The Scruffs
Encyclopedia
The Scruffs are a pop music
group originally founded by writer/guitarist/vocalist Stephen Burns, guitarist David Branyan, and drummer Zeph Paulson in Memphis, Tennessee
circa 1975. Though the line up has changed many times over the years since then, The Scruffs have continued to released a number of records, up to and including a pending release in 2011 entitled "Kill ! Kill !."
The constant figure throughout has been singer/songwriter and guitarist Stephen Burns, with a revolving band of musicians in support through the years. The band originally featured Rick Branyan on bass, who left the band in 1976. From 1976 through 1977, Bill Mathieu replaced Branyan on bass. During this iteration, the band recorded the songs (most penned by Burns or Burns co-writing with David Branyan) that later became its first LP album, and released "Break the Ice" as a single on Power Play records. "Break the Ice" received local airplay in Memphis.
After Mathieu left the band in 1977, Rick Branyan rejoined the group. This iteration of The Scruffs re-recorded its material at renowned Ardent Studios
in Memphis and released its first LP album in 1977 on Power Play records, entitled Wanna Meet The Scruffs?, which remains a cult classic
in the genre of power pop
.
The group later relocated to New York before disbanding.Many of the members sought various carers such as Rick Branyan who became a latin teacher at a local private highschool in Memphis.
Although from Memphis, The Scruffs projected an English pop
style and were influenced by The Beatles and The Kinks
, among others. The Scruffs were occasionally accompanied on stage by former Box Tops
and Big Star members, and fellow Memphis power-popper Alex Chilton
. Although they officially disbanded in 1979, a second album was released after 20 years (although recorded in 1979-80) titled TeenAge Gurls. This release was accompanied by the first CD release of "Wanna Meet the Scruffs?" Additional collections include: Angst, The Early Years, a collection of earlier recordings and MidTown, a release of recordings made by Stephen Burns and various musicians during the 1980s.
During the late 1990s, Burns moved for a time to Glasgow, Scotland, where he hooked up with local musicians to release Love, The Scruffs and Swingin' Singles. Although now princially living back in the United States, he continues to work in, variously, Glasgow
and Edinburgh
as well as Memphis. This has resulted in several further releases (five in all) by The Scruffs from around the turn of the millennium right up to date (2011), many of which have received many favourable reviews.
Many of these more recent releases have been heavily influenced by Scottish based (if not exclusively Scottish born) musicians. From "Love, The Scruffs" onwards, contributors have included Bobby Kildea, Stevie Jackson and Stuart Murdoch of Belle and Sebastian renown, as well as Zachary Ware, guitarist with The Proclaimers
, and Francis MacDonald of Teenage Fanclub
and BMX Bandits
fame, along with Glasgow and Edinburgh based Simon Cottrell and Mark Rodgers providing the bass and drums on many recent tracks and Gary Thom providing drums on "Swingin' Singles," and significant contributions from Giles Lamb and Paul Napier for piano and guitar parts respectively, and Peter Shand and Mick Cooke (also of Belle and Sebastian) for string arrangements. Many, many others have also contributed, particularly Geoff Allan at CaVa Studios
in Glasgow, and Adam Hill and Lucas Petersen at Ardent Studios
, Memphis (with additional thanks to Jody Stephens
and John Fry
in particular at Ardent).
In 2007, a new Scruffs album, was released entitled Pop Manifesto, which received many favorable reviews. Following this, in 2009, the Scruffs reconvened, first in Glasgow and later in Memphis, to record a new album, called "Conquest." This was released in January 2010 to, once more, many favourable reviews. Encouraged by this, The Scruffs reconvened in Edinburgh, Scotland in early 2010 to commence rehearsals for their forthcoming release "Kill ! Kill !." Following this, in November 2010, The Scruffs reconvened at Ardent Studios
, Memphis, to record that album, subsequently mastered at Abbey Road Studios
in London, England in February 2011, and it includes a special guest appearance on one track from Peter Buck
of R.E.M.
The release date is to be confirmed as at February 2011. For this latest release, The Scruffs principal line up is Stephen Burns (Guitar, Vocals, Producer), Adam Hill (Guitars, Backing Vox, Engineer, Mixing, additional Bass guitar), Bobby Kildea (Bass, Backing Vocals and Percussion) and Mark Rodgers (Drums and Percussion), with the Vest Brothers (also from Memphis) providing backing vocals and guitar, and occasional contributions from other Memphis session players.
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
group originally founded by writer/guitarist/vocalist Stephen Burns, guitarist David Branyan, and drummer Zeph Paulson in Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
circa 1975. Though the line up has changed many times over the years since then, The Scruffs have continued to released a number of records, up to and including a pending release in 2011 entitled "Kill ! Kill !."
