Bluesology
Encyclopedia
Bluesology was a 1960s English R&B
group, best remembered as being the first professional band of which Reggie Dwight - later known as Elton John
- was a member.
, Middlesex
, a suburb
of London
. After that group split up, the pair formed a new group, Bluesology, with Rex Bishop (bass), and Mick Inkpen (drums). The band's name was in homage to the Django Reinhardt
album Djangology
. By 1962 they had begun playing local pubs, and in 1963 they won a regular weekly slot at the Establishment Club in London, playing tunes by Muddy Waters
, Jimmy Witherspoon
and Memphis Slim
, among others. In 1965, they turned professional, and signed a contract with an agency which began hiring them out as a backing band for visiting American performers, including The Isley Brothers
, Doris Troy
, Billy Stewart
and Patti LaBelle
.
After recording a demo
they were signed by Fontana Records
, and recorded their first single
, Dwight's song "Come Back Baby", in July 1965. In November 1965 they released a second single, "Mr. Frantic", also written and sung by Dwight, but that was also unsuccessful. They toured in Germany
, before returning to England as the backing band for Major Lance
. They also expanded their line-up, to include Dwight, Brown, Pat Higgs (trumpet), Dave Murphy (saxophone), Freddie Creasey (bass) and Paul Gale (drums).
In September 1966, they were invited by singer Long John Baldry
to become his regular band. Only Dwight and Brown agreed, and so became members of the new version of Bluesology, which also included Fred Gandy (bass), Pete Gavin (drums), Neil Hubbard
(guitar), Elton Dean
(saxophone), Marc Charig
(cornet), and Alan Walker (vocals), as well as Baldry and, for a time, singer Marsha Hunt
. As Stu Brown and Bluesology, they recorded the single "Since I Found You Baby" for Polydor Records
, produced by Kenny Lynch
.
As Baldry's music drifted more towards the cabaret market, Dwight became disenchanted with the band. He began to develop his songwriting
skills in collaboration with Bernie Taupin
, and worked as a session musician
. Dwight, Brown and Dean all left the band in late 1967, Brown's replacement being Caleb Quaye
, and Bluesology split up the following year.
Bluesology supported Little Richard at The Saville Theatre on Sunday, December 11, 1966. Also on the bill were The Alan Price Set and The Quotations who performed with Little Richard. The Bluesology line up consisted of Stewart A. Brown, vocals: Freddie Creasey, Bass Guitar: Reggie Dwight, Organ: David Murphy, Saxophone: Chris Bateson, Trumpet, Paul Gale, Drums.
Dwight used the names of fellow band members Elton Dean and John Baldry to create his new solo stage name of Elton John
.
Brown went on to form country rock
band Cochise
, playing and singing on their first two albums, Cochise
and Swallow Tales
, in 1970-71, before moving to the Mediterranean. Dean, Hubbard and Charig all had lengthy careers as jazz and session musicians. Gavin became a member of Heads Hands & Feet
and later Vinegar Joe
, and Gandy joined Caleb Quaye's band Hookfoot
.
A Bluesology compilation album
, Rare Tracks, was issued by Polydor in 1975.
British blues
British blues is a form of music derived from American blues that originated in the late 1950s and which reached its height of mainstream popularity in the 1960s, when it developed a distinctive and influential style dominated by electric guitar and made international stars of several proponents of...
group, best remembered as being the first professional band of which Reggie Dwight - later known as Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
- was a member.
History
From about 1960, organist Reggie Dwight - then aged 13 - and his neighbour, singer and guitarist Stewart "Stu" Brown, performed with a local group, the Corvettes, in PinnerPinner
- Climate :Pinner's geographical position on the far western side of North West London makes it the furthest London suburb from any UK coastline. Hence the lower prevalence of moderating maritime influences make Pinner noticeably warmer in the spring and the summer compared to the rest of the capital...
, Middlesex
Middlesex
Middlesex is one of the historic counties of England and the second smallest by area. The low-lying county contained the wealthy and politically independent City of London on its southern boundary and was dominated by it from a very early time...
, a suburb
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
of London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. After that group split up, the pair formed a new group, Bluesology, with Rex Bishop (bass), and Mick Inkpen (drums). The band's name was in homage to the Django Reinhardt
Django Reinhardt
Django Reinhardt was a pioneering virtuoso jazz guitarist and composer who invented an entirely new style of jazz guitar technique that has since become a living musical tradition within French gypsy culture...
album Djangology
Djangology
Djangology is a compilation album by Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli, released in 2005.In 1949, Reinhardt and Grappelli reunited for a brief tour of Italy...
