Mud (band)
Mud | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as | Dum (1974) Ring (1979–1980) |
| Origin | Carshalton, Greater London, England |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 1966–1980, 2015–present |
| Labels | Rak Records Private Stock Records RCA Records |
| Members | Rob Davis Ray Stiles Keith Read Pete Phipps |
| Past members | Les Gray Dave Mount Andy Ball Brian Tatum Margo Buchanan |
Mud II | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | Les Gray's Mud (1980-2004) |
| Years active | 1980–2004, 2004–present |
| Members | Syd Twynham Chris Savage Marc Michalski Chris Millward |
| Past members | Les Gray Stuart Amesbury Cherie Beck Dale Fry Rob John Nick Richie Tim Fish Mark Hatwood Kevin Fairburn John Berry Wole Rother Phil Wilson |
Mud are an English
History
Mud
1966–1972: the early years
The band was founded by lead guitarist Rob Davis,[3] lead vocalist Les Gray,[3] drummer Dave Mount (born 3 March 1947,[3] Carshalton; died 2 December 2006, St Helier Hospital, Carshalton[4]) and bassist Ray Stiles (born 20 November 1946,[3] Guildford, Surrey).
The band released their debut single "Flower Power" on CBS in 1967, but were not immediately successful.[5][6][7] Three further singles in 1967/68, "Up the Airy Mountain"/"The Latter Days", "Shangri-La"/"House on the Hill" and "Jumping Jehosophat"/"Won't Let It Go", made no impression on the UK Singles Chart.
The band appeared on The
1973–1976: the golden years
After years of unsuccessful singles, they were signed to Mickie Most's Rak label, and had three Top 20 successes in 1973 with "Crazy" (No. 12), "Hypnosis" (No. 16) and "Dyna-mite" (No. 4).[2]
At the peak of their career, they also enjoyed British
Like contemporaries
"
After the success with "Lonely This Christmas", they cracked the Valentine's Day market with "The Secrets That You Keep", which reached No. 3 in February 1975. Around this time Mud wound up their contract with Rak releasing three further singles, "Oh Boy" (their third and final UK No. 1), "Moonshine Sally" (No. 10) and "One Night" (No. 32). Mud also split from Chinn and Chapman in mid-1975 and signed to Private Stock (licensed to Philips in Continental Europe). There they enjoyed three more British Top 20 hits within seven months: "L'L'Lucy" (No. 10), the ballad "Show Me You're a Woman" (No. 8) and the disco-influenced track "Shake It Down" (No. 12). The latter two singles saw them gradually moving away from glam rock, which was now unfashionable. Keyboardist Andy Ball, formerly of Candlewick Green, joined Mud in 1975, and was with the band during their time on the Private Stock label. Ball left the band in 1977 and was replaced by Brian Tatum.[10]
Their last single to reach the British charts was a cover of the Bill Withers song "Lean on Me" which reached No. 7 in the UK in December 1976.[2]
1977–1980: downfall to disbanding
"Lean on me" was followed by in 1977 Gray's solo version of "
The original band continued for a short while with female lead vocalist Margo Buchanan in Gray's place,[10] releasing a commercially unsuccessful single for Carrere in 1979 entitled "Drop Everything and Run".[11] Another single with Margo Buchanan on lead vocals, "Rico", was released in 1980, this time under the band name "Ring" instead of "Mud". The band finally disbanded in 1980.
Aftermath
Following the band's dissolution, Stiles joined the
1980–2004: Les Gray's Mud
After the original band broke up in 1980, Gray reformed the band as 'Les Gray's Mud'. The initial lineup featured Stuart Amesbury (rhythm guitar) and Cherie Beck (backing vocals) of the Bristol-based Cherie Beck Band; together with Dale Fry (bass), Nick Richie (lead guitar) and Rob John (drums); with the latter two being replaced in 1983 by guitarist Tim Fish and drummer Mark Hatwood respectively.[15] In 1985, a further lineup change saw Amesbury, Beck, and Fry depart the band; with the new lineup being rounded out by Kevin Fairburn on bass.[16]
In 1987, all members with the exception of Gray departed the band, and Gray brought in bassist John Berry, drummer Wole Rothe, and guitarist Syd Twynham as replacements. Rothe and Twynham had both been members of Liquid Gold prior to joining Mud. This lineup lasted until 1998 when Rothe was replaced by Phil Wilson, and the band underwent no further changes until Gray died in 2004.
