Humble Pie (band)
Encyclopedia
Humble Pie was a rock
band from England, finding success both in the UK
and the US
. They are remembered for songs such as "Black Coffee
" "30 Days in the Hole
", "I Don't Need No Doctor
", and "Natural Born Bugie
". The original band lineup featured Steve Marriott
from Small Faces, vocalist and guitarist
Peter Frampton
from The Herd
, Greg Ridley
former bassist
from Spooky Tooth
and seventeen-year-old drummer
Jerry Shirley
.
In late 1968 Steve Marriott formed Humble Pie with Greg Ridley, Peter Frampton and Jerry Shirley who had been the drummer for the mod band Apostolic Intervention
. They were signed to Andrew Loog Oldham
's record label Immediate Records
. Their debut single
"Natural Born Bugie
" was released in July 1969 becoming a #4 hit in the UK Singles Chart
and was quickly followed by the album As Safe As Yesterday Is
, which peaked at #16 in the UK album charts. As Safe As Yesterday Is was one of the first albums to be described by the term "heavy metal" in a 1970 review in Rolling Stone
magazine. Their second album, Town and Country
released in the UK during 1969 while the band was away on its first tour of the US. This album featured a more acoustic
sound and songs written by all four members. Humble Pie concerts at this time featured an acoustic set, with a radical re-working of Graham Gouldman's "For Your Love" as its centerpiece followed by an electric set. Recent tape archives show that the band recorded around 30 songs in its first nine months of existence, many of which remained unreleased for decades, including a cover
of Henry Glover
's "Drown in My Own Tears
".
During 1970 Humble Pie switched to A&M Records
and Dee Anthony
became their manager. Anthony was focused on the US market and discarded the acoustic set, instigating a more raucous sound with Marriott as the front man. The group's first album for A&M Humble Pie
was released later that year and alternated between progressive rock
and hard rock
. A single "Big Black Dog
" was released to coincide with the album and failed to chart, however the band was becoming known for popular live rock shows in the US. In 1971 Humble Pie released their most successful record to date Rock On
as well as a live album
recorded at the Fillmore East
in New York entitled Performance Rockin' the Fillmore
. The live album reached #21 on the US Billboard 200
and was certified gold by the RIAA. "I Don't Need No Doctor
" was an FM radio
hit in the US peaking at #73 on the Billboard Hot 100
, propelling the album up the charts. Frampton left the band by the time the album was released and went on to enjoy success as a solo
artist
.
Frampton was replaced by Clem Clempson
and Humble Pie moved towards a harder sound emphasizing Marriott's blues and soul roots. Their first record with Clempson, Smokin'
, was released in 1972, along with two singles "Hot 'n' Nasty
" and "30 Days in the Hole
." It was the band's most commercially successful record, and reached #6 on the US charts, helped by a busy touring schedule. After the success of Smokin the band's record label A&M
released Humble Pie's first two Immediate albums in one double album
, as Lost and Found. The marketing ploy was a success and the album charted at #37 on the Billboard 200
. Looking for a more authentic R&B
sound, Marriott hired three female backing vocalist
s, 'The Blackberries'. The trio consisted of Venetta Fields
, Clydie King
and Sherlie Matthews
who was later replaced by Billie Barnum. They had performed with Tina Turner as The Ikettes
and with Ray Charles
as The Raelettes. This new line-up included Sidney George on saxophone
for the recording of Eat It
, a double album
released in 1973 made up of Marriott originals (some acoustic), R&B covers, and a Humble Pie concert recorded in Glasgow
. The album peaked at #13 in the US charts. Thunderbox
was released in 1974, and Street Rats
a year later. In 1975, joined by keyboardist Tim Hinkley
, Humble Pie conducted their 'Goodbye Pie Tour' before disbanding.
During 1979 Marriott revived Humble Pie with Jerry Shirley
, adding Bobby Tench
, vocalist and guitarist from The Jeff Beck Group
and bassist Anthony "Sooty" Jones
, from New York. They submitted "Fool for a Pretty Face", a song Marriott and Shirley had just written, to record labels. They secured a recording contract with Atlantic Records
subsidiary Atco
and in the UK their material was released by Jet Records
, owned by former Small Faces manager Don Arden
. They recorded the album On to Victory
(1980) and the single "Fool for a Pretty Face" reached #52 on the US Billboard Hot 100. On to Victory reached #60 on the Billboard 200
. Humble Pie toured the US as part of the 'Rock 'N' Roll Marathon Bill' with Ted Nugent
and Aerosmith
and also recorded the album Go for the Throat
(1981). This album was originally recorded by the band as a raw edged Rhythm and Blues
album, but their record company chose to create a more produced album . At the beginning of the promotional tour for the Go for the Throat album, Marriott crushed his hand, delaying earlier scheduled appearances by the band and he later developed a duodenal ulcer forcing the cancellation of all further tour dates. Soon afterwards this line up disbanded, due to contractual differences.
