Masterswitch was an English

rock band A rock band or pop band is a small musical ensemble that performs rock music, pop music, or a related genre. A four-piece band is the most common configuration in rock and pop music. In the early years, the configuration was typically two guita ...

active in the late 1970s.

Band members

The band consisted of four members: *

Jimmy Edwards James Keith O'Neill Edwards, DFC (23 March 19207 July 1988) was an English comedy writer and actor on radio and television, best known as Pa Glum in ''Take It from Here'' and as headmaster "Professor" James Edwards in ''Whack-O!''. Early lif ...

(

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

, guitar) *Stephen Wilkin (guitar) *Mark Steed (

bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...

) *Martin Lee (

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

)

Formation (1976)

Lifelong friends Ray Simone and Martin Lee, together with Dave Sumeray (who was the bass player with Simone and Lee in a band called Woodfog) placed an advert in ''

Melody Maker ''Melody Maker'' was a British weekly music magazine, one of the world's earliest music weeklies; according to its publisher, IPC Media, the earliest. It was founded in 1926, largely as a magazine for dance band musicians, by Leicester-born ...

'' in an attempt to recruit bandmates at an open audition. An astounding number of enthusiastic musicians queued patiently waiting their turn to prove their worth; ultimately Edwards' natural vocal flair, Wilkin's 'Wilkey Fingers' and, after Dave Sumeray decided to quit the band and the music business, Steed's conquering bass prevailed to form Masterswitch.

1976–1978

In 1977, the band signed to the

Epic Epic commonly refers to: * Epic poetry, a long narrative poem celebrating heroic deeds and events significant to a culture or nation * Epic film, a genre of film with heroic elements Epic or EPIC may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and medi ...

record company and in the following year released their only studio release ''Action Replay/Mass Media Meditation''. Despite talent and the intelligent social commentary (notably ''That's Light Entertainment''), Masterswitch only picked up a small

cult following A cult following refers to a group of fans who are highly dedicated to some person, idea, object, movement, or work, often an artist, in particular a performing artist, or an artwork in some medium. The lattermost is often called a cult classic. ...

playing regularly at the

Marquee Club The Marquee Club was a music venue first located at 165 Oxford Street in London, when it opened in 1958 with a range of jazz and skiffle acts. Its most famous period was from 1964 to 1988 at 90 Wardour Street in Soho, and it finally closed whe ...

Soho Soho is an area of the City of Westminster, part of the West End of London. Originally a fashionable district for the aristocracy, it has been one of the main entertainment districts in the capital since the 19th century. The area was develop ...

, London. With

The Clash The Clash were an English rock band formed in London in 1976 who were key players in the original wave of British punk rock. Billed as "The Only Band That Matters", they also contributed to the and new wave movements that emerged in the wa ...

grabbing all attention of

's marketing combined with poor management, Masterswitch split in 1978. Jimmy Edwards and Mark Steed went to record as Jimmy and The Profiles and later Edwards and Ray Simone went on to form Time UK with former

The Jam The Jam were an English mod revival/ punk rock band formed in 1972 at Sheerwater Secondary School in Woking, Surrey. They released 18 consecutive Top 40 singles in the United Kingdom, from their debut in 1977 to their break-up in December 198 ...

drummer Rick Buckler. After three singles they split, although Jimmy and Buckler formed the short-lived band

Sharp Sharp or SHARP may refer to: Acronyms * SHARP (helmet ratings) (Safety Helmet Assessment and Rating Programme), a British motorcycle helmet safety rating scheme * Self Help Addiction Recovery Program, a charitable organisation founded in 199 ...

with Buckler's ex-Jam bandmate Bruce Foxton.

2007–date

Ray Simone, Martin Lee and Dave Sumeray reunited as Woodfog. After a 34-year break, they worked on some new songs and renamed themselves a
The Creatures of Habit
Following a lengthy period of illness, Ray Simone died on 18 June 2012. In 2013, following Simone's death, Lee and Sumeray decided to resurrect Woodfog. They recruited Paul Squires on drums. Edwards died in January 2015. Dave Sumeray and Mart Lee as Creatures of Habit released ''Where Have All The Years Gone?'' Squires has since lef
The Creatures of Habit
and they have recruited a new drummer, Monzur Rahman.

Band members

Formation (1976)

1976–1978

2007–date

References

Further reading