Pages

Saturday, March 26, 2011

The British Rock Family Tree

(Note:  This is not an all-encompassing tree.  Rather it shows the numerous interconnections that these musicians have, starting out in the beginning.  I tried to only include the ones that were interrelated at some point in their career, and then trace them backwards and forwards.  For instance, the Who and Pink Floyd are not shown because they basically began together, rather than all coming from separate groups.  Further, although groups such as Jethro Tull and Yes are extremely important in the whole picture, they too formed their own groups without much connection to the others.  I will do other Family Trees in the future, especially connecting some of the 70's groups such as Yes with other acts that followed.)


In 1957, sixteen year-old John Lennon and fifteen year-old Paul McCartney joined
together to form a skiffle group called the Quarrymen.  Soon, 14 year-old lead guitarist George
Harrison joined.


Mick Green, who could play both rhythm and lead
guitar simultaneously, played in the Wayfaring Strangers with Johnny Spence and
Frank Farley.  The band came in second in a bands competition to the
Quarrymen.


In 1961, Alexis Korner and Cyril Davies, who had played blues together since 1954, formed Blues Incorporated, the first electric R & B band in
Britain.   This group produced some of the deepest and richest roots in British rock history as you will soon see.  Korner and Davies
brought in Long John Baldry, drummer Charlie Watts, bassist Jack Bruce and saxophonist Dick Heckstall-Smith.  They became regular performers at the Marquee Club in London and musicians such as Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Brian Jones, Rod Stewart, Paul Jones, John Mayall, Zoot Money and Jimmy Page would occasionally sit in on Blues Incorporated performances.  Graham Bond also was briefly a member of the group.


In 1959, Benny Gallagher and Graham Lyle formed the Bluefrets.

Keyboardists Geoff Bradford and Kevin Scott began playing as a duo at The Roundhouse club in the late 1950's, owned by Davies and Korner.  Bradford and Scott soon formed a band
with Brian Knight on vocals and harmonica, Charlie
Watts on drums and Peter Andrews on bass guitar known as Blues by Six.

By 1960, the Quarrymen changed their name to the Beetles as a tribute to Buddy Holly and the Crickets.  After trying several other names (Johnny and the Moondogs, Long John and the Beetles and the Silver Beatles), the group decided on the Beatles.  By the end of the year, they had hired Pete Best.  

Mick Jones, Johnny Spence and Frank Farley of the Wayfaring Strangers joined
Red-E Lewis and the Redcaps, who became the Redcaps when Reddy Lewis left.


Zoot Money formed the Big Roll Band, with himself as lead vocalist and organist.
 Roger Collins played lead guitar, Al Kirtley played piano, Mike Montgomery played bass and Johnny Hammond was on drums.


Guitarist Spencer Davis formed a band in 1961 with bass player Bill Perks called the Saints.
 Perks would later change his name to Bill Wyman.


Another group that contributed greatly to the British influence in rock music was formed in 1961 featuring Rod Argent on piano, Paul Atkinson on lead guitar, bassist Chris White, Hugh Grundy on drums and Colin Blunstone on vocals.  That group would become known as the Zombies.

Lead singer Billy J. Kramer founded the
Dakotas with rhythm guitarist Robin MacDonald, Bryn Jones on lead guitar, Tony Bookbinder on drums and bass player Ian Fraser.  Ray Jones soon joined the band as bass player replacing Fraser.  Mike Maxfield joined the band in 1962 as lead guitarist placing Bryn Jones.   

In 1962, bass player John McVie was in the Krewsaders.

Drummer Pete Brookes replaced
Hammond in the Big Roll Band.  Bassist Johnny King and tenor saxophonist Kevin Drake also joined the band.  

Guitarist Mick Jones left the Redcaps and joined Johnny Kidd & the Pirates.

A group was starting elsewhere in
England.   Alan Price, keyboardist, invited lead singer Eric Burdon, guitarist Hilton Valentine, drummer John Steel on drums and Bryan"Chas" Chandler to form the Alan Price Rhythm & Blues Combo.  The group soon changed their name to the Animals.

Also that year, Ray and Davie Davies formed the Ray Davies Quarter along with Pete Quaife
and John Start.  The group featured a series of lead singers, most notably Rod Stewart.  Stewart soon formed his own group, Rod Stewart and the Moonrakers.  In 1962, Davies left to play guitar with the Dave Hunt Band.  Ray and Dave soon formed with Pete Quaife again under several names, including the Pete Quaife Band, the Bo-Weevils, the Ramrods and the Ravens. 
 

