Mud (band)
Template:Short description Template:Use British English Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox musical artist Template:Infobox musical artist
Mud are an English glam rock band, formed in February 1966. Their earlier success came in a pop and then glam rock style, while later hits were influenced by 1950s rock and roll and rockabilly,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and they are best remembered for their hit singles "Dyna-mite", "Tiger Feet", which was the UK's best-selling single of 1974, and "Lonely This Christmas" which reached Christmas number 1 in December 1974. After signing to Rak Records and teaming up with songwriters/producers Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman, the band had fourteen UK Top 20 hits between 1973 and 1976, including three number ones.<ref name="British Hit Singles & Albums">Template:Cite book</ref>
History
Mud
1966–1972: the early years
The band was founded by lead guitarist Rob Davis,<ref name="The Book of Golden Discs"/> lead vocalist Les Gray,<ref name="The Book of Golden Discs">Template:Cite book</ref> drummer Dave Mount (born 3 March 1947,<ref name="The Book of Golden Discs"/> Carshalton; died 2 December 2006, St Helier Hospital, Carshalton<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>) and bassist Ray Stiles (born 20 November 1946,<ref name="The Book of Golden Discs"/> Guildford, Surrey).
The band released their debut single "Flower Power" on CBS in 1967, but were not immediately successful.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> 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 Basil Brush Show on BBC TV, and toured as support for Jack Jones.
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).<ref name="British Hit Singles & Albums"/>
At the peak of their career, they also enjoyed British number one singles with "Tiger Feet"; and "Lonely This Christmas" (1974), an affectionate Elvis Presley pastiche; plus "Oh Boy" (1975), a cover of the Buddy Holly hit, which also featured on their album Mud Rock Volume 2. "Tiger Feet" sold over 500,000 copies in the UK and a million copies globally.<ref name="The Book of Golden Discs"/>
Like contemporaries Sweet, their most successful period came when their records were written and produced by Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman: in 1975 they had seven singles in the UK Top 40 totalling over 45 weeks on the chart, the most by any artist in 1975. "Oh Boy" was the only number one single produced by Chinn and Chapman that they did not also write.<ref name="500 Number One Hits">Template:Cite book</ref>
"Lonely This Christmas" got seasonal airplay on British radio and television, (along with Slade's "Merry Xmas Everybody" and Wizzard's "I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday"). The band also embraced the burgeoning disco craze, as exemplified on their 1976 single "Shake It Down" which reached No. 12 in the UK chart. After "Tiger Feet" they released "The Cat Crept In" which reached No. 2 in April 1974, which was written to exploit Les Gray's vocal impression of Presley.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Their next single "Rocket" reached No. 6 in the UK, after which they released another track from their album Mud Rock Volume 1, a cover of "In the Mood". This was released under the band name "Dum" (which is both "Mud" spelt backwards and on a largely instrumental single, hence a pun on "dumb"), but it failed to chart.
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.<ref name="mudrock1">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
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.<ref name="British Hit Singles & Albums"/>
1977–1980: downfall to disbanding
"Lean on me" was followed by in 1977 Gray's solo version of "Groovy Kind of Love" on Warner Bros., which peaked at No. 32 in the UK. Also in 1977, with Private Stock in financial difficulties, the band moved to RCA. Their first single on RCA was "Slow Talking Boy", a folk rock song composed by John Kongos,<ref name="cat1">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and featuring Davis playing a Vox 12-string guitar-mandolin; they performed this song on BBC TV's Top of the Pops,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> but without reaping any chart success. Mud's next single, "(Just Try) A Little Tenderness", was their final appearance on any major national chart, stalling at No. 98 in Australia.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Three more singles, all cover versions, followed in 1978<ref name="cat1"/> before RCA dropped the band and Gray quit for a solo career.
The original band continued for a short while with female lead vocalist Margo Buchanan in Gray's place,<ref name="mudrock1"/> releasing a commercially unsuccessful single for Carrere in 1979 titled "Drop Everything and Run".<ref name="cat1"/> 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 Hollies; whilst Davis went on to co-write several highly successful dance hits for Kylie Minogue and Spiller featuring Sophie Ellis-Bextor.<ref name="British Hit Singles & Albums"/> Drummer Mount went into the insurance business. Mount appeared on an episode of Never Mind the Buzzcocks on BBC Two in November 2005, and featured in the "spot the pop star of the past" identity parade segment. He had been married twice and worked as a salesman latterly. His obituary appeared in The Independent newspaper.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The last performance by the four original members was on 3 March 1990 at Dave Mount's wedding; a video recording of which was made by Mount.