Jerry Shirley obtained the rights to the name Humble Pie in 1989, and reformed the group with different musicians. This project was called 'Humble Pie featuring Jerry Shirley', where Shirley was the only original performing member. The band began performing concerts and was based in Cleveland, Ohio
. The line-up included vocalist Charlie Huhn
, who also played lead and rhythm guitar. Huhn had previously worked with Ted Nugent
and Victory
. While Huhn and Shirley were the only permanent members of the group, several other musicians appeared, including Wally Stocker
formerly of Rod Stewart
's band, bassist Sean Beavan
(who was engineering their 1989 independent single release "Still Rockin'", and went on to engineer, produce, and mix Nine Inch Nails, Marilyn Manson, Slayer, System of a Down, No Doubt, Thrice and others) and Cleveland guitarist Alan Greene. "Humble Pie featuring Jerry Shirley" developed a reputation as a live act and independently released "Still Rockin'" "Live at the agora Ballroom". They were featured on several live radio broadcasts and appeared in the line-up at the Woodstock Festival
's 20th Anniversary Celebration which was broadcast live on television in the United States and other countries.
Frampton and Marriott started collaborating again in 1990. Two songs from this collaboration, "The Bigger They Come" and "I Won't Let You Down", with Steve Marriott's vocals, appeared on Frampton's album Shine On: A Collection. On 20 April 1991, Marriott died in a house fire, aged 44 years old. After Marriott's death Shirley revived "Humble Pie Featuring Jerry Shirley", which dissolved in 1999 when Shirley returned home to England.
Shirley re-formed Humble Pie again in 2001, with a line-up including the original bassist Greg Ridley, former Humble Pie vocalist and guitarist Bobby Tench
and new rhythm guitarist Dave Colwell
. They recorded Humble Pie's thirteenth studio album, Back on Track
(2002), which comprised new songs and was released by Sanctuary Records
. Keyboard players Zoot Money
and Victor Martin are brought in for recording sessions. A brief tour of UK and Germany with Company of Snakes
followed, but Ridley fell ill late in 2002 and the band split up. Shirley appeared at the Steve Marriott Tribute Concert held at the London Astoria
in 2001 to commemorate the 10th anniversary of Marriott's death. The concert featured an early Humble Pie line up of Frampton, Clempson, Ridley and Shirley. Former Humble Pie guitarist Bobby Tench also appeared as the frontman for the house band, which included Zak Starkey
from The Who
and Oasis
, keyboard player Rabbit Bundrick of The Who
and bassist Rick Wills
from Foreigner
. This concert was released as a DVD
by Chrome Dreams in 2005 entitled The Steve Marriott Astoria Memorial Concert 2001, and as an album with the title One More for the Ol' Tosser (2006).
Ridley died on 19 November 2003 in Alicante
, Spain of pneumonia
and resulting complications. He was 56.
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band from England, finding success both in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and the US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. They are remembered for songs such as "Black Coffee
Black Coffee
Black coffee may refer to:* Coffee, served as a beverage without cream or milk-Music:* "Black Coffee" , written by Sonny Burke, the lyrics by Paul Francis Webster* Black Coffee , 1956...
" "30 Days in the Hole
30 Days in the Hole
"30 Days in the Hole" was the seventh single by English rock outfit Humble Pie, a band from the 1960s-'70s. Released in 1972, the song became a radio hit but failed to chart. The B-side on its US release was "Sweet Peace and Time", while everywhere else they were "C'mon Everybody" and "Road Runner"...
", "I Don't Need No Doctor
I Don't Need No Doctor
"I Don't Need No Doctor" was a hit song written by Nick Ashford, Valerie Simpson and Jo Armstead, and first recorded by Ray Charles in 1966. Over the years, it has been covered by bands such as garage rock band The Chocolate Watch Band in 1969, Humble Pie in 1971, New Riders of the Purple Sage in...
", and "Natural Born Bugie
Natural Born Bugie
Natural Born Bugie was the debut single released in 1969 by English rock band Humble Pie, who were one of the first British supergroups. It was written as a mid tempo rock song by Steve Marriott, for Andrew Loog Oldham's Immediate label and became the band's first single release. The B-Side was...
". The original band lineup featured Steve Marriott
Steve Marriott
Stephen Peter Marriott , popularly known as Steve Marriott, was an English musician, songwriter, and frontman of several notable rock and roll bands, spanning over two decades...
from Small Faces, vocalist and guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
Peter Frampton
Peter Frampton
Peter Kenneth Frampton is an English musician, singer, producer, guitarist and multi-instrumentalist. He was previously associated with the bands Humble Pie and The Herd. Frampton's international breakthrough album was his live release, Frampton Comes Alive!. The album sold over 6 million copies...
from The Herd
The Herd (UK band)
The Herd were an English psychedelic rock group, founded in 1965, that came to prominence in the late 1960s. They launched the career of Peter Frampton and scored three UK top twenty hits.-Biography:...
, Greg Ridley
Greg Ridley
Alfred Gregory 'Greg' Ridley was one of the more visible rock bassists in England, and a founding member of the successful rock band Humble Pie...
former bassist
Bassist
A bass player, or bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments...
from Spooky Tooth
Spooky Tooth
Spooky Tooth are an English rock band principally active, with intermittent breakups, between 1967 to 1974. In recent years, the band has been reconstituted at various points, and continues to perform occasionally.-Career:...
and seventeen-year-old drummer
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
Jerry Shirley
Jerry Shirley
Jerry Shirley is an English rock drummer, best known for his work with the rock band Humble Pie and appeared on all their albums...
.
History
Apostolic Intervention
The Apostolic Intervention were a British rock band in the mid-1960s, who are best known for their 1967 single "Tell Me "....