Pete Best was let go from the Beatles in favor of Ringo Starr, who had played with Rory Storm and the Hurricanes.

Meanwhile, Jagger, guitarist Brian Jones, guitarist Keith Richards, pianist Ian Stewart, bassist Dick Taylor and drummer Charlie Watts formed the Rolling Stones.  Shortly after, Bill Wyman replaced
Taylor on bass.

Another group formed in 1962 with lead singer Allan Clarke, guitarist and vocalist Graham Nash, guitarist Vic Steele, bass player Eric Haydock and drummer Don Rathbone.  They would name themselves the Hollies.  In succession, three members of the Dolphins joined the group, two of them right away.  Hicks replaced Steele on guitar, Elliott replaced Rathbone
on drums. 
 
Stewart then joined the Dimensions in 1963.  

Also that year, Tony Hicks, Bobby Elliott and Bernie Calvert started a band known as the Dolphins.

In 1963, singer/harmonica player Keith Relf and bassist Paul Samwell-Smith were in the Metropolitan Blues Quartet and changed their name to the Blue-Sounds.  Later that year, drummer Jim McCarty, lead guitarist Top Topham and rhythm guitarist Chris Dreja joined and the group changed their name to the Yardbirds.  In October, lead guitarist Eric Clapton replaced Topham.

In 1963, drummer Mick Fleetwood began in The Cheynes.  He played in Peter B's Looners (with guitarist Peter Green) and Shotgun Express (with Green and vocalist Rod Stewartt).

Baldry became friends with Paul McCartney in the early 1960's when McCartney was in the group the Quarrymen and Baldry later played on a 1964 Beatles television special.  In 1963, Baldry joined the Cyril Davies R&B All-Stars with Bernie Watson and Jimmy Page on guitar on Nicky Hopkins on piano.  The group soon became known as the Hoochie Coochie Men with lead singer Rod Stewart and Geoff Bradford on guitar.  

Meanwhile in
England, the Mann-Hug Blues Brothers were formed by keyboardist Manfred Mann, Mike Hugg (drums/vibes), Mike Vickers (guitar, alto sax and flute), bassist Dave Richmond and lead singer Paul Jones.  Jones left in 1966.  Richmond left in
1964 and was replaced by Tom McGuinness.  The group became Manfred Mann and the Manfreds and then Manfred Mann.  Guitarist Jack Bruce joined the group briefly in 1966,
replacing Vickers.  Jones left  and was replaced by Mike D'Abo as lead singer. 
 

In 1963, John Mayhall formed the Bluesbreakers with vocalist Peter Ward, John McVie on bass, Bernie Watson on guitar and Martin Hart on drums.  

Soon after, Roger Dean (formerly in Nu Notes) replaced Watson on guitar and Hughie Flint
replaced Hart on drums. 
Flint stayed in the group from 1964-1969 before forming McGuinness
Flint with Tom McGuinness, the former guitarist with Manfred Mann.  Aynsley Dunsbar was brought in to replace
Flint on drums.  In 1965, Eric Clapton joined the group to focus on playing blues music, replacing Dean.  

Steve Marriott began the group Steve Marriott and the Moments, featuring lead guitarist John Weider.

Another important group with deep roots in the British Family Tree began.  Guitarist Spencer
Davis invited fourteen year-old vocalist/organist Steve Winwood (who had already logged incredible experience playing for B.B. King, Bo Diddley, Chuck Berry and Muddy Waters, among others) and his bassist brother Muff Winwood to join a band.   Drummer Pete York completed the group that would be called the Rhythm and Blues Quartette but eventually the Spencer Davis Group.


Vocalist Wayne Fontana founded a band that same year with Bob Lang, Ric Rothwell
and Eric Stewart called Wayne Fontana and the Mindbenders.  Grahame Foote later joined.

In 1964, the Ravens had hired Mickey Willet on drums, but he was soon replaced by Mick Avory,
who had played a gig with the Rolling Stones.  The group also changed their name to the Kinks. 

Mick Green left Johnny Kidd & the Pirates to join Billy J. Kramer and the
Dakotas, replacing Ray Jones.  Guitarist John Weider replaced Green in the Pirates.

In 1964, Andy Summers replaced Collins as guitarist for the Big Roll Band.  Nick Newall was brought in as a saxophonist and drummer Colin Allen replaced Brooks.  Zoot Money soon left for Blues Incorporated.

