Speedway (band)

Last updated

Speedway
Origin Glasgow, Scotland
Genres Soft rock, pop rock, rock
Years active2001–2004
Labels Innocent Records
MembersJill Jackson
Jim Duguid
Tom Swann
Dan Sells

Speedway were a Scottish pop rock group, who were formed in 2001, by Glaswegians Jill Jackson (lead vocals) and Jim Duguid (drums). The band acquired three more members in that year, with bass guitarist Tom Swann from Droitwich plus guitarist Dan Sells, now lead singer of The Feeling (the latter of whom was later replaced by Chris Leonard), and signed with Innocent Records in 2002. Also recruited as a guitarist was Carlos Garcia of The Crave. [1]

Contents

The band supported then labelmates Blue on their UK tour in early 2003, played a number of university gigs, and played to over 25,000 people in September 2003 at the KC Stadium in Hull as part of a charity event made by the local radio station, Viking FM. A recent mashup by The Freelance Hellraiser of the Christina Aguilera hit "Genie in a Bottle" and "Hard to Explain" by The Strokes had been a popular online and radio hit, but was refused commercial release by the record label. Seizing on this Speedway covered the Aguilera song to sound as close to the mashup as possible, and as a result it became their first single as a double A-side, with another song, "Save Yourself" and reached No. 10 in the UK Singles Chart. [2]

Their second single, "Can't Turn Back" reached No. 12 in February 2004. Their third single, "In & Out", hit No. 33 in June, and their album, Save Yourself was released just after "Can't Turn Back" came out. It did not fare well in the UK Albums Chart. Speedway thus left Innocent Records after their first UK tour, and later split up, later reforming briefly to support Bryan Adams on his ten date UK tour later that year.

Jackson later toured the material for an acoustic solo album in support of Nashville, Tennessee artist, Kevin Montgomery, formed a duo with the Irish singer-songwriter Gianna Cassidy called Jackson and Cassidy, and released her first solo album in 2006. Jackson is currently working with her own band, members include Alan Frew (guitar) Carl Taylor (drums) and Lorna Thomas (bass).

Duguid was until recently drumming and writing for the Scottish singer-songwriter Paolo Nutini (who supported Speedway at some of their later gigs in 2004) and can be seen in the videos to Nutini's singles.

Discography

Albums

Singles

Band members

Final line up

Other members

Related Research Articles

Primal Scream Scottish rock band

Primal Scream are a Scottish rock band originally formed in 1982 in Glasgow by Bobby Gillespie (vocals) and Jim Beattie. The band's current lineup consists of Gillespie, Andrew Innes (guitar), Martin Duffy (keyboards), Simone Butler (bass), and Darrin Mooney (drums). Barrie Cadogan has toured and recorded with the band since 2006 as a replacement after the departure of guitarist Robert "Throb" Young.

Level 42 English jazz-funk band

Level 42 are an English jazz-funk band formed on the Isle of Wight in 1979. They had a number of UK and worldwide hits during the 1980s and 1990s.

The Lemonheads American alternative rock band

The Lemonheads are an American alternative rock band formed in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1986 by Evan Dando, Ben Deily, and Jesse Peretz. Dando has remained the band's only constant member. After their initial punk-influenced releases and tours as an independent/college rock band in the late 1980s, the Lemonheads' popularity with a mass audience grew in 1992 with the major label album It's a Shame about Ray, which was produced, engineered, and mixed by The Robb Brothers. This was followed by a cover of Simon and Garfunkel's "Mrs. Robinson", which eventually became one of the band's most successful singles. Then Lemonheads were active until 1997 before going on hiatus, but reformed with a new lineup in 2005 and released The Lemonheads the following year. The band released its latest album, Varshons 2, in February 2019.

The Charlatans (English band) English alternative rock band

The Charlatans are an English rock band formed in the West Midlands in 1988. The current line-up comprises lead vocalist Tim Burgess, guitarist Mark Collins, bassist Martin Blunt and keyboardist Tony Rogers.

Magazine (band) English post-punk rock band

Magazine were an English post-punk band active from 1977 to 1981, then again from 2009 to 2011. The band was formed by Howard Devoto after leaving punk band Buzzcocks in early 1977. Devoto had decided to create a more progressive and less "traditional" rock band.

