Family (band)
Family | |
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jazz rock | |
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Spinoffs | Streetwalkers |
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Family were an English rock band, active from late 1966 to October 1973, and again since 2013 for a series of live shows. Their style has been characterised as progressive rock, as their sound often explored other genres, incorporating elements of styles such as folk, psychedelia, acid rock, jazz fusion, and rock and roll. The band achieved recognition in the United Kingdom through their albums, club and concert tours, and appearances at festivals.[1][2][3][4]
Family's rotating membership during their relatively short existence led to a diversity of sound on their various albums, with lead vocalist Roger Chapman the only member who stayed in the band throughout its existence. The group have been described as an "odd band loved by a small but rabid group of fans".[2]
History
Early years (1966–1969)
Family formed in late 1966 in Leicester, England, from the remaining members of a group that was previously known as The Farinas[2][5] and later briefly The Roaring Sixties, whose sound was grounded in rhythm and blues[6] though they did not record under that name. The Farinas originally consisted of John "Charlie" Whitney, Tim Kirchin (born around 1944, Birstall, Leicestershire died circa 2000), Harry Ovenall (born Richard Harry Ovenall, 12 September 1943, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire), and Jim King, forming at Leicester Art College in 1962. Ric Grech replaced Kirchin on bass in 1965 and Roger Chapman joined the following year on vocals. The American record producer Kim Fowley suggested they call themselves "The Family" as they regularly wore double-breasted suits in performances, giving themselves a mafia style appearance, a look they soon abandoned in favour of a more casual dress code.
The group played the music club
The band signed with the
Music in a Doll's House was released in July 1968 and charted at number 35 in the UK to critical acclaim,[4] thanks to strong support from BBC Radio 1's John Peel.[6] Now widely acknowledged as a classic of British psychedelic rock, it showcased many of the stylistic and production features that are archetypal of the genre. The album's highly original[10] sound was characterised by Chapman's vocals, rooted in the blues and R&B,[2] combined with several unusual instruments for a rock band, courtesy of the presence of multi-instrumentalists Grech and King, including saxophones, violin, cello, and harmonica.[10]
Family's 1969 follow-up,
With the UK success of Family's first two albums, the band undertook a tour of the United States in April 1969, but it was beset by problems. Halfway through the tour, Grech unexpectedly left the band to join the new supergroup Blind Faith;[4][6] on the recommendation of tour manager Peter Grant, Grech was replaced by John Weider, previously of Eric Burdon and The Animals.[12] A further setback occurred during their first concert at Bill Graham's Fillmore East, whilst sharing the bill with Ten Years After and The Nice – during his stage routine, Chapman lost control of his microphone stand, which flew in Graham's direction, an act Graham took to be deliberate;[6][13] Chapman performed the following shows with his hands by his sides, and by the end of the tour, he had lost his voice; Family's reputation in the US never recovered and they ultimately never achieved great recognition there.[14] Returning to the UK, the band performed at The Rolling Stones'
Later years (1970–1973)
In 1970, Family played a few more gigs in the United States, appearing in San Francisco and Boston. In early 1970, they released their third studio album,
Family's follow-up album
As with Grech in Family's original line-up, Wetton also shared vocal duties with Chapman, and this line-up soon released Family's highest-charting single "In My Own Time/Seasons" which reached number four, and the album Fearless in October 1971, which charted in both the UK and the US.[6][19] In 1972, another album, Bandstand was released, which leaned more towards hard rock than art rock,[20] featuring the singles "Burlesque" in late 1972, and "My Friend the Sun", which was released in early 1973.[6]
