Mud (band)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Mud | |
|---|---|
| Origin | London, England |
| Genre(s) | Glam Rock |
| Years active | 1968 - 1990 |
| Label(s) | RAK Records |
| Members | |
| Les Gray Rob Davis Ray Stiles Dave Mount |
|
Mud were an English glam rock band, formed in 1968, best remembered for their single "Tiger Feet" which was the UK's best-selling single of 1974.
Contents |
[edit] Band members
- Lead guitarist Rob Davis born Robert Davis, 1 October 1947, in Carshalton.
- Lead vocalist Les Gray, born Thomas Leslie Gray, 9 April 1946, in Carshalton, Surrey. He died of a heart attack on 21 February 2004 in Lagos, Portugal.
- Drummer Dave Mount, born David George Mount, 3 March 1947, in Carshalton. He died on 2 December 2006, at St Helier's Hospital, Carshalton[1].
- Bass guitarist Ray Stiles, born Raymond John Stiles, 20 November 1946, in Guildford, Surrey.
[edit] History
Mud first appeared on the Basil Brush show on BBC TV, and toured as support for Jack Jones. After years of unsuccessful singles, they were signed to Mickie Most's RAK label, and immediately had a Top 20 success with "Crazy".
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 spoof; plus "Oh Boy" (1975), a virtual a cappella cover of the Buddy Holly hit. Like contemporaries Sweet, their most successful period came when their records were written and produced by Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman, and in 1975 they had no fewer than seven singles on the UK Top 40. "Oh Boy" was the only #1 single produced by Chinn and Chapman that they did not also write.
"Lonely This Christmas" has become something of an annual fixture on British radio and television, (along with Slade's "Merry Xmas Everybody", John Lennon's "Happy Xmas"). Mud also released another single under a different name - after "The Cat Crept In" they released a track from their album Mud Rock, a cover of "In the Mood". This was released under the name of Dum (Mud spelt backwards), but failed to chart. Their last single was "Rico" released in 1980.
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.
Gray later toured as Les Gray's Mud with John Berry (bass), Syd Twynham (guitar) and Phil Wilson (drums). Twyham and Wilson still tour the 70s circuit with Chris Savage (keyboards) and Marc Michalski (bass) as 'Mud II'.
Ray Stiles joined the Hollies; whilst Davis went on to co-write several highly successful dance hits for artists such as Kylie Minogue and Spiller featuring Sophie Ellis Bextor. Drummer Dave Mount went into the insurance business.
Les Gray died on February 21 2004 in Portugal, of a heart attack, as a result of throat cancer.
Dave 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. Mount took his own life on Saturday 2 December 2006. His obituary appeared in The Independent newspaper http://news.independent.co.uk/people/obituaries/article2083882.ece
[edit] Discography
[edit] Singles
- "Flower Power" (1967) Did not chart
- "Up the Airy Mountain" (1968) Did not chart
- "Shangri-La" (1969) Did not chart
- "Jumping Jehosaphat" (1970) Did not chart
- "Crazy" (1973); UK number 12
- "Hypnosis" (1973); UK number 16
- "Dyna-mite" (1973); UK number 4
- "Tiger Feet" (1974); UK number 1
- "The Cat Crept In" (1974); UK number 2
- "Rocket" (1974); UK number 6
- "Lonely This Christmas" (1974); UK number 1
- "The Secrets That You Keep" (1975); UK number 3
- "Oh Boy" (1975); UK number 1
- "Moonshine Sally" (1975); UK number 10
- "One Night" (1975); UK number 32
- "L'L'Lucy" (1975); UK number 10
- "Show Me You're a Woman" (1975); UK number 8
- "Nite on the Tiles" (1976) Did not chart
- "Beating Round the Bush" (1976) Did not chart
- "Shake It Down" (1976); UK number 12
- "Lean on Me" (1976); UK number 7
- "Slow Talking Boy" (1977) Did not chart
- "Just Try a Little Tenderness" (1977) Did not chart
- "Cut Across Shorty" (1978) Did not chart
- "Drift Away" (1978) Did Not Chart
- "Why Do Fools Fall in Love" / "Book of Love" (1979) Did not chart
- "Drop Everything and Run" (1979) Did not chart
[edit] Albums
- Mud Rock (1974); UK number eight
- Mud Rock Volume 2 (1975); UK number six
- Mud's Greatest Hits (1975); UK number twenty-five
- Use Your Imagination! (1975); UK number thirty-three
- It's Better Than Working (1976) Did not chart
- Mudpack (1976) Did not chart
- Rock On (1977) Did not chart
- As You Like It (1979) Did not chart
| Preceded by Slade |
UK Christmas Number One single | Succeeded by Queen |
[edit] References
- Guinness Book of British Hit Singles - 16th Edition - ISBN 0-85112-190-X
- The Guinness Book of 500 Number One Hits - ISBN 0-85112-250-7
- The Guinness Book Of British Hit Albums (7th Edition) - ISBN 0-85112-619-7
- The Book Of Golden Records (Second Edition) - ISBN 0-214-20512-6