. They were signed to Andrew Loog Oldham
Andrew Loog Oldham
Andrew Loog Oldham is an English producer, talent manager, impresario and author. He was manager and producer of The Rolling Stones from 1963, and was noted for his flamboyant style.-Biography:...
's record label Immediate Records
Immediate Records
Immediate Records was a British record label, started in 1965 by The Rolling Stones' manager Andrew Loog Oldham and Tony Calder and concentrating on the London-based blues and R&B scene.-History:...
. Their debut 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...
"Natural Born Bugie
Natural Born Bugie
Natural Born Bugie was the debut single released in 1969 by English rock band Humble Pie, who were one of the first British supergroups. It was written as a mid tempo rock song by Steve Marriott, for Andrew Loog Oldham's Immediate label and became the band's first single release. The B-Side was...
" was released in July 1969 becoming a #4 hit in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
and was quickly followed by the album As Safe As Yesterday Is
As Safe As Yesterday Is
As Safe As Yesterday Is is the debut album for rock band Humble Pie, released in the UK in August 1969. The album peaked at number 16 in the UK album chart.Featuring former frontmen Steve Marriott and Peter Frampton...
, which peaked at #16 in the UK album charts. As Safe As Yesterday Is was one of the first albums to be described by the term "heavy metal" in a 1970 review in Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
magazine. Their second album, Town and Country
Town and Country (album)
Town and Country is rock outfit Humble Pie's second studio album, released in November 1969 .-Album profile:An interesting anomaly in the Humble Pie oeuvre, Town And Country finds the band in a gentler mood than their first album...
released in the UK during 1969 while the band was away on its first tour of the US. This album featured a more acoustic
Acoustic music
Acoustic music comprises music that solely or primarily uses instruments which produce sound through entirely acoustic means, as opposed to electric or electronic means...
sound and songs written by all four members. Humble Pie concerts at this time featured an acoustic set, with a radical re-working of Graham Gouldman's "For Your Love" as its centerpiece followed by an electric set. Recent tape archives show that the band recorded around 30 songs in its first nine months of existence, many of which remained unreleased for decades, including a cover
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of Henry Glover
Henry Glover
Henry Glover was an American songwriter, arranger, record producer and trumpet player. In the music industry of the time, Glover was one of the more successful, and influential, black executives. He gained eminence in the late 1940s, primarily working for the independent King label...
's "Drown in My Own Tears
Drown in My Own Tears
"Drown in My Own Tears" is a 1956 Blues single, written by Henry Glover and released by the singers Ray Charles & Dinah Washington on the Atlantic & EmArcy record labels respectively....
".
During 1970 Humble Pie switched to A&M Records
A&M Records
A&M Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group that operates under the mantle of its Interscope-Geffen-A&M division.-Beginnings:...
and Dee Anthony
Dee Anthony
Dee Anthony was an American talent manager who started in the business with fellow Bronx native Jerry Vale. After meeting Tony Bennett in 1954 at a nightclub in Yonkers, New York, he ended up representing the singer for more than a decade...
became their manager. Anthony was focused on the US market and discarded the acoustic set, instigating a more raucous sound with Marriott as the front man. The group's first album for A&M Humble Pie
Humble Pie (album)
Humble Pie was the third studio album released by English rock group Humble Pie in 1970, and their first with A&M Records.-Album profile:Humble Pie was a transitional album and a harbinger of the band's new, heavier direction...
was released later that year and alternated between progressive rock
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
and hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
. A single "Big Black Dog
Big Black Dog
"Big Black Dog" was a single released in 1970 by English rock band Humble Pie, one of the first British supergroups and formed in 1969. It was the band's first single, written for A&M Records and the follow-up single to "Natural Born Bugie" . It was written by the band's guitarist, Peter...
" was released to coincide with the album and failed to chart, however the band was becoming known for popular live rock shows in the US. In 1971 Humble Pie released their most successful record to date Rock On
Rock On (Humble Pie album)
Rock On is the fourth studio album by the English rock group Humble Pie, released in 1971. It reached #118 on the Billboard 200.-Album profile:...
as well as a live album
Live album
A live album is a recording consisting of material recorded during stage performances using remote recording techniques, commonly contrasted with a studio album...
recorded at the Fillmore East
Fillmore East
The Fillmore East was rock promoter Bill Graham's rock venue on Second Avenue near East 6th Street in the East Village neighborhood of the Manhattan borough of New York City. It was open from 1968 to 1971, and featured some of the biggest acts in rock music at the time...
in New York entitled Performance Rockin' the Fillmore
Performance Rockin' the Fillmore
Performance Rockin' the Fillmore is the 1971 live double-album/one-cd by English blues-rock group Humble Pie. It reached #21 on the Billboard 200, and hit the UK Top 40.-Album profile:...
. The live album reached #21 on the US Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
and was certified gold by the RIAA. "I Don't Need No Doctor
I Don't Need No Doctor
"I Don't Need No Doctor" was a hit song written by Nick Ashford, Valerie Simpson and Jo Armstead, and first recorded by Ray Charles in 1966. Over the years, it has been covered by bands such as garage rock band The Chocolate Watch Band in 1969, Humble Pie in 1971, New Riders of the Purple Sage in...