In mid-1972, John Wetton left Family to join a new line-up of King Crimson and was replaced by bassist Jim Cregan, and at the end of that year, John "Poli" Palmer also left the band and was replaced by keyboardist Tony Ashton, previously of Ashton, Gardner and Dyke.[4][6] After Wetton's departure (but before Palmer's exit), Family toured the United States and Canada as the support act for Elton John, but their performances were often greeted with silence and Poli Palmer later recalled that "the only clapping in this huge stadium would be the guys doing the PA".[6]
In 1973, Family released the largely ignored It's Only a Movie (and on their own label, Raft, distributed by Warner/Reprise), which would be their last studio album, followed by another tour.[6][21]
Family gave their final concert at the Hawthorn Building of
Reunion performances (2013–2016)
In September 2012 the band announced a one-off reunion gig on 2 February 2013 at the O2 Shepherds Bush Empire, London featuring Roger Chapman, Poli Palmer, Rob Townsend and Jim Cregan[25] Demand for tickets was so great that an extra show was scheduled for the previous night as well and an expanded line-up of the band (also featuring Chapman's regular back-up musicians Paul Hirsh, John Lingwood, Nick Payn, Gary Twigg and Geoff Whitehorn, billed as "The In Laws")[26] played to sell-out audiences. The setlist on both nights included: Top of the Hill, Drowned in Wine, Holding the Compass, Part of the Load, Ready to Go, Crinkly Grin, Burning Bridges, No Mule's Fool, Sat'dy Barfly, Between Blue and Me, Hung Up Down, Burlesque, In My Own Time. Encore 1: Weaver's Answer; Encore 2: My Friend the Sun, Sweet Desiree.[citation needed] During these performances Chapman paid warm tributes to absent band members Rick Grech, Tony Ashton, Jim King, John Weider, John Wetton and Charlie Whitney during the band's performance. The band went on to appear at the Rockin' the Park Festival at Clumber Park in Notts on 16 August 2013.[citation needed]
The limited edition Family box set Once Upon a Time, won the
Family again played gigs in the UK in 2014 and 2015. In 2016 they appeared at festivals in England and Italy, as well as two gigs in London on 17 and 18 December and one in Leicester on 22 December, which were billed as the band's last shows. For these gigs, Chapman, Palmer and Cregan were joined by five other musicians.[citation needed]
Music
Family's sound was distinguished by several factors. The vocals of Roger Chapman, described as a "bleating vibrato"[28] and an "electric goat",[1] were considered unique, although Chapman was trying to emulate the voices of R&B and soul singers Little Richard and Ray Charles, with some reviewers noting however that Chapman's voice could be grating and irritating occasionally.[1][3] John "Charlie" Whitney was an accomplished and innovative guitarist,[3] and Family's often complex[28] song arrangements were made possible through having multi-instrumentalists like Ric Grech, Jim King and Poli Palmer in the band and access to keyboards such as the Hammond organ, the new Mellotron, violin, flute and vibraphone. The band's sound has been variously described as progressive rock, psychedelic rock, acid rock, folk rock, jazz fusion, not to mention "British art rock," and hard rock.[1][3]
Family were particularly known for their live performances; one reviewer describing the band as "one of the wildest, most innovative groups of the underground rock scene", noting that they produced "some of the rawest, most intense performances on stage in rock history" and "that the
Family was an influence on
Personnel
Members
- Final members
- Roger Chapman – vocals, harmonica, saxophones, percussion (1966–1973, 2013–2016)
- Rob Townsend – drums, percussion (1967–1973, 2013–2016)
- John "Poli" Palmer – keyboards, flute, vibraphone, synthesisers, backing vocals (1969–1972, 2013–2016)
- Jim Cregan – bass, guitars, backing vocals (1972–1973, 2013–2016)
- Former members
- John "Charlie" Whitney – guitars, sitar, keyboards (1966–1973)
- Jim King – saxophones, harmonica, tin whistle, piano, vocals (1966–1969; died 2012)
- Ric Grech – bass, violin, cello, vocals (1966–1969; died 1990)
