, Second Wind, was released in October 2007. [3] [4] Racing Cars performed a concert together on 11 April 2009 at the Parc and Dare theatre, Treorchy, and made an appearance at the tribute concerts for Man guitarist Micky Jones in Pontardawe on 18 September 2010. They also reformed for a one-off concert 'Rock at the Park' at Merthyr Tydfil's football ground, however these dates were without Simon Davies.
Gareth Mortimer died on 17 December 2015 at his home in Rhondda, Wales, from cancer at the age of 66. [5] [6]
Title | Album details | Peak chart positions |
---|---|---|
AUS [7] | ||
Downtown Tonight |
| 39 |
Weekend Rendezvous |
| — |
Bring on the Night |
| — |
BBC Radio One Live in Concert |
| — |
Bolt from the Blue |
| — |
Second Wind [8] [9] |
| — |
Year | Title | Peak chart positions | |
---|---|---|---|
UK [8] | AUS [7] | ||
1976 | "They Shoot Horses Don't They?" b/w "Four Wheel Drive" | 14 | 32 |
1977 | "Ladee-Lo" b/w "Get Out and Get In" | — | — |
"Down by the River" b/w "Ticking Over" | — | — | |
"Bring on the Night" b/w "When I'm Walking Home" or "Second Best" | — | — | |
1980 | "Are You Big Enough" b/w "Little Miss World" | — | — |
Bad Company was an English rock supergroup that was formed in London in 1973 by singer Paul Rodgers, drummer Simon Kirke, guitarist Mick Ralphs and bassist Boz Burrell. Kirke was the only member to remain throughout the band's entire run, while he and Ralphs were the only members to appear on every studio album. Peter Grant, who managed the rock band Led Zeppelin, also managed Bad Company until 1982.
Cozy Powell was an English drummer who made his name with major rock bands and artists such as The Jeff Beck Group, Rainbow, Michael Schenker Group, Gary Moore, Graham Bonnet, Brian May, Whitesnake, Emerson, Lake & Powell, and Black Sabbath.
The Mindbenders were an English beat group from Manchester. Originally the backing group for Wayne Fontana, they were one of several acts that were successful in the mid-1960s British Invasion of the US charts, achieving major chart hits with "The Game of Love" in 1965 and "A Groovy Kind of Love" in 1966.
Dishwalla is an American alternative rock band from Santa Barbara, California. The band's name comes from a Hindi term for a person providing satellite TV to a neighborhood. In a Vox interview, lead guitarist Rodney Browning Cravens claimed the band took the name from a Wired magazine article. The band is best known for its 1996 hit song "Counting Blue Cars".
Toy Dolls are an English punk rock band formed in 1979. Departing from the angry lyrics and music often associated with punk rock, the Toy Dolls worked within the aesthetics of punk to express a sense of fun, with songs such as "Yul Brynner Was a Skinhead", "My Girlfriend's Dad's a Vicar" and "James Bond Lives Down Our Street". There is often alliteration in their song titles. They are probably best known however for their sole UK hit, a punk-rock cover of "Nellie the Elephant".
Tower of Power is an American R&B and funk based band and horn section, originating in Oakland, California, that has been performing since 1968. There have been a number of lead vocalists, the best-known being Lenny Williams, who fronted the band between early 1973 and late 1974, the period of their greatest commercial success. They have had eight songs on the Billboard Hot 100; their highest-charting songs include "You're Still a Young Man", "So Very Hard to Go", "What Is Hip?", and "Don't Change Horses ".
Sikth are a British progressive metal band from Watford, Hertfordshire, formed in 1999.
Outlaws is an American Southern rock band from Tampa, Florida. They are best known for their 1975 hit "There Goes Another Love Song" and extended guitar jam "Green Grass and High Tides" from their 1975 debut album, plus their 1980 cover of the Stan Jones classic "(Ghost) Riders in the Sky".
The Icicle Works are an English alternative rock band, named after the 1960 short story "The Day the Icicle Works Closed" by science fiction author Frederik Pohl. They had a top 20 UK hit with "Love Is a Wonderful Colour" (1983). In the US and Canada, they had one top 40 hit, the 1984 single "Birds Fly ".