. By 1962 they had begun playing local pubs, and in 1963 they won a regular weekly slot at the Establishment Club in London, playing tunes by Muddy Waters
Muddy Waters
McKinley Morganfield , known as Muddy Waters, was an American blues musician, generally considered the "father of modern Chicago blues"...
, Jimmy Witherspoon
Jimmy Witherspoon
Jimmy Witherspoon was an American jump blues singer.-Early life and career:James Witherspoon was born in Gurdon, Arkansas. He first attracted attention singing with Teddy Weatherford's band in Calcutta, India, which made regular radio broadcasts over the U. S. Armed Forces Radio Service during...
and Memphis Slim
Memphis Slim
Memphis Slim was an American blues pianist, singer, and composer. He led a series of bands that, reflecting the popular appeal of jump blues, included saxophones, bass, drums, and piano. A song he first cut in 1947, "Every Day I Have the Blues", has become a blues standard, recorded by many other...
, among others. In 1965, they turned professional, and signed a contract with an agency which began hiring them out as a backing band for visiting American performers, including The Isley Brothers
The Isley Brothers
The Isley Brothers are a highly influential, successful and long-running American music group consisting of different line-ups of six brothers, and a brother-in-law, Chris Jasper...
, Doris Troy
Doris Troy
Doris Troy was an American R&B singer, known to her many fans as "Mama Soul".She was born as Doris Higginson in The Bronx, the daughter of a Barbadian Pentecostal minister. Her parents disapproved of "subversive" forms of music like rhythm & blues, so she cut her teeth singing in her father's choir...
, Billy Stewart
Billy Stewart
Billy Stewart was an American musical artist, with a highly distinctive scat-singing style, who enjoyed popularity in the 1960s.-Biography:...
and Patti LaBelle
Patti LaBelle
Patricia Louise Holte-Edwards , better known under the stage name, Patti LaBelle, is a Grammy Award winning American singer, author and actress who has spent over 50 years in the music industry...
.
After recording a demo
Demo (music)
A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...
they were signed by Fontana Records
Fontana Records
Fontana Records is a record label which was started in the 1950s as a subsidiary of the Dutch Philips Records; when Philips restructured its music operations it dropped Fontana in favor of Vertigo Records. In the seventies PolyGram acquired the dormant label....
, and recorded their first single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
, Dwight's song "Come Back Baby", in July 1965. In November 1965 they released a second single, "Mr. Frantic", also written and sung by Dwight, but that was also unsuccessful. They toured in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, before returning to England as the backing band for Major Lance
Major Lance
Major Lance was an American R&B singer. After a number of US hits in the 1960s, including "The Monkey Time" and "Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, Um", he became an iconic figure in Britain in the 1970s among followers of Northern soul.-Life:Major Lance was born in Winterville, Mississippi...
. They also expanded their line-up, to include Dwight, Brown, Pat Higgs (trumpet), Dave Murphy (saxophone), Freddie Creasey (bass) and Paul Gale (drums).
In September 1966, they were invited by singer Long John Baldry
Long John Baldry
John William "Long John" Baldry was an English and Canadian blues singer and a voice actor. He sang with many British musicians, with Rod Stewart and Elton John appearing in bands led by Baldry in the 1960s. He enjoyed pop success in the UK where Let the Heartaches Begin reached No...
to become his regular band. Only Dwight and Brown agreed, and so became members of the new version of Bluesology, which also included Fred Gandy (bass), Pete Gavin (drums), Neil Hubbard
Neil Hubbard
Neil Hubbard is a British guitarist who performed with Juicy Lucy , The Grease Band, Bluesology, Joe Cocker, Roxy Music, Kokomo, B.B. King, Kevin Rowland, and Tony O'Malley; and played on the original 1970 concept album, Jesus Christ Superstar....
(guitar), Elton Dean
Elton Dean
Elton Dean was an English jazz musician who performed on alto saxophone, saxello and occasionally keyboard....
(saxophone), Marc Charig
Marc Charig
Mark Charig is a British trumpeter and cornetist.He was particularly active in the late 1960s and early 1970s, when he played in settings as diverse as Long John Baldry's group, Bluesology, Soft Machine, and Keith Tippett's group and his Centipede big band...
(cornet), and Alan Walker (vocals), as well as Baldry and, for a time, singer Marsha Hunt
Marsha Hunt (singer and novelist)
Marsha Hunt is an American singer, novelist, actress and model.-Early life:Hunt was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1946 and lived in North Philadelphia near 23rd and Columbia then in Germantown and Mount Airy for the first 13 years of her life...