" was an FM radio
FM broadcasting in the USA
FM broadcasting in the United States began in the 1930s at engineer and inventor Edwin Howard Armstrong's experimental station, W2XMN. The use of FM radio has been associated with higher sound quality in music radio.-History of FM radio in the U.S.:...
hit in the US peaking at #73 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
, propelling the album up the charts. Frampton left the band by the time the album was released and went on to enjoy success as a solo
Solo (music)
In music, a solo is a piece or a section of a piece played or sung by a single performer...
artist
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
.
Frampton was replaced by Clem Clempson
Clem Clempson
Clem Clempson is an English rock guitarist who has played in a number of bands including Colosseum and Humble Pie.-Career:...
and Humble Pie moved towards a harder sound emphasizing Marriott's blues and soul roots. Their first record with Clempson, Smokin'
Smokin' (Humble Pie album)
Smokin' is the fifth studio album by the English group Humble Pie, released in 1972. The album peaked at #6 on the U.S. Billboard 200 album chart, and hit the UK Top 30.-Album profile:...
, was released in 1972, along with two singles "Hot 'n' Nasty
Hot 'n' Nasty
"Hot 'n' Nasty" was the sixth single by English rock outfit Humble Pie, one of the first supergroups of the 1960s-'70s. Released in 1972, the song peaked at #52 on the US Billboard Hot 100 singles chart...
" and "30 Days in the Hole
30 Days in the Hole
"30 Days in the Hole" was the seventh single by English rock outfit Humble Pie, a band from the 1960s-'70s. Released in 1972, the song became a radio hit but failed to chart. The B-side on its US release was "Sweet Peace and Time", while everywhere else they were "C'mon Everybody" and "Road Runner"...
." It was the band's most commercially successful record, and reached #6 on the US charts, helped by a busy touring schedule. After the success of Smokin the band's record label A&M
A&M Records
A&M Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group that operates under the mantle of its Interscope-Geffen-A&M division.-Beginnings:...
released Humble Pie's first two Immediate albums in one double album
Double album
A double album is an audio album which spans two units of the primary medium in which it is sold, typically records and compact discs....
, as Lost and Found. The marketing ploy was a success and the album charted at #37 on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
. Looking for a more authentic R&B
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
sound, Marriott hired three female backing vocalist
Backing vocalist
A backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
s, 'The Blackberries'. The trio consisted of Venetta Fields
Venetta Fields
Venetta Fields is an American singer best known as session musician for leading rock and pop acts of the 1970s including Pink Floyd, Barbra Streisand, Steely Dan and the Rolling Stones...
, Clydie King
Clydie King
Clydie Crittendon is an American singer, best known for her session work as a backing vocalist....
and Sherlie Matthews
Sherlie Matthews
Sherlie Matthews is an American singer, songwriter and record producer, best known as a backing vocalist for Pop, R&B and Rock groups from the mid 1960s to the present time.-Early life:...
who was later replaced by Billie Barnum. They had performed with Tina Turner as The Ikettes
The Ikettes
The Ikettes were a trio of female backing vocalists for the Ike & Tina Turner Revue, a prominent American rhythm and blues group from the 1960s.-Career:...
and with Ray Charles
Ray Charles
Ray Charles Robinson , known by his shortened stage name Ray Charles, was an American musician. He was a pioneer in the genre of soul music during the 1950s by fusing rhythm and blues, gospel, and blues styles into his early recordings with Atlantic Records...
as The Raelettes. This new line-up included Sidney George on saxophone
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
for the recording of Eat It
Eat It (Humble Pie album)
Eat It was the seventh album by English rock group Humble Pie, released in 1973. A double album, it reached #13 on the Billboard 200, and #34 in the UK.-Album profile:...
, a double album
Double album
A double album is an audio album which spans two units of the primary medium in which it is sold, typically records and compact discs....
released in 1973 made up of Marriott originals (some acoustic), R&B covers, and a Humble Pie concert recorded in Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
. The album peaked at #13 in the US charts. Thunderbox
Thunderbox
Thunderbox is the eighth rock studio album by English rock group Humble Pie, released in 1974. It reached #52 on the Billboard 200 album chart in the United States.-Album profile:...
was released in 1974, and Street Rats
Street Rats
Street Rats was the ninth studio album by the English rock group Humble Pie, released in 1975. The album went to #100 on the Billboard 200 album chart in the United States.-Album profile:...
a year later. In 1975, joined by keyboardist Tim Hinkley
Tim Hinkley
Tim Hinkley is an English singer-songwriter, keyboardist and record producer. Hinkley started playing in youth club bands in the early 1960s, including The Copains, Boys, Freeman Five. During this time he turned down an offer to join The Konrads which featured Davy Jones, who later changed his...
, Humble Pie conducted their 'Goodbye Pie Tour' before disbanding.
During 1979 Marriott revived Humble Pie with Jerry Shirley
Jerry Shirley
Jerry Shirley is an English rock drummer, best known for his work with the rock band Humble Pie and appeared on all their albums...
, adding Bobby Tench
Bobby Tench
Robert Tench , also known as Bob Tench, Bobby Tench and Bobby Gass is a British vocalist and guitarist. Originally a bass player he began singing with Gass influenced by artists such as Sam Cooke and Ray Charles...
, vocalist and guitarist from The Jeff Beck Group
The Jeff Beck Group
The Jeff Beck Group were an English rock band formed in London in January 1967 by former Yardbirds guitarist Jeff Beck. Their innovative approach to heavy sounding blues and R&B was a major influence on popular music.- The first Jeff Beck Group :...
and bassist Anthony "Sooty" Jones
Sooty Jones
Anthony Jones was an American rock bassist. He played bass guitar for the British band Humble Pie, when Steve Marriott reformed the group in April 1980...