2005–present: Mud II
Following Gray's death, the three remaining members were given permission by the other founding members of Mud, plus that of Gray's family, to continue using the band's name. Berry, Twynham, and Wilson then rechristened the band 'Mud II' and recruited keyboardist and longterm Mud collaborator Chris Savage.[17] The following year, Berry left (to focus on performing with Slade) and was replaced by Marc Michalski, creating a lineup of the band which continued until April 2023, when Chris Millward replaced Phil Wilson on drums.
Mount died on 2 December 2006, aged 59, from an apparent suicide.[18]
A short version of "Tiger Feet" was played at the opening ceremony of the 2012 Summer Olympics.
2015–present: Mud revived
Since 2015, founder members Rob Davis and Ray Stiles have been performing together again under the band name 'Mud', alongside Keith Read and Pete Phipps.[19]
Personnel
Members
|
|
Lineups
| 1966-1975 | 1975-1977 | 1977-1978 | 1979 |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
|
| 1979-1980 (Ring) |
1980-1983 (Les Gray's Mud) |
1983-1985 (Les Gray's Mud) |
1985-1987 (Les Gray's Mud) |
|
|
|
|
| 1987-1998 (Les Gray's Mud) |
1998-2004 (Les Gray's Mud) |
2004-2005 (Mud II) |
2005–2023 (Mud II) |
|
|
|
|
| 2015–present (Mud) |
2023–present (Mud II) | ||
|
|
Timeline
Discography
Studio Albums
- Mud Rock (1974)
- Mud Rock Vol. 2 (1975)
- Use Your Imagination (1975)
- It's Better Than Working (1976)
- Rock On (1978)
- As You Like It (1979)
- Mud Featuring Les Gray (1982)
References
- ^ Mud biography at the Allmusic website
- ^ ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- ^ ISBN 0-214-20512-6.
- ^ "Stephen Glover: A prissy judgement by the PCC". The Independent. London. 20 September 2010. Archived from the original on 8 January 2007.
- ISBN 0-595-16563-X.
Mud's Discography Date Label Tracks Highest 1967 CBS203002 "Flower Power"/"You're My Mother
- ISBN 978-0874366617.
MUD.. Apr They make their first live appearance at Streatham Ice Rink, South London, and release one-off debut single "Flower Power", for CBS. ... After 2 years' gigging as a semi-professional band, Mud turns professional and re-signs with CBS, releasing "Up The Airy Mountain
- ISBN 978-1846098567.
Their debut single for CBS Records, 1967's 'Flower Power', was unsuccessful but they continued touring for several ...
- ISBN 0-85112-250-7.
- ^ Eder, Bruce. "Mud - Music Biography, Credits and Discography". AllMusic. Retrieved 5 July 2013.
- ^ a b "The MUD Story - The Cast". Mudrock.org.uk. 7 October 1947. Archived from the original on 3 February 2014. Retrieved 1 December 2013.
- ^ a b c "Mud Discography - UK". 45cat. Retrieved 1 December 2013.
- ^ "Mud - Slow Talking Boy". YouTube. 27 November 2011. Archived from the original on 23 May 2014. Retrieved 1 December 2013.
- ^ Hung, Steffen. "Forum - Top Singles of 1977 (Personal Charts: Your Special Occasion Charts)". australian-charts.com. Retrieved 1 December 2013.
- ^ "Dave Mount". The Independent. London. 18 December 2006. Retrieved 13 May 2010.
- ^ "Stargazer". Bristolarchiverecords.com. Retrieved 27 June 2016.
- ^ "Kevin Fairburn - Bassist". Lemonrock.com. Archived from the original on 17 November 2015. Retrieved 14 November 2015.
- ^ "The Cast". davidproffitt.co.uk. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 14 November 2015.
- ^ "Tribute to Dave Mount RIP - CPFC BBS". www.cpfc.org. Retrieved 30 April 2023.
- ^ Proffitt, David. "Mud Revived". Retrieved 12 May 2023.
External links
- Mud biography at the Allmusic website
- David Proffitt's Mud tribute pages
- BBC Top of the Pops Mud section
- Mud's discography, chart positions
- Mud CD reissues available
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