- Harry Ovenall – drums, percussion (1966–1967)
- John Weider – bass, guitar, violin, backing vocals (1969–1971)
- John Wetton – bass, guitar, keyboards, vocals (1971–1972; died 2017)
- Tony Ashton – keyboards, accordion, mellotron, backing vocals (1972–1973; died 2001)
Guest musicians
- Dave Mason – mellotron (on Music in a Doll's House)
- Nicky Hopkins – piano (on Family Entertainment)
- George Bruno– organ (on A Song for Me)
- Linda Lewis – backing vocals (on Bandstand)
- Peter Hope-Evans– harmonica (on It's Only a Movie)
- Geoff Whitehorn – guitar, backing vocals (2013)
- John Lingwood– drums, percussion (2013)
- Gary Twigg – bass (2013)
- Paul Hirsh – keyboards (2013)
- Nick Payn – saxophone, harmonica (2013)
Producers
- John Gilbert – Music in a Doll's House and Family Entertainment (executive producer)
- Dave Mason – Music in a Doll's House
- Jimmy Miller– Music in a Doll's House
- Glyn Johns – Family Entertainment
- George Chkiantz – A Song for Me, Anyway, Fearless, Bandstand, It's Only a Movie
Lineups
Late 1966 - October 1967 | October 1967 – April 1969 | April 1969 – Late 1969 | Late 1969 – June 1971 |
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June 1971 - Mid-1972 | Mid-1972 – End 1972 | End 1972 – Late October 1973 | Late October 1973 - September 2012 |
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Disbanded |
September 2012 - December 2016 | |||
With:
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Timeline
Discography
Studio albums
- Music in a Doll's House (UK & US Reprise, 1968)
- Family Entertainment (UK & US Reprise, 1969)
- A Song for Me (UK & US Reprise, 1970)
- Anyway (UK Reprise & US United Artists, 1970)
- Fearless (UK Reprise & US United Artists, 1971)
- Bandstand (UK Reprise & US United Artists, 1972)
- It's Only a Movie (UK Raft & US United Artists, 1973)
References
- ^ a b c d e "Family". Starling.rinet.ru. Retrieved 15 January 2019.
- ^ a b c d e f Dougan, John. "Artist Biography". AllMusic.
- ^ a b c d "Strange Band – a Family introduction". Members.aol.com. Retrieved 15 January 2019.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Family discography". RateYourMusic.com. Retrieved 15 January 2019.
- ^ a b "Family". 45-rpm.org.uk. Retrieved 15 January 2019.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t "Strange Band – Family history". Members.aol.com. Retrieved 15 January 2019.
- ^ "Strange Band: Music from a Doll's House". Members.aol.com. Retrieved 15 January 2019.
- ^ a b Nik Logan & Bob Woffinden, The Illustrated New Musical Express Encyclopedia of Rock, 1978 Edition (Salamander Books, 1977), pp. 79–80
- ^ "Bands in Groupie". Users.globalnet.co.uk. Retrieved 15 January 2019.
- ^ a b Planer, Lindsay. "Music in a Doll's House Review". AllMusic.
- ^ Planer, Lindsay. "Family Entertainment Review". AllMusic.
- ^ "Strange Band: John Weider". Members.aol.com. Retrieved 15 January 2019.
- ^ "Strange Band: Family facts". Members.aol.com. Retrieved 15 January 2019.
- ^ cannygigs.com
- ^ "Strange Band: Gigs". Members.aol.com. Retrieved 15 January 2019.
- ^ Dougan, John. "A Song for Me Review". AllMusic.
- ^ "Artistdirect, Free Music Downloads, New Music Videos, International Online Music, Music CDs". Artistdirect.com. Archived from the original on 14 January 2019. Retrieved 15 January 2019.
- ^ "Strange Band: Anyway". Members.aol.com. Retrieved 15 January 2019.
- ^ a b Planer, Lindsay. "Fearless Review". AllMusic.
- ^ Dougan, John. "Bandstand Review". AllMusic.
- ^ Dougan, John. "It's Only a Movie Review". AllMusic.
- ^ Hill, Gary. "John Wetton - Artist Biography". AllMusic.
- ^ "Rick Grech - Artist Biography". AllMusic.
- ^ "Strange Band: Tony Ashton". Members.aol.com. Retrieved 15 January 2019.
- ^ "Classic Rock | Louder". Classic Rock Magazine. Archived from the original on 11 September 2012.
- ^ Concert Souvenir Programme
- ^ "Prog Awards 2013 – The Winners!". Prog Rock Magazine. 3 September 2013. Archived from the original on 5 September 2013. Retrieved 4 September 2013.
- ^ a b c "In Music We Trust - Family: Live". Inmusicwetrust.com. Retrieved 15 January 2019.
External links
- Family at MusicBrainz
- Family at Rate Your Music
- 45rpm.org.uk – a Family biography
- A Family Affair – reviews of Family albums
- Zeitgeist – reviews of Family albums
- Family at Allmusic