When Clapton left the Yardbirds to join the Bluesbreakers, Jeff Beck replaced him on lead guitar.

Another group was forming that same year.  Michael Pinder and Ray Thomas, who had been members of the Krew Cats, recruited guitarist/vocalist Denny Laine, drummer Graeme Edge and bassist Clint Warwick to form the Moody Blues.  Thomas, Lodge and Pinder
had been members of El Riot & the Rebels along with bassist John Lodge.


In 1965,
Ronnie Lane and Steve Marriott recruited Kenny Jones and keyboardist Jimmy Winston to form the group Small Faces. Later that year, Winston was replaced by Ian McLagen.


Meanwhile, Graham Bond formed the Graham Bond Quartet with musicians he had met while with Blues Incorporated--Ginger Baker on drums, Jack Bruce on bass and John McLaughlin on guitar.  McLaughin was soon replaced by Dick Heckstall-Smith.  

Guitarist and vocalist Graham Gouldman formed the Mockingbirds with Stephen Jacobson (guitar, bongos), bassist Bernard Basso and drummer Kevin Godley.
Price left his own band, the Animals, in 1965.  He was replaced by Dave Rowberry.
Fontana left his own band as well, which was renamed simply the Mindbenders.  Eric Stewart
assumed the lead singing role of the group.

Also in 1965, the Hoochie Coochie Men became Steampacket with Baldry and Stewart as male vocalists, Julie Driscoll as female vocalist, guitarist Vic Briggs and Brian Auger on organ.  When Steampacket broke up in 1966, Baldry then formed Bluesology featuring Reginald Dwight on keyboards and guitarists Elton Dean and Caleb Quaye on guitar.  Dwight soon adopted the
name Elton John, his first name being from Dean and his last name from Baldry


In 1966, Samwell-Smith left the Yardbirds and was replaced by Jimmy Page.  Also, Jeff Beck was fired from the group. 

The Animals disbanded, then re-formed under the name Eric Burdon & the Animals.  Barry Jenkins was the new drummer, John Weider (formerly with Steve Marriott and the Moments and
Johnny Kidd & the Pirates) played guitar, violin and bass, Vic Briggs (formerly with Steampacket) played piano and guitar, and bass player Danny McCulloch joined Burdon (lead singer).


The third former member of the Dolphins, Bernie Calvert joined former group members Tony Hicks and Bobby Elliott in the Hollies, with Calvert replacing Haydock.

Denny Laine and Warwick both left the Moody Blues.  Rod
Clark briefly replaced him but later in the year, the group re-formed with new members John Lodge, the bassists from El Riot, and Justin Hayward, formerly with The Wild Three. 

In 1966, Clapton left John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, Bruce left Manfred Mann and initially they hooked up with Paul Jones on harmonica, pianist Ben Palmer and Steve Winwood (vocals and keyboards) and drummer Pete York, both from the Spencer Davis Group, to form Eric Clapton's Powerhouse.  That project was short-lived and Clapton and Bruce invited Ginger Baker to form
Cream.


Klaus Voorman replaced Bruce in Manfred Mann when Bruce went to form Cream.

Peter Green replaced Clapton on guitar for the Bluesbreakers.  Mick Fleetwood oined the group as well for a brief period, replacing Dunsbar 

Soon after, however, Green and Fleetwood formed Fleetwood Mac with slide guitar player Jeremy Spencer and bassist Bob Brunning, who was a temporary member.  Two months
later, McVie too left the Bluesbreakers to replace Brunning in Fleetwood Mac.

Guitarist Mick Taylor joined the Bluesbreakers to replace Green and bassist Tony Reeves
replaced McVie.


But
Taylor too stayed for a little over a year, joining the Rolling Stones in 1969.  The Bluesbreakers also included Larry Taylor, Walter Trout and Harvey Mandel for a brief time in
1967.  That trio later left to join Canned Heat, but that branch would take us well into the American rock scene and that will be taken up in another Family Tree.


In 1967, after an unsuccessful audition for the Jimi Hendrix Experience, Aynsley Dunsbar formed the Aynsley Dunsbar Retaliation (1967-1969) and also took Fleetwood's place as the drummer for the Bluesbreakers, whom he played with through 1971.  Dunsbar joined Frank Zappa's Mothers of Invention from 1970-1974, while also playing for others, including David Bowie and Lou Reed.  

Steve Winwood left the Spencer Davis Group and formed the group Traffic with drummer Jim Capaldi, guitarist Dave Mason and multi-instrumentalist Chris Wood.