, from New York. They submitted "Fool for a Pretty Face", a song Marriott and Shirley had just written, to record labels. They secured a recording contract with Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
subsidiary Atco
Atco Records
ATCO Records is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group, currently operating through WMG's Rhino Entertainment.-Beginnings:Atco Records was founded in 1955 as a division of Atlantic Records. It was devised as an outlet for productions by one of Atlantic's founders, Herb Abramson, who...
and in the UK their material was released by Jet Records
Jet Records
Jet Records was a small British record label set up by Don Arden with artists like Electric Light Orchestra , Roy Wood, Gary Moore, Ozzy Osbourne, Riot and Magnum. The first release on the "Jet Records" label was "No Honestly", a UK top 10 for its singer and writer Lynsey De Paul in November 1974...
, owned by former Small Faces manager Don Arden
Don Arden
Don Arden , born Harry Levy, was an English music manager, agent and businessman, best known for overseeing the careers of rock groups Small Faces, Electric Light Orchestra and Black Sabbath....
. They recorded the album On to Victory
On to Victory (album)
On to Victory is the eleventh studio album recorded by the English rock band Humble Pie and the first with a new lineup including, vocalist and guitarist Steve Marriott, Drummer Jerry Shirley, vocalist and guitarist Bobby Tench from The Jeff Beck Group, also the respected US East Coast bassist...
(1980) and the single "Fool for a Pretty Face" reached #52 on the US Billboard Hot 100. On to Victory reached #60 on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
. Humble Pie toured the US as part of the 'Rock 'N' Roll Marathon Bill' with Ted Nugent
Ted Nugent
Theodore Anthony "Ted" Nugent is an American guitarist, musician, singer, author, reserve police officer, and activist. From Detroit, Michigan, he originally gained fame as the lead guitarist of The Amboy Dukes, before embarking on a lengthy solo career...
and Aerosmith
Aerosmith
Aerosmith is an American rock band, sometimes referred to as "The Bad Boys from Boston" and "America's Greatest Rock and Roll Band". Their style, which is rooted in blues-based hard rock, has come to also incorporate elements of pop, heavy metal, and rhythm and blues, and has inspired many...
and also recorded the album Go for the Throat
Go for the Throat
Go for the Throat is the twelfth studio album recorded by the English rock band Humble Pie and the second with the new lineup including, guitarist and vocalist Steve Marriott, Drummer Jerry Shirley, respected US East Coast bassist Anthony "Sooty" Jones and vocalist and guitarist, Bobby Tench...
(1981). This album was originally recorded by the band as a raw edged Rhythm and Blues
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
album, but their record company chose to create a more produced album . At the beginning of the promotional tour for the Go for the Throat album, Marriott crushed his hand, delaying earlier scheduled appearances by the band and he later developed a duodenal ulcer forcing the cancellation of all further tour dates. Soon afterwards this line up disbanded, due to contractual differences.
Jerry Shirley obtained the rights to the name Humble Pie in 1989, and reformed the group with different musicians. This project was called 'Humble Pie featuring Jerry Shirley', where Shirley was the only original performing member. The band began performing concerts and was based in Cleveland, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
. The line-up included vocalist Charlie Huhn
Charlie Huhn
Charlie Huhn is an American rock singer and guitarist. He got his start playing with Vic Amato, Andy Dennen and Al Lesert in the band Cirrus, in and around Grand Rapids, Michigan playing many gigs in West Michigan before joining Ted Nugent in 1978....
, who also played lead and rhythm guitar. Huhn had previously worked with Ted Nugent
Ted Nugent
Theodore Anthony "Ted" Nugent is an American guitarist, musician, singer, author, reserve police officer, and activist. From Detroit, Michigan, he originally gained fame as the lead guitarist of The Amboy Dukes, before embarking on a lengthy solo career...
and Victory
Victory (band)
Victory was a German Heavy Metal and hard rock band from Hanover, most successful in the 1980s. With extensive tours and radio airplay, the band also made a breakthrough in North America.-Emergence:...
. While Huhn and Shirley were the only permanent members of the group, several other musicians appeared, including Wally Stocker
Wally Stocker
Wally Stocker is an English rock guitarist, perhaps best known as the former lead guitarist with The Babys....
formerly of Rod Stewart
Rod Stewart
Roderick David "Rod" Stewart, CBE is a British singer-songwriter and musician, born and raised in North London, England and currently residing in Epping. He is of Scottish and English ancestry....
's band, bassist Sean Beavan
Sean Beavan
Sean Beavan is a musician, record producer, and audio engineer best known for his work with Guns N Roses, Marilyn Manson, Nine Inch Nails, God Lives Underwater, and Slayer...
(who was engineering their 1989 independent single release "Still Rockin'", and went on to engineer, produce, and mix Nine Inch Nails, Marilyn Manson, Slayer, System of a Down, No Doubt, Thrice and others) and Cleveland guitarist Alan Greene. "Humble Pie featuring Jerry Shirley" developed a reputation as a live act and independently released "Still Rockin'" "Live at the agora Ballroom". They were featured on several live radio broadcasts and appeared in the line-up at the Woodstock Festival
Woodstock Festival
Woodstock Music & Art Fair was a music festival, billed as "An Aquarian Exposition: 3 Days of Peace & Music". It was held at Max Yasgur's 600-acre dairy farm in the Catskills near the hamlet of White Lake in the town of Bethel, New York, from August 15 to August 18, 1969...