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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Mud played at Wadham College Oxford's May Ball in summer 1983. 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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
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 Ian Parker, Keith Read and Pete Phipps.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Personnel
Members
Template:Col-begin Template:Col-2
- Current members (Mud)
- Rob Davis - lead guitar, vocals (1966–1980, 2015–present)
- Ray Stiles - bass guitar, lead vocals (1966–1980, 2015–present)
- Ian Parker - keyboards and vocals (2015–present)
- Keith Read - rhythm guitar and vocals (2015–present)
- Pete Phipps - drums and vocals (2015–present)
- Current members (Mud II)
- Syd Twynham - lead guitar, lead vocals (1987-present)
- Chris Savage - keyboards (2004-present)
- Marc Michalski - bass guitar (2005-present)
- Chris Millward - drums, percussion (2023-present)
- Former members (Mud)
- Les Gray - lead vocals, keyboards (1966–1978, 1980–2004; his death)
- Dave Mount - drums, percussion (1966–1980; died 2006)
- Andy Ball - keyboards (1975–1977)
- Brian Tatum - keyboards (1977–1980)
- Margo Buchanan - lead vocals (1979–1980)
- Former members (Les Gray's Mud / Mud II)
- Stuart Amesbury - rhythm guitar (1980–1985)
- Cherie Beck - backing vocals (1980–1985)
- Dale Fry - bass guitar (1980–1985)
- Rob John - drums, percussion (1980–1983)
- Nick Richie - lead guitar (1980–1983)
- Tim Fish - lead guitar (1983–1987)
- Mark Hatwood - drums, percussion (1983–1987)
- Kevin Fairburn - bass guitar (1985–1987)
- John Berry - bass guitar (1987–2005)
- Wole Rother - drums, percussion (1987–1998)
- Phil Wilson - drums, percussion (1998-2023)
Lineups
| 1966-1975 | 1975-1977 | 1977-1978 | 1979 |
|---|---|---|---|
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| |
| 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
<timeline> ImageSize = width:800 height:550 PlotArea = left:90 bottom:130 top:0 right:0 DateFormat = dd/mm/yyyy Alignbars = justify Period = from:01/01/1966 till:{{#time:d/m/Y}} TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy ScaleMajor = increment:5 start:1966 ScaleMinor = increment:1 start:1966 Legend = orientation:vertical position:bottom columns:2
Colors =
id:v value:red legend:Lead_vocals id:g value:teal legend:Lead_guitar id:r value:brightgreen legend:Rhythm_guitar id:k value:purple legend:Keyboards id:b value:blue legend:Bass_guitar id:d value:orange legend:Drums,_percussion id:bv value:pink legend:Backing_vocals
LineData =
layer:back width: 1
PlotData =
width:11 textcolor:black align:left bar:Les Gray from:start till:11/12/1978 color:v bar:Les Gray from:start till:11/12/1978 color:k width:3 bar:Les Gray from:01/06/1980 till:21/02/2004 color:v bar:Les Gray from:01/06/1980 till:21/02/2004 color:k width:3 bar:Margo Buchanan from:01/02/1979 till:01/06/1980 color:v bar:Rob Davis from:start till:01/06/1980 color:g bar:Rob Davis from:start till:01/06/1980 color:r width:3 bar:Rob Davis from:01/01/2015 till:end color:g bar:Rob Davis from:01/01/2015 till:end color:v width:3 bar:Nick Richie from:01/06/1980 till:01/01/1983 color:g bar:Tim Fish from:01/01/1983 till:01/01/1987 color:g bar:Tim Fish from:01/01/1985 till:01/01/1987 color:r width:3 bar:Syd Twynham from:01/01/1987 till:end color:g bar:Syd Twynham from:01/01/1987 till:01/01/2004 color:r width:3 bar:Syd Twynham from:01/01/2004 till:end color:v width:3 bar:Syd Twynham from:01/01/2004 till:end color:r width:7 bar:Stuart Amesbury from:01/06/1980 till:01/01/1985 color:r bar:Keith Read from:01/01/2015 till:end color:r bar:Andy Ball from:01/06/1975 till:01/03/1977 color:k bar:Brian Tatum from:01/03/1977 till:01/06/1980 color:k bar:Chris Savage from:01/01/2004 till:end color:k bar:Ian Parker from:01/01/2015 till:end color:k bar:Ray Stiles from:start till:01/06/1980 color:b bar:Ray Stiles from:start till:01/06/1980 color:v width:3 bar:Ray Stiles from:01/01/2015 till:end color:b bar:Ray Stiles from:01/01/2015 till:end color:v width:3 bar:Dale Fry from:01/06/1980 till:01/01/1985 color:b bar:Kevin Fairburn from:01/01/1985 till:01/01/1987 color:b bar:John Berry from:01/01/1987 till:01/01/2005 color:b bar:Marc Michalski from:01/01/2005 till:end color:b bar:Dave Mount from:start till:01/06/1980 color:d bar:Rob John from:01/06/1980 till:01/01/1983 color:d bar:Mark Hatwood from:01/01/1983 till:01/01/1987 color:d bar:Wole Rother from:01/01/1987 till:01/01/1998 color:d bar:Phil Wilson from:01/01/1998 till:01/01/2023 color:d bar:Chris Millward from:01/01/2023 till:end color:d bar:Pete Phipps from:01/01/2015 till:end color:d bar:Cherie Beck from:01/06/1980 till:01/01/1985 color:bv bar: width:15 align:center textcolor:black fontsize:8 shift:(0,-5) from:start till:20/12/1979 text:Mud color:tan1 from:20/12/1979 till:01/06/1980 text:Ring color:tan2 from:01/06/1980 till:01/01/2004 text:"Les Gray's Mud" color:tan1 textcolor:black from:01/01/2004 till:01/01/2015 text:"Mud II" color:tan2 textcolor:black from:01/01/2015 till:end text:"Mud / Mud II" color:tan1 textcolor:black
</timeline>
Discography
{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}} Studio Albums
- Mud Rock Volume 1 (1974)
- Mud Rock Volume 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
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