Fury in the Slaughterhouse is a German rock band from Hanover, founded in 1987. Their hits include "Time to Wonder", "Every Generation Got Its Own Disease", "Won't Forget These Days", "Radio Orchid", "Dancing in the Sunshine of the Dark", "Milk & Honey" and "Trapped Today, Trapped Tomorrow".
The Firm were a British rock supergroup formed in 1984, featuring singer Paul Rodgers, guitarist Jimmy Page, drummer Chris Slade, and bassist Tony Franklin. The band released two albums in 1985 and 1986 and eventually saw their greatest chart success with the songs "Radioactive", "All the King's Horses", and "Satisfaction Guaranteed".
Samson were a British heavy metal band formed in 1977 by guitarist and vocalist Paul Samson. They are best known for their first three albums with future Iron Maiden singer Bruce Dickinson, then known as "Bruce Bruce", and drummer Thunderstick, who wore a leather mask and performed on stage in a metal cage. Drummer Clive Burr was also a member of the band, both before and after his tenure with Iron Maiden. Dickinson's replacement on vocals, Nicky Moore, performed with Samson throughout the mid-1980s and again from the late 1990s onwards. Samson were a part of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal.
Nigel Olsson is an English rock drummer best known for his long-time affiliation with Elton John. A dynamic drummer and backing vocalist, Olsson helped establish the Elton John sound as a member of the Elton John Band alongside bassist Dee Murray.
Wintersleep is a Canadian indie rock band formed in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 2001. The band's original lineup consisted of vocalist and guitarist Paul Murphy, guitarist and keyboardist Tim d'Eon, and drummer Loel Campbell. In 2002, Jud Haynes joined the band as bass guitarist until 2007. In 2005, Mike Bigelow joined on keyboards until 2006, after which he played bass, until 2016. Since 2006, Jon Samuel has served as a backing vocalist, keyboardist, and guitarist, while Chris Bell has served as a backing vocalist and bass guitarist since 2016. Bigelow returned to the band in 2021. In 2005, Wintersleep opened for Pearl Jam for two shows in St. John's, Newfoundland at the Mile One Stadium. The band received a Juno Award in 2008. To date, Wintersleep have released seven studio albums.
The Darling Buds are an alternative rock band from Newport, Wales. The band formed in 1986 and were named after the H. E. Bates novel The Darling Buds of May – a title taken in turn, from the third line of Shakespeare's Sonnet 18: "Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May".
Hellyeah, stylized as HELLYEAH, was an American heavy metal supergroup formed in Dallas, Texas, in 2006. The band's last lineup consisted of lead vocalist Chad Gray, guitarists Christian Brady and Tom Maxwell, bassist Kyle Sanders, and drummer Roy Mayorga. The idea to form a supergroup originated in 2000 on the Tattoo the Earth tour, although plans were constantly put on hold due to scheduling conflicts. The summer of 2006 allowed the band to take the project seriously and record its first album. Recorded at Chasin' Jason studio in Dimebag Darrell's backyard, their self-titled album entered the Billboard 200 at number 9, selling 45,000 copies. They went on to release five more studio albums between 2010 and 2019. As of 2021, the band is on hiatus.
The Party Boys was an Australian rock supergroup with a floating membership commencing in 1982. Created by Mondo Rock's bass guitarist, Paul Christie, with founding member Kevin Borich as a part-time venture for professional musicians with downtime from their other projects; the group had temporary members from Status Quo, the Angels, Sherbet, Skyhooks, Rose Tattoo, the Choirboys, Australian Crawl, Divinyls, Models, Dragon and Swanee, plus international stars such as Joe Walsh, Eric Burdon, Alan Lancaster, and Graham Bonnet.
Pinkerton's Assorted Colours were an English pop band active during the 1960s. They are best known for their 1965 release, "Mirror, Mirror", which reached No. 9 in the UK Singles Chart in February 1966.
Atomic Rooster are a British rock band originally formed by members of The Crazy World of Arthur Brown, organist Vincent Crane and drummer Carl Palmer. Their history is defined by two periods: the early-mid-1970s and the early 1980s. The band went through radical style changes, but they are best known for the hard, progressive rock sound of their hit singles, "Tomorrow Night" and "Devil's Answer", both in 1971.
Good Habit were a Welsh professional touring band, mostly from Penarth, Wales, active from 1970 until 1975.