's 20th Anniversary Celebration which was broadcast live on television in the United States and other countries.
Frampton and Marriott started collaborating again in 1990. Two songs from this collaboration, "The Bigger They Come" and "I Won't Let You Down", with Steve Marriott's vocals, appeared on Frampton's album Shine On: A Collection. On 20 April 1991, Marriott died in a house fire, aged 44 years old. After Marriott's death Shirley revived "Humble Pie Featuring Jerry Shirley", which dissolved in 1999 when Shirley returned home to England.
Shirley re-formed Humble Pie again in 2001, with a line-up including the original bassist Greg Ridley, former Humble Pie vocalist and guitarist Bobby Tench
Bobby Tench
Robert Tench , also known as Bob Tench, Bobby Tench and Bobby Gass is a British vocalist and guitarist. Originally a bass player he began singing with Gass influenced by artists such as Sam Cooke and Ray Charles...
and new rhythm guitarist Dave Colwell
Dave Colwell
Dave "Bucket" Colwell is a guitarist from the United Kingdom and has been a member of Bad Company, Samson, ASAP, The Eastenders, The Entire Population of Hackney, Angel Street and FM...
. They recorded Humble Pie's thirteenth studio album, Back on Track
Back on Track (Humble Pie album)
Back on Track is the thirteenth studio album by Humble Pie recorded after Jerry Shirley re-formed Humble Pie in 2001 with a line-up including their original bassist Greg Ridley, guitarist and vocalist Bobby Tench and the new addition of rhythm guitarist Dave "Bucket" Colwell, who wrote or co-wrote...
(2002), which comprised new songs and was released by Sanctuary Records
Sanctuary Records
Sanctuary Records Group Limited was a record label based in the United Kingdom and a subsidiary of Universal Music Group. Until June 2007, it was the largest independent record label in the UK and the largest independent music management company in the world...
. Keyboard players Zoot Money
Zoot Money
George Bruno Money, known as Zoot Money is a British vocalist, keyboardist and bandleader best known for his playing of the Hammond organ and association with his Big Roll Band...
and Victor Martin are brought in for recording sessions. A brief tour of UK and Germany with Company of Snakes
Company of Snakes
The Company of Snakes were an English rock band formed in 1998, by former members of the English rock band Whitesnake who were also members of The Snakes. They released two albums before morphing into M3 during 2004.- History:...
followed, but Ridley fell ill late in 2002 and the band split up. Shirley appeared at the Steve Marriott Tribute Concert held at the London Astoria
London Astoria
The London Astoria was a music venue, located at 157 Charing Cross Road, in London, England. It had been leased and run by Festival Republic since 2000. It was closed on 15 January 2009 and has since been demolished...
in 2001 to commemorate the 10th anniversary of Marriott's death. The concert featured an early Humble Pie line up of Frampton, Clempson, Ridley and Shirley. Former Humble Pie guitarist Bobby Tench also appeared as the frontman for the house band, which included Zak Starkey
Zak Starkey
Zak Starkey is an English rock drummer. He is the son of Beatles drummer Ringo Starr and Starr's first wife Maureen Starkey Tigrett. He is also well known for his unofficial membership in the English rock band The Who, with whom he has performed and recorded since 1996. He is also the third...
from The Who
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...
and Oasis
Oasis (band)
Oasis were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1991. Originally known as The Rain, the group was formed by Liam Gallagher , Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs , Paul "Guigsy" McGuigan and Tony McCarroll , who were soon joined by Liam's older brother Noel Gallagher...
, keyboard player Rabbit Bundrick of The Who
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...
and bassist Rick Wills
Rick Wills
Rick Wills , is a British bass player. He is best known for his work with rock band Foreigner and his associations with the Small Faces and Bad Company.-Career:...
from Foreigner
Foreigner (band)
Foreigner is a British-American rock band, originally formed in 1976 by veteran English musicians Mick Jones and ex-King Crimson member Ian McDonald along with American vocalist Lou Gramm...
. This concert was released as a DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
by Chrome Dreams in 2005 entitled The Steve Marriott Astoria Memorial Concert 2001, and as an album with the title One More for the Ol' Tosser (2006).
Ridley died on 19 November 2003 in Alicante
Alicante
Alicante or Alacant is a city in Spain, the capital of the province of Alicante and of the comarca of Alacantí, in the south of the Valencian Community. It is also a historic Mediterranean port. The population of the city of Alicante proper was 334,418, estimated , ranking as the second-largest...
, Spain of pneumonia
Pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
and resulting complications. He was 56.