Zoot Money formed a new group featuring Andy Somers (who changed his name to Summers) on guitar, Pat Donaldson on bass and Colin Allen on drums.

Former Searchers drummer Chris Curtis wanted to begin a band called Roundabout, one that members could hop on and off.  He recruited organ player Jon Lord, session guitarist Ritchie Blackmore.   Curtis soon quit the project, but Lord and Blackmore carried on.  Former bassist Nick Simper of Johnny Kidd and the Pirates was brought in and soon vocalist Rod Evans and drummer Ian Paice completed the lineup that would become Deep Purple.

In 1968 Marriott his band to form Humble Pie, which also included Peter Frampton. 

John Mayall was looking for a new bass player for the Bluesbreakers and he found 15 year-old Andy Fraser.  But, through the help of Alexis Korner, Fraser soon teamed up with 17 year-old lead guitarist Paul Kossoff and 18 year-olds Paul Rodgers (lead singer) and drummer Simon Kirke to form the group Free.  Free's four years together had immeasurable influence on rock music.

Elsewhere, guitarist and vocalist Graham Gouldman joined the Mindbenders.  That group dissolved eight months later but the beginnings of another British band would take root.
 Eric Stewart and Gouldman joined with Lol Creme and Kevin Godley (who had been a member of the Mockingbirds with Gouldman).   By 1973, the group became 10cc.


The Zombies split up, but Rod Argent formed a new group Argent, with drummer Bob Henrit and guitarist/keyboardist Russ Ballard.

George Bruno was added as a keyboardist to the Animals.  Guitarist Andy Summers replaced Briggs and McCulloch in the group.

Another group was forming that was not extremely well known in the
United States but laid
the foundation for its members to significantly contribute to rock music.   Guitarist Robert Fripp, drummer Michael Giles, bassist
Greg Lake, Peter Sinfield and Ian McDonald (who played saxophone, flute, vibraphone, keyboards and guitar) formed King Crimson.

Meanwhile, Fleetwood Mac invited guitarist Danny Kirwan to join.

Also that year, the Yardbirds became the New Yardbirds, featuring Jimmy Page on guitar, lead vocalist Robert Plant, bassist John Paul Jones and drummer John Bonham.  That name soon gave way to Led Zeppelin.

Guitarist Graham Nash traveled to the
United States, where he met David Crosby.  This led to the formation of one of the first "supergroups", Crosby, Stills & Nash.  Nash was replaced in the Hollies by Terry Sylvester.   

Relf and McCarty of the Yardbirds formed the groups Together and Renaissance, with
McCarty briefly starting a group called Shoot in 1973 and Relf forming the short-lived Armageddon in 1975.


In 1969, Quaife left the Kinks and was replaced by John Dalton.  The Kinks also added
keyboardist John Gossling to their lineup in 1970.


Meanwhile, guitarist Ronnie Wood and lead singer Rod Stewart were with the Jeff Beck Group.
Later that summer, Wood and Stewart joined Small Faces members Lane, McLagan and Jones to form the group Faces.


Nick Simper and Rod Evans were fired from Deep Purple.  Ian Gillian became the new voice of the group.  

Keyboardist Vincent Crane and drummer Carl Palmer, both former members of The Crazy World of Arthur Brown, arranged a meeting with Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones and, with bassist Nick Graham, formed the group Atomic Rooster. 

In late 1969, Greg Lake of King Crimson and keyboardist Keith Emerson of Nice began working together.  They soon invited drummer Carl Palmer to join them as Emerson, Lake
&
Palmer.


Cream's short stay on the music scene ended, but Clapton and Baker joined Steve Winwood (Traffic too proved to be short-lived) and bass player Ric Grech in Blind Faith.  Clapton, never one to stay in a group long, left a few months later.  The remaining members recruited former Moody Blues guitarist Denny Laine, vocalist Jeanette Jacobs, drummer Remi Kabaka, Chris Wood (tenor sax and flute), Graham Bond on alto sax, Harold McNair on tenor sax and flute
and Phil Seamen on percussion to form a group known as Ginger Baker's Air Force.


In 1969, Manfred Mann the group split up, with Mann forming Manfred Mann Chapter 3 and then Manfred Mann's Earth Band, which had the hit "Blinded By the Light" and still tours to this day.

The Beatles famously broke up in 1970, leaving the members to pursue solo projects.

Vocalist and bassist Boz Burrell joined King Crimson.