The constant figure throughout has been singer/songwriter and guitarist Stephen Burns, with a revolving band of musicians in support through the years. The band originally featured Rick Branyan on bass, who left the band in 1976. From 1976 through 1977, Bill Mathieu replaced Branyan on bass. During this iteration, the band recorded the songs (most penned by Burns or Burns co-writing with David Branyan) that later became its first LP album, and released "Break the Ice" as a single on Power Play records. "Break the Ice" received local airplay in Memphis.
After Mathieu left the band in 1977, Rick Branyan rejoined the group. This iteration of The Scruffs re-recorded its material at renowned Ardent Studios
Ardent Studios
Ardent Studios is a recording studio located in Memphis, Tennessee. Ardent Records/Ardent Music is the in-house label.- History :Ardent Studios was founded by John Fry and was initially a studio in his family's garage, where he recorded his first Ardent Records 45's. In 1966 the operation moved...
in Memphis and released its first LP album in 1977 on Power Play records, entitled Wanna Meet The Scruffs?, which remains a cult classic
Cult Classic
Cult Classic is a Blue Öyster Cult studio recording released in 1994, containing remakes of many of the band's previous hits.-Track listing:# " The Reaper" - 5:05# "E.T.I...
in the genre of power pop
Power pop
Power pop is a popular musical genre that draws its inspiration from 1960s British and American pop and rock music. It typically incorporates a combination of musical devices such as strong melodies, crisp vocal harmonies, economical arrangements, and prominent guitar riffs. Instrumental solos are...
.
The group later relocated to New York before disbanding.Many of the members sought various carers such as Rick Branyan who became a latin teacher at a local private highschool in Memphis.
Although from Memphis, The Scruffs projected an English pop
Britpop
Britpop is a subgenre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom. Britpop emerged from the British independent music scene of the early 1990s and was characterised by bands influenced by British guitar pop music of the 1960s and 1970s...
style and were influenced by The Beatles and The Kinks
The Kinks
The Kinks were an English rock band formed in Muswell Hill, North London, by brothers Ray and Dave Davies in 1964. Categorised in the United States as a British Invasion band, The Kinks are recognised as one of the most important and influential rock acts of the era. Their music was influenced by a...
, among others. The Scruffs were occasionally accompanied on stage by former Box Tops
The Box Tops
The Box Tops were a Memphis rock group of the second half of the 1960s. They are best known for the hits "The Letter," "Neon Rainbow," "Soul Deep," "I Met Her in Church," and "Cry Like A Baby," and are considered a major blue-eyed soul group of the period...
and Big Star members, and fellow Memphis power-popper Alex Chilton
Alex Chilton
William Alexander "Alex" Chilton was an American songwriter, guitarist, singer and producer, best known as the lead singer of the Box Tops and Big Star...
. Although they officially disbanded in 1979, a second album was released after 20 years (although recorded in 1979-80) titled TeenAge Gurls. This release was accompanied by the first CD release of "Wanna Meet the Scruffs?" Additional collections include: Angst, The Early Years, a collection of earlier recordings and MidTown, a release of recordings made by Stephen Burns and various musicians during the 1980s.
During the late 1990s, Burns moved for a time to Glasgow, Scotland, where he hooked up with local musicians to release Love, The Scruffs and Swingin' Singles. Although now princially living back in the United States, he continues to work in, variously, 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...
and Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
as well as Memphis. This has resulted in several further releases (five in all) by The Scruffs from around the turn of the millennium right up to date (2011), many of which have received many favourable reviews.
Many of these more recent releases have been heavily influenced by Scottish based (if not exclusively Scottish born) musicians. From "Love, The Scruffs" onwards, contributors have included Bobby Kildea, Stevie Jackson and Stuart Murdoch of Belle and Sebastian renown, as well as Zachary Ware, guitarist with The Proclaimers
The Proclaimers
The Proclaimers are a Scottish band composed of identical twin brothers, Charlie and Craig Reid . They are probably best known for the songs "Letter from America", "I'm On My Way" and "I'm Gonna Be ". The band tours extensively throughout Europe and other continents...
, and Francis MacDonald of Teenage Fanclub
Teenage Fanclub
Teenage Fanclub are an alternative rock band from Bellshill, Scotland. The band is composed of Norman Blake , Raymond McGinley , Gerard Love and Francis MacDonald , with songwriting duties shared equally among Blake, McGinley and Love...
and BMX Bandits
BMX Bandits (band)
BMX Bandits are a Scottish 1960s-influenced guitar pop band who have been making music from 1986 to the present day. They have shared members with other Bellshill bands Teenage Fanclub and The Soup Dragons....