Studio albums
| Year | Album | UK UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... | US Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... | Label |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1969 | As Safe as Yesterday Is As Safe As Yesterday Is As Safe As Yesterday Is is the debut album for rock band Humble Pie, released in the UK in August 1969. The album peaked at number 16 in the UK album chart.Featuring former frontmen Steve Marriott and Peter Frampton... |
16 | - | Immediate Immediate Records Immediate Records was a British record label, started in 1965 by The Rolling Stones' manager Andrew Loog Oldham and Tony Calder and concentrating on the London-based blues and R&B scene.-History:... |
| 1969 | Town and Country Town and Country (album) Town and Country is rock outfit Humble Pie's second studio album, released in November 1969 .-Album profile:An interesting anomaly in the Humble Pie oeuvre, Town And Country finds the band in a gentler mood than their first album... |
- | - | Immediate |
| 1970 | Humble Pie Humble Pie (album) Humble Pie was the third studio album released by English rock group Humble Pie in 1970, and their first with A&M Records.-Album profile:Humble Pie was a transitional album and a harbinger of the band's new, heavier direction... |
- | - | A&M A&M Records A&M Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group that operates under the mantle of its Interscope-Geffen-A&M division.-Beginnings:... |
| 1971 | Rock On Rock On (Humble Pie album) Rock On is the fourth studio album by the English rock group Humble Pie, released in 1971. It reached #118 on the Billboard 200.-Album profile:... |
- | 118 | A&M |
| 1972 | Smokin' Smokin' (Humble Pie album) Smokin' is the fifth studio album by the English group Humble Pie, released in 1972. The album peaked at #6 on the U.S. Billboard 200 album chart, and hit the UK Top 30.-Album profile:... |
28 | 6 | A&M |
| 1973 | Eat It Eat It (Humble Pie album) Eat It was the seventh album by English rock group Humble Pie, released in 1973. A double album, it reached #13 on the Billboard 200, and #34 in the UK.-Album profile:... |
34 | 13 | A&M |
| 1974 | Thunderbox Thunderbox Thunderbox is the eighth rock studio album by English rock group Humble Pie, released in 1974. It reached #52 on the Billboard 200 album chart in the United States.-Album profile:... |
- | 52 | A&M |
| 1975 | Street Rats Street Rats Street Rats was the ninth studio album by the English rock group Humble Pie, released in 1975. The album went to #100 on the Billboard 200 album chart in the United States.-Album profile:... |
- | 100 | A&M |
| 1980 | On to Victory On to Victory (album) On to Victory is the eleventh studio album recorded by the English rock band Humble Pie and the first with a new lineup including, vocalist and guitarist Steve Marriott, Drummer Jerry Shirley, vocalist and guitarist Bobby Tench from The Jeff Beck Group, also the respected US East Coast bassist... |
- | 60 | ATCO Atco Records ATCO Records is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group, currently operating through WMG's Rhino Entertainment.-Beginnings:Atco Records was founded in 1955 as a division of Atlantic Records. It was devised as an outlet for productions by one of Atlantic's founders, Herb Abramson, who... |
| 1981 | Go for the Throat Go for the Throat Go for the Throat is the twelfth studio album recorded by the English rock band Humble Pie and the second with the new lineup including, guitarist and vocalist Steve Marriott, Drummer Jerry Shirley, respected US East Coast bassist Anthony "Sooty" Jones and vocalist and guitarist, Bobby Tench... |
- | 154 | ATCO |
| 2002 | Back on Track Back on Track (Humble Pie album) Back on Track is the thirteenth studio album by Humble Pie recorded after Jerry Shirley re-formed Humble Pie in 2001 with a line-up including their original bassist Greg Ridley, guitarist and vocalist Bobby Tench and the new addition of rhythm guitarist Dave "Bucket" Colwell, who wrote or co-wrote... |
- | - | Sanctuary |
Live albums
- Performance Rockin' the FillmorePerformance Rockin' the FillmorePerformance Rockin' the Fillmore is the 1971 live double-album/one-cd by English blues-rock group Humble Pie. It reached #21 on the Billboard 200, and hit the UK Top 40.-Album profile:...
(1971) A&M #21 US, #32 UK - King Biscuit Flower Hour Presents: In Concert Humble Pie Live 1973 (1995)
- Extended VersionsExtended Versions (Humble Pie album)Extended Versions is a live album by Humble Pie, released in 2000. As part of BMG's Encore Collection, it has tracks taken from the recording King Biscuit Flower Hour, which was the 1995 release of a concert on May 6th, 1973 at San Francisco's Winterland Theatre...
(2000) BMG - Natural Born Boogie: The BBC Sessions (2000) Fuel
- Live at the Whiskey A-Go-Go '69 (2002) Sanctuary
Compilations
- Lost and Found (1973) A&M #37 US
- Back Home Again (1976) Immediate UK
- Best of Humble Pie (1982) A&M
- Classics Volume 14 (1987) A&M
- Early Years (1994) Griffin
- Hot n' Nasty: The Anthology (1994) A&M
- The Scrubbers Sessions (1997) Archive/Paradigm
- The Immediate Years: Natural Born Boogie (1999) Recall (UK)
- Running with the Pack (1999) Pilot
- Twentieth Century Masters: The Millennium Collection (2000) A&M
- The Atlanta Years (2005) previously unreleased studio album (1980) and live performance (1983)
- The Definitive CollectionThe Definitive Collection (Humble Pie album)The Definitive Collection is a compilation album by Humble Pie, released in 2006. It features tracks from all eight Humble Pie studio albums from the years 1969 to 1975, as well as tracks from the live album Performance Rockin' the Fillmore....
(2006) - One More for the Old Tosser (2006)
Singles
- "Natural Born BugieNatural Born BugieNatural Born Bugie was the debut single released in 1969 by English rock band Humble Pie, who were one of the first British supergroups. It was written as a mid tempo rock song by Steve Marriott, for Andrew Loog Oldham's Immediate label and became the band's first single release. The B-Side was...