McGuinness left Manfred Mann in 1970 to form McGuinness Flint with drummer Hughie Flint (formerly with John Mayall's Bluesbreakers) and songwriters and multi-instrumentalists Benny Gallagher and Graham Lyle.

Peter Green left Fleetwood Mac in 1970.  Keyboardist and vocalist Christine Perfect, formerly with Chicken Shack and a part-time contributor to Fleetwood Mac in the past, was
formally invited to join the group.  Perfect was married to John McVie and changed her stage name to Christine McVie.  In 1971, while on tour in the
United States, Spencer announced he was going to "go out and get a magazine" but never returned.  While out, Spencer had been
brainwashed and converted to the Children of God, a religious cult.  Green joined back just long enough to finish the tour, so guitarist Bob Welch was brought in.  The group fired Kirwan in 1972 and added slide guitarist Bob Weston and vocalist Dave Walker, formerly of Savoy Brown.


In 1971, McCartney began forming the group Wings with his wife Linda on vocals and ex-Moody Blues guitarist Denny Laine.  Drummer Denny Seiwell , who had been a session musician for McCartney on his second solo album, also joined the group.    In the latter part of the year, McCartney added Henry McCullough, formerly with Spooky Tooth.  

In 1972, Gallagher and Lyle formed the duo Gallagher & Lyle.  Lyle went on to become an
accomplished songwriter, writing "What's Love Got to Do With It" and "We Don't Need Another Hero" for Tina Turner and several other songs.  In 1979, McGuinness,
Flint, former Manfred Mann lead singer Paul Jones, slide guitarist/vocalist Paul Kelly and former Manfred Mann bassist Gary Fletcher formed the Blues Band, which still tours Europe.

McCullough and Seiwell left Wings in 1973, leaving McCartney to hire Jimmy McCullouch,
a lead guitarist in Thunderclap Newman. 
 

Ian Gillian left Deep Purple in 1973 and David Coverdale repaced him as lead singer.

With the breakup of the group Free, lead singer Paul Rodgers and drummer Simon Kirke
were joined by guitarist Mick Ralphs (Mott the Hoople) and King Crimson bassist Boz
Burrell to form Bad Company.


In 1973, Fleetwood Mac fired both guitarist Weston and vocalist Walker.  Welch then left the following year and the group needed both a lead guitarist and a vocalist.  They found both in the duo Buckingham-Nicks.  Guitarist Buckingham, who also sang, and lead singer Stevie Nicks would, together with Christine McVie, give the group three lead vocalists.

Taylor quit the Rolling Stones in 1974 and was replaced by Ronnie Wood.  

Geoff Britton joined Wings in 1974 to give the group a full-time drummer.

Dunsbar joined Jefferson Starship from 1975-1978, playing on the group's first four albums.  That too takes us into the States and a later Family Tree.

A  three-piece group consisting of Sting (Gordon Sumner), guitarist Henry Padovani and
Copeland was formed  That evolved into a Gong reunion of bassist Mike Howlett, guitarist Sting, drummer Stewart Copeland and former Eric Burdon and the Animals guitarist Andy Summers called Strontium 90.  Padovani replaced Howlett and the band renamed themselves the Police.  Padovani left a month later, leaving Summers, Sting and Copeland to carry on as a
three-piece. 
Kenny Jones of the Faces joined as the Who's drummer in 1978 after Keith Moon died.

Deep Purple singer David Coverdale formed the band Whitesnake with fellow Purple alum Jon Lord, and drummer Ian Paice.  

In 1982, Chuck Leavell was hired as the full-time keyboardist of the Rolling Stones, as Stewart had been primarily the group's road manager since 1963 and only part-time keyboardist. 

In the 1980's, former Yardbird members McCarty, Dreja and Samwell-Smith formed a group called a Box of Frogs, which included Jimmy Page and Jeff Beck from time to time.

In 1984, Coverdale brought in guitarist John Sykes, formerly of Thin Lizzy, to join Whitesnake.  Dunsbar joined Whitesnake on drums in 1985 and played on their debut album.

Another British supergroup formed, although they were together barely over a year.  Paul Rodgers had left Bad Company and Led Zeppelin was essentially done as a group when John Bonham died after recording the album In Through the Out Door in 1979.   This led to Rodgers and Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page forming the Firm with drummer Chris Slade form Manfred Mann and Uriah Heap and bass player Tony Franklin.

In 1991, McCarty formed Pretty Things.

Dunsbar is now with the World Classic Rockers.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.