fame, along with Glasgow and Edinburgh based Simon Cottrell and Mark Rodgers providing the bass and drums on many recent tracks and Gary Thom providing drums on "Swingin' Singles," and significant contributions from Giles Lamb and Paul Napier for piano and guitar parts respectively, and Peter Shand and Mick Cooke (also of Belle and Sebastian) for string arrangements. Many, many others have also contributed, particularly Geoff Allan at CaVa Studios
CaVa Studios
Ca Va Studios or Ca Va Sound is a professional recording studio at 30 Bentinck Street, Kelvingrove in the West End of Glasgow, Scotland.Situated in the former Kelvingrove Church, the studios began in 1974 and since then have recorded some of the biggest names on the UK and international music scene...
in Glasgow, and Adam Hill and Lucas Petersen at Ardent Studios
Ardent Studios
Ardent Studios is a recording studio located in Memphis, Tennessee. Ardent Records/Ardent Music is the in-house label.- History :Ardent Studios was founded by John Fry and was initially a studio in his family's garage, where he recorded his first Ardent Records 45's. In 1966 the operation moved...
, Memphis (with additional thanks to Jody Stephens
Jody Stephens
Jody Stephens is an American drummer, who has played in Big Star and Golden Smog . When not on tour with Big Star, he works at Ardent Studios, which is where Big Star has recorded all of their albums...
and John Fry
John Fry (record producer)
John Fry is the founder of Ardent Music, LLC in Memphis, TN, which includes Ardent Studios, two record labels, Ardent Records and Ardent Music , and a production company, Ardent Film Department. Originally founded in 1959, the business didn't become official until 1966.The studio has been used by...
in particular at Ardent).
In 2007, a new Scruffs album, was released entitled Pop Manifesto, which received many favorable reviews. Following this, in 2009, the Scruffs reconvened, first in Glasgow and later in Memphis, to record a new album, called "Conquest." This was released in January 2010 to, once more, many favourable reviews. Encouraged by this, The Scruffs reconvened in Edinburgh, Scotland in early 2010 to commence rehearsals for their forthcoming release "Kill ! Kill !." Following this, in November 2010, The Scruffs reconvened at Ardent Studios
Ardent Studios
Ardent Studios is a recording studio located in Memphis, Tennessee. Ardent Records/Ardent Music is the in-house label.- History :Ardent Studios was founded by John Fry and was initially a studio in his family's garage, where he recorded his first Ardent Records 45's. In 1966 the operation moved...
, Memphis, to record that album, subsequently mastered at Abbey Road Studios
Abbey Road Studios
Abbey Road Studios is a recording studio located at 3 Abbey Road, St John's Wood, City of Westminster, London, England. It was established in November 1931 by the Gramophone Company, a predecessor of British music company EMI, its present owner...
in London, England in February 2011, and it includes a special guest appearance on one track from Peter Buck
Peter Buck
Peter Lawrence Buck , is an American rock guitarist who is best known for playing in and co-founding alternative rock band R.E.M....
of R.E.M.
R.E.M.
R.E.M. was an American rock band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1980 by singer Michael Stipe, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills and drummer Bill Berry. One of the first popular alternative rock bands, R.E.M. gained early attention due to Buck's ringing, arpeggiated guitar style and Stipe's...
The release date is to be confirmed as at February 2011. For this latest release, The Scruffs principal line up is Stephen Burns (Guitar, Vocals, Producer), Adam Hill (Guitars, Backing Vox, Engineer, Mixing, additional Bass guitar), Bobby Kildea (Bass, Backing Vocals and Percussion) and Mark Rodgers (Drums and Percussion), with the Vest Brothers (also from Memphis) providing backing vocals and guitar, and occasional contributions from other Memphis session players.
Other groups
An Australian rock group with a similar power pop and jangle pop based style also used the name 'The Scruffs'. They released some material in the mid-90s, later made available by Not Lame records, before folding.Discography
- Wanna Meet The Scruffs?
- TeenAge Gurls
- Angst, The Early Years
- MidTown
- Love, The Scruffs
- Swingin' Singles (2003)
- Pop Manifesto(2006)
- Conquest (2009)
- Kill ! Kill ! (recorded 2010, due for release 2011).
External links
- The Scruffs.com
- http://www.facebook.com/v/10150108390263117. Video of The Scruffs, June 2009 vintage, recording "Treasure Girls" at Studio A, Ardent StudiosArdent StudiosArdent Studios is a recording studio located in Memphis, Tennessee. Ardent Records/Ardent Music is the in-house label.- History :Ardent Studios was founded by John Fry and was initially a studio in his family's garage, where he recorded his first Ardent Records 45's. In 1966 the operation moved...
, Memphis, TN. This track was released on "Conquest" (2009). Click the box with the blue 1 in, it does work ! Video is a bit grainy and low light but the audio is fine. Line up is Stephen Burns, guitars and lead vox, Mike Baillie, bvx and lead guitar, Adam Hill, bass and bvox (also engineered session) and Mark Rodgers, drums and percussion.