" / "Wrist Job" #4 UKUK Singles ChartThe UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
(1969) - "The Sad Bag of Shaky JakeThe Sad Bag of Shaky Jake"The Sad Bag of Shaky Jake" was a single released in 1969 by English rock band Humble Pie, who were one of the first British supergroups , formed in 1969...
" / "Cold Lady" - "Big Black DogBig Black Dog"Big Black Dog" was a single released in 1970 by English rock band Humble Pie, one of the first British supergroups and formed in 1969. It was the band's first single, written for A&M Records and the follow-up single to "Natural Born Bugie" . It was written by the band's guitarist, Peter...
" / "Strange Days" - "Big Black DogBig Black Dog"Big Black Dog" was a single released in 1970 by English rock band Humble Pie, one of the first British supergroups and formed in 1969. It was the band's first single, written for A&M Records and the follow-up single to "Natural Born Bugie" . It was written by the band's guitarist, Peter...
" / "Only a Roach" U.S. - "Shine OnShine On (Humble Pie song)"Shine On" was a single released in 1971 by English rock outfit Humble Pie, one of the first supergroups of the 1960s. The song was written by Peter Frampton formerly of The Herd and was released by A&M Records...
" / "Mister Ring" - "I Don't Need No DoctorI Don't Need No Doctor"I Don't Need No Doctor" was a hit song written by Nick Ashford, Valerie Simpson and Jo Armstead, and first recorded by Ray Charles in 1966. Over the years, it has been covered by bands such as garage rock band The Chocolate Watch Band in 1969, Humble Pie in 1971, New Riders of the Purple Sage in...
" / "A Song for Jenny" #73 U.S. - "Hot 'n' NastyHot 'n' Nasty"Hot 'n' Nasty" was the sixth single by English rock outfit Humble Pie, one of the first supergroups of the 1960s-'70s. Released in 1972, the song peaked at #52 on the US Billboard Hot 100 singles chart...
" / "You're So Good For Me" #52 U.S. - "30 Days in the Hole30 Days in the Hole"30 Days in the Hole" was the seventh single by English rock outfit Humble Pie, a band from the 1960s-'70s. Released in 1972, the song became a radio hit but failed to chart. The B-side on its US release was "Sweet Peace and Time", while everywhere else they were "C'mon Everybody" and "Road Runner"...
" / "C'mon EverybodyC'mon Everybody"C'mon Everybody" is a 1958 song by Eddie Cochran and Jerry Capehart, originally released as a B-side. In 1959 it peaked in the UK at No. 6 in the singles chart, and, thirty years later, in 1988, the track was re-issued there and became a No. 14 hit. In the United States the song got to No. 35 on...
" / "Road Runner" - "Get Down to It" / "Honky Tonk WomenHonky Tonk Women"Honky Tonk Women" is a 1969 hit song by The Rolling Stones. Released as a single on 4 July 1969 in the UK and a week later in the US, it topped the charts in both nations.-Inspiration and Recording:...
" - "Shut Up and Don't Interrupt Me" / "Black Coffee" (1973)
- "Black Coffee" / "Say No More" #113 U.S.
- "Oh la de Da" / "The Outcrowd"
- "Ninety-Nine Pounds" / "Rally With Ali"
- "Rock and Roll MusicRock and Roll Music"Rock and Roll Music" is a song written and recorded by rock and roll icon Chuck Berry which became a hit single in 1957 and has been covered by many artists....
" / "Scored Out" #105 U.S. - "Fool for a Pretty Face" / "You Soppy Prat" (1980) #52 US (from Onto Victory)
- "Tin Soldier (song)Tin Soldier (song)"Tin Soldier" is a Rock song written by Steve Marriott . It was released on 2 December 1967, by the popular English band Small Faces. The song peaked at number nine in the UK singles chart.-Song profile:...
" (1981) #58 US (from Go For The Throat)
Video games and DVDs
- "Cocaine" - Grand Theft Auto IVGrand Theft Auto IVGrand Theft Auto IV is a 2008 open world action video game published by Rockstar Games, and developed by British games developer Rockstar North. It has been released for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 video game consoles, and for the Windows operating system...
(2008) Rockstar NorthRockstar NorthRockstar North is a British video game developer based in Edinburgh, Scotland, best known for creating the Grand Theft Auto and Lemmings franchises in its earlier guise as DMA....
/Rockstar TorontoRockstar TorontoRockstar Toronto is an in-house game development team for Rockstar Games and Take-Two Interactive, located in Oakville, Ontario, Canada, a town located approximately thirty-five kilometres west of Toronto... - "Get Down to It" - on the fictitious radio station K-DST in Grand Theft Auto: San AndreasGrand Theft Auto: San AndreasGrand Theft Auto: San Andreas is a 2004 open world action video game developed by British games developer Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. It is the third 3D game in the Grand Theft Auto video game franchise, the fifth original console release and eighth game overall...
(2004) Rockstar NorthRockstar NorthRockstar North is a British video game developer based in Edinburgh, Scotland, best known for creating the Grand Theft Auto and Lemmings franchises in its earlier guise as DMA....
/Rockstar Games - The Steve Marriott Astoria Memorial Concert 2001 (2005) Chrome Dreams