. As Stu Brown and Bluesology, they recorded the single "Since I Found You Baby" for Polydor Records
Polydor Records
Polydor is a record label owned by Universal Music Group, headquartered in the United Kingdom.-Beginnings:Polydor was originally an independent branch of the Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft. Its name was first used as an export label in 1924, the British and German branches of the Gramophone...
, produced by Kenny Lynch
Kenny Lynch
Kenny Lynch, OBE is an English singer, songwriter, entertainer and actor from London. Lynch appeared in many variety shows in the 1960s...
.
As Baldry's music drifted more towards the cabaret market, Dwight became disenchanted with the band. He began to develop his songwriting
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
skills in collaboration with Bernie Taupin
Bernie Taupin
Bernard John "Bernie" Taupin is an English lyricist, poet, and singer, best known for his long-term collaboration with Elton John, writing the lyrics for the majority of the star's songs, making his lyrics some of the best known in pop-rock's history.In 1967, Taupin answered an advertisement in...
, and worked as a session musician
Session musician
Session musicians are instrumental and vocal performers, musicians, who are available to work with others at live performances or recording sessions. Usually such musicians are not permanent members of a musical ensemble and often do not achieve fame in their own right as soloists or bandleaders...
. Dwight, Brown and Dean all left the band in late 1967, Brown's replacement being Caleb Quaye
Caleb Quaye
Caleb Quaye , is an English Afro-European rock guitarist and studio musician best known for his work in the 1960s and 1970s with Elton John, Mick Jagger, Pete Townshend, Paul McCartney and Hall & Oates...
, and Bluesology split up the following year.
Bluesology supported Little Richard at The Saville Theatre on Sunday, December 11, 1966. Also on the bill were The Alan Price Set and The Quotations who performed with Little Richard. The Bluesology line up consisted of Stewart A. Brown, vocals: Freddie Creasey, Bass Guitar: Reggie Dwight, Organ: David Murphy, Saxophone: Chris Bateson, Trumpet, Paul Gale, Drums.
Later activities
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
.
Brown went on to form country rock
Country rock
Country rock is sub-genre of popular music, formed from the fusion of rock with country. The term is generally used to refer to the wave of rock musicians who began to record country-flavored records in the late 1960s and early 1970s, beginning with Bob Dylan and The Byrds; reaching its greatest...
band Cochise
Cochise (band)
Cochise was an English country rock band that performed in the 1970s.This band is more significant for who they included than what they produced. Singer Stewart Brown had grown up with Reggie Dwight, later Elton John, and co-founded the band Bluesology with him. After the demise of Cochise, Mick...
, playing and singing on their first two albums, Cochise
Cochise (album)
Cochise is the debut album from the British rock band Cochise.-Track list:#"Velvet Mountain" – 3:26#"China" –3:55#"Trafalgar Day" Cochise is the debut album from the British rock band Cochise.-Track list:#"Velvet Mountain" (Mick Grabham) – 3:26#"China"...
and Swallow Tales
Swallow Tales
Swallow Tales is a 1971 album by British country rock band Cochise.Cochise was most well known for guitarist Mick Grabham, who joined British rock band Procol Harum after Cochise dissolved in 1972. The album was released in 1971, and featured several supporting artists including Tim Renwick and...
, in 1970-71, before moving to the Mediterranean. Dean, Hubbard and Charig all had lengthy careers as jazz and session musicians. Gavin became a member of Heads Hands & Feet
Heads Hands & Feet
Heads Hands & Feet were a British rock and country rock band.The group formed from the ashes of Poet and the One Man Band in 1969, and released an album on the UK Verve and US Paramount...
and later Vinegar Joe
Vinegar Joe (band)
Vinegar Joe were a British R&B band. They issued three albums on Island Records, but were best known for their live shows and launching the solo careers of Elkie Brooks and Robert Palmer.-History:...
, and Gandy joined Caleb Quaye's band Hookfoot
Hookfoot
Hookfoot was a British rock band, active from 1970 to 1974.Formed by Caleb Quaye and three fellow DJM session musicians, Ian Duck , Roger Pope and David Glover , the band were also backing musicians for Elton John, appearing together on most of his early recordings for DJM...
.
A Bluesology compilation album
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
, Rare Tracks, was issued by Polydor in 1975.
External links
- [ Biography] at Allmusic
- Bluesology fan site (in Italian)