Skip Bifferty | |
---|---|
Also known as | Heavy Jelly |
Origin | Newcastle, England |
Genres | |
Years active | 1966–1969 |
Labels | RCA Victor |
Past members | Graham Bell Mick Gallagher Colin Gibson John Turnbull Tommy Jackman Paul Nichols |
Skip Bifferty were an English psychedelic rock band formed in early 1966. The band featured future members of Ian Dury and The Blockheads.
Skip Bifferty were formed when Newcastle upon Tyne band The Chosen Few (featuring Alan Hull, later of Lindisfarne) changed their name and recruited a new singer, Graham Bell, to replace Hull. [2] Managed by Don Arden, father of Sharon Osbourne, [2] the band were given a contract by RCA Records.
For RCA, the group released a number of psychedelic singles, including "Man in Black" (produced by Steve Marriott and Ronnie Lane, both then in the Small Faces), and the 1967 album Skip Bifferty , [2] most recently released with bonus tracks as The Story of Skip Bifferty on Sanctuary Records. Some of their songs were covered by established artists Cilla Black, The Tremeloes and The Kingsmen,[ citation needed ] and they built a following on the live circuit, including touring with The Who in October 1968. [3] They also appeared in the 1960s cult film Smashing Time , featuring Rita Tushingham.
However, a management dispute with Arden [4] eventually led to the band's demise under that name in November 1968. Early in 1969, under the pseudonym 'Heavy Jelly' and with Paul Nichols replacing Jackman on drums, the band released one single on Island Records, "I Keep Singing That Same Old Song", [5] which received exposure on the Island Records sampler LP Nice Enough to Eat . [6] The name was taken from a joke review in the London magazine Time Out , and confusingly was soon after also used by another group, which featured Jackie Lomax as lead singer, prior to the commencement of his solo career. [7] [6] [8] Uncovered as Skip Bifferty and without a recording contract, the band, now with Fred Wheatley on drums, split soon after.
Together with Turnbull and Gallagher, Bell formed Bell & Arc in July 1971. Bassist Colin Gibson went on to work with Ginger Baker, Bert Jansch, Alvin Lee and Van Morrison, amongst others. John Turnbull and Mick Gallagher reappeared as Loving Awareness, in 1974, and, in 1977, in The Blockheads, backing Ian Dury; in 1979 Gallagher played and recorded with The Clash and The Only Ones.
Ian Robins Dury was a British singer, songwriter and actor who rose to fame during the late 1970s, during the punk and new wave era of rock music. He was the lead singer and lyricist of Ian Dury and the Blockheads and before that of Kilburn and the High Roads.
Andwella were a Northern Irish psychedelic rock band formed in 1968, originally as The Method and later renamed Andwellas Dream. The trio were fronted by Dave Lewis (Guitar/keyboard/vocals), with Nigel Smith (bass/vocals) and Gordon Barton (drums).
Blossom Toes were a British psychedelic pop band active between 1966 and 1970. Initially known as The Ingoes, they were renamed and signed to the Marmalade record label of manager Giorgio Gomelsky. The original line-up comprised Brian Godding, Jim Cregan, Brian Belshaw, and Kevin Westlake (born Kevin Patrick Westlake, 5 March 1947, Dublin, Co Dublin, Ireland.
John Richard Lomax was an English guitarist and singer-songwriter. He is best known for his association with George Harrison, who produced Lomax's recordings for the Beatles' Apple record label in the late 1960s.
Michael William Gallagher is an English Hammond organ player best known as a member of Ian Dury and the Blockheads and for his contributions to albums by the Clash. He has also written music for films such as Extremes (1971) and After Midnight (1990), and the Broadway play Serious Money (1987).
Skip Bifferty is the only album by Skip Bifferty.
"Hit Me with Your Rhythm Stick" is a song by Ian Dury and the Blockheads, first released as a single on Stiff Records in the UK on 23 November 1978 and credited to "Ian & the Blockheads". Written by Dury and the Blockheads' multi-instrumentalist Chaz Jankel, it is the group's most successful single, reaching number one on the UK Singles Chart in January 1979 as well as reaching the top three in Ireland, Australia and New Zealand, and it was also a top 20 hit in several European countries.
Laughter is the third studio album by Ian Dury and the Blockheads; released in 1980, it was the last studio album Dury made for Stiff Records. It was also the last studio album he made with the Blockheads, until 1998's Mr. Love Pants, though a live album Warts 'n' Audience was produced in 1991.
Ten More Turnips from the Tip is the fourth and final studio album by Ian Dury and the Blockheads, and Dury's ninth overall. It was compiled and released in 2002, two years after Dury's death in March 2000.
Andromeda were an English psychedelic rock group, that formed in 1966. However, soon after formation, the band changed lineup, and led by John Du Cann a new line-up recorded their eponymous album in 1969 with backing vocals by Eddie Dyche.
Mr. Love Pants is a 1998 album by Ian Dury and the Blockheads, released on East Central One under Dury's own label Ronnie Harris Records.
"What a Waste" is a song and single by Ian Dury and the Blockheads, originally released in 1978 on the Stiff Records single BUY 27 "What a Waste" / "Wake Up and Make Love with Me". The song has remained in The Blockheads' set following Dury's death.
The Bus Driver's Prayer & Other Stories is the seventh solo album by Ian Dury, released in 1992 by Demon. Despite being recorded after the successful live reunion of Ian Dury and the Blockheads, inspired by the death of their drummer Charley Charles, the album is not a Blockheads record. All of the band, however, except bassist Norman Watt-Roy, appear on the album.
John George Turnbull is an English pop and rock guitarist and singer. He is currently a member of The Blockheads.
Graham Thomas Bell was an English pop and rock singer.
Straight from the Desk is a live album by Ian Dury & the Blockheads recorded on 23 December 1978 at the Ilford Odeon, Ilford, East London.
The Blockheads are an English rock band formed in London in 1977. Originally fronted by lead singer Ian Dury as Ian Dury and the Blockheads or Ian and the Blockheads, the band has continued to perform since Dury's death in 2000. Current members include Chaz Jankel, Norman Watt-Roy (bass), Mick Gallagher, John Turnbull John Roberts (drums). If Watt-Roy is unavailable, bass is often played by Nathan King. There is a rolling line-up of saxophonists that includes Gilad Atzmon, Terry Edwards or Dave Lewis and from time to time, the original sax player, Davey Payne. Between 2000 and 2022, the band's lead vocalist and main lyricist was Derek Hussey.
Norman Joseph Watt-Roy is an English musician, arranger and composer.
Live Stiffs Live is a live album released in 1978 by Stiff Records. It compiles concert performances by several of the record label's artists recorded during the "Live Stiffs Tour", which ran from 3 October to 5 November 1977.
Colin Gibson is an English bass player and composer.