James (band) British rock band

James are an English rock band from Manchester, who were formed in 1982. They had popularity throughout the 1990s, with four top 10s on the UK Singles Chart and nine top 10s on the UK Albums Chart. The band's best-known singles include "Come Home", "Sit Down", "She's a Star" and "Laid", which also became a hit on American college radio.

Toy Dolls

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".

Lindisfarne (band) English folk rock band

Lindisfarne are an English folk rock band from Newcastle upon Tyne established in 1968. The original line-up comprised Alan Hull, Ray Jackson, Simon Cowe, Rod Clements and Ray Laidlaw (drums).

Showaddywaddy are a pop/rock group from Leicester, England. They specialise in revivals of hit songs from the 1950s and early 1960s, while also issuing original material. Showaddywaddy spent a total of 209 weeks on the UK Singles Chart, and had 10 Top Ten singles, with one reaching number one.

The Wedding Present British indie band

The Wedding Present are an English indie rock group originally formed in 1985 in Leeds, England, from the ashes of the Lost Pandas. The band's music has evolved from fast-paced indie rock in the vein of their most obvious influences The Fall, Buzzcocks and Gang of Four to more varied forms. Throughout their career, they have been led by vocalist and guitarist David Gedge, the band's only constant member.

Strawbs English rock band

Strawbs are an English rock band founded in 1964 as the Strawberry Hill Boys. The band started out as a bluegrass group, but eventually moved on to other styles such as folk rock, progressive rock, and (briefly) glam rock.

Gun (band)

Gun are a hard rock band from Glasgow, Scotland. The band currently consists of brothers Dante Gizzi and Giuliano "Jools" Gizzi (guitar), along with Paul McManus (drums), Andy Carr (bass) and Tommy Gentry (guitar). Starting in 1989 with Taking on the World, Gun have released seven studio albums, three of which have made the UK Top 20, and had eight UK Top 40 hit singles. The most successful of these was a cover of Cameo's "Word Up!", which reached the top 10 in 1994.

Aberfeldy are a music group formed by the singer-songwriter Riley Briggs in Edinburgh, Scotland in 2002. The band is named after the Scottish town where Riley's granddad had a caravan.

The Shadows English instrumental rock group

The Shadows were an English instrumental rock group. They were also vocalist Cliff Richard's backing band from 1958 to 1968 and on numerous reunion tours. The Shadows have had 69 UK chart singles from the 1950s to the 2000s, 35 credited to the Shadows and 34 to Cliff Richard and the Shadows. The group, who were in the forefront of the UK beat-group boom, were the first backing band to emerge as stars. As pioneers of the four-member instrumental format, the band consisted of lead guitar, rhythm guitar, bass guitar and drums. Their range covers pop, rock, surf rock and ballads with a jazz influence.

Genie in a Bottle 1999 single by Christina Aguilera

"Genie in a Bottle" is a song by American singer Christina Aguilera from her self-titled debut studio album (1999). It was written by Pam Sheyne, Steve Kipner and David Frank, and produced by Kipner and Frank. The song was released on May 11, 1999 by RCA Records as the album's lead single. It is a teen pop and dance-pop song which incorporates elements from R&B. Lyrically, "Genie in a Bottle" uses sexual references to talk about the theme of self-respect.

Save Yourself is the debut album by Scottish pop rock band Speedway. It reached No. 42 on the UK Albums Chart.

Violinski was a rock band formed in 1977 by Electric Light Orchestra violinist Mik Kaminski with former member Mike de Albuquerque on guitar and vocals. In March 1979 the band become a one-hit wonder with their instrumental "Clog Dance", which made Number 17 the UK Singles Chart.

<i>Gathering of Freaks</i> 1994 studio album by Freak of Nature

Gathering of Freaks is the second album from the Heavy Metal band Freak of Nature, fronted by former White Lion lead singer Mike Tramp, released in 1994.

Atomic Rooster British rock band

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. Throughout their history, keyboardist Vincent Crane was the only constant member and wrote the majority of their material. 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.

Jim Duguid is a Scottish musician and songwriter best known for co-writing the Alex Clare song "Too Close".

References

  1. "'In & Out' – New Single from Speedway – Betweenplanets". Betweenplanets.co.uk. 10 April 2004. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 519. ISBN   1-904994-10-5.