Trapeze were an English
rock
Rock most often refers to:
* Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids
* Rock music, a genre of popular music
Rock or Rocks may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
band from
Cannock
Cannock () is a town in the Cannock Chase district in the county of Staffordshire, England. It had a population of 29,018. Cannock is not far from the nearby towns of Walsall, Burntwood, Stafford and Telford. The cities of Lichfield and Wolverh ...
,
Staffordshire
Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation Staffs.) is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. It borders Cheshire to the northwest, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, Warwickshire to the southeast, the West Midlands Cou ...
. Formed in 1969, the band originally featured former
The Montanas
The Montanas were an English 1960s and 1970s pop rock musical ensemble, band from Wolverhampton, England. Though they never found significant success in their home country, they had one moderate hit in the United States.
The group formed in 1964 ...
members John Jones (trumpet, vocals) and Terry Rowley (keyboards), and former
Finders Keepers
Finders, keepers, sometimes extended as the children's rhyme finders, keepers; losers, weepers, is an English language, English adage with the premise that when something is unowned or abandoned, whoever finds it first can claim it for themself pe ...
members
Glenn Hughes (bass, vocals, piano),
Mel Galley
Melville John Galley (8 March 1948 – 1 July 2008) was an English guitarist, singer and songwriter, best known for his work with Whitesnake, Trapeze, Finders Keepers and Phenomena.
Galley was born in Cannock, Staffordshire, England. While a ...
(guitar, vocals) and
Dave Holland
David “Dave” Holland (born 1 October 1946) is an English jazz double bassist, composer and bandleader who has been performing and recording for five decades. He has lived in the United States for over 40 years.
His extensive discography r ...
(drums). Jones and Rowley left the band following the release of their
self-titled debut album in 1970, with the lineup of Hughes, Galley and Holland continuing as a trio. After the release of ''
Medusa
In Greek mythology, Medusa (; Ancient Greek: Μέδουσα "guardian, protectress"), also called Gorgo, was one of the three monstrous Gorgons, generally described as winged human females with living venomous snakes in place of hair. Those ...
'' later in 1970 and ''
You Are the Music... We're Just the Band'' in 1972, Hughes left Trapeze in 1973 to join
Deep Purple
Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in London in 1968. They are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal music, heavy metal and modern hard rock music, but their musical style has changed over the course of its existence. Ori ...
.
Galley and Holland resurfaced with Trapeze a year later, adding second guitarist Rob Kendrick and bassist Pete Wright to the band. ''
Hot Wire'' was released in late 1974 and a second
self-titled album followed in 1975, after which the classic trio briefly reunited for a tour in 1976 when Hughes returned following Deep Purple's breakup. After Hughes left again, Trapeze returned in 1978 with new frontman
Peter Goalby
Peter may refer to:
People
* List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name
* Peter (given name)
** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church
* Peter (surname), a sur ...
, who performed on the band's final album ''
Hold On
Hold On may refer to:
Music Albums and EPs
* ''Hold On!'' (album), by Herman's Hermits, 1966
* ''Hold On'' (Trapeze album), or the title song, 1978
* ''Hold On'' (High Inergy album), 1980
* ''Hold On'' (Nitty Gritty Dirt Band album), 1987
* ...
''. Several more lineup changes occurred in the following years, including Holland joining
Judas Priest
Judas Priest are an English heavy metal band formed in Birmingham in 1969. They have sold over 50 million albums and are frequently ranked as one of the greatest metal bands of all time. Despite an innovative and pioneering body of work in th ...
in 1979, before the band broke up in 1982 as Galley joined
Whitesnake
Whitesnake are an English hard rock band formed in London in 1978. The group was originally put together as the backing band for singer David Coverdale, who had recently left Deep Purple. Though the band quickly developed into their own entit ...
.
In 1991, Hughes, Galley and Holland reunited Trapeze for a string of tour dates the following year, adding
Asia
Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an area ...
keyboardist
Geoff Downes
Geoffrey Downes (born 25 August 1952) is an English keyboardist who gained fame as a member of the new wave group The Buggles with Trevor Horn, the progressive rock band Yes, and the supergroup Asia.
Born in Stockport, Downes moved to London ...
for the shows. The tour resulted in a live album, ''
Welcome to the Real World: Live at the Borderline'', which was released in 1998. The trio revived Trapeze again in 1994 with second guitarist Craig Erickson, completing a brief tour early in the year before permanently disbanding.
Following the band's breakup, both Galley and Holland remained relatively inactive, while Hughes continued with his solo career and collaborations with various artists. Galley died of oesophageal cancer on 1 July 2008, and Holland died of lung cancer on 16 January 2018, leaving Hughes the sole surviving member of the classic line-up.
History
1969–1973: Formation and early releases
Trapeze formed in March 1969, with the original lineup featuring former
The Montanas
The Montanas were an English 1960s and 1970s pop rock musical ensemble, band from Wolverhampton, England. Though they never found significant success in their home country, they had one moderate hit in the United States.
The group formed in 1964 ...
members John Jones (trumpet, vocals) and Terry Rowley (keyboards, guitar, flute), along with former
Finders Keepers
Finders, keepers, sometimes extended as the children's rhyme finders, keepers; losers, weepers, is an English language, English adage with the premise that when something is unowned or abandoned, whoever finds it first can claim it for themself pe ...
members
Glenn Hughes (bass, vocals, piano)
Mel Galley
Melville John Galley (8 March 1948 – 1 July 2008) was an English guitarist, singer and songwriter, best known for his work with Whitesnake, Trapeze, Finders Keepers and Phenomena.
Galley was born in Cannock, Staffordshire, England. While a ...
(guitar, vocals) and
Dave Holland
David “Dave” Holland (born 1 October 1946) is an English jazz double bassist, composer and bandleader who has been performing and recording for five decades. He has lived in the United States for over 40 years.
His extensive discography r ...
(drums).
One of the band's early performances was filmed for an appearance on the
BBC2
BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, with a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream an ...
show ''
Colour Me Pop
''Colour Me Pop'' was a British music TV programme
broadcast on BBC2 from 1968–1969. It was a spin-off from the BBC 2 arts magazine show '' Late Night Line-Up''. Designed to celebrate the new introduction of colour to British television, i ...
'', recorded on 5 July 1969 at Club Lafayette in
Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton () is a city, metropolitan borough and administrative centre in the West Midlands, England. The population size has increased by 5.7%, from around 249,500 in 2011 to 263,700 in 2021. People from the city are called "Wulfrunian ...
, at which they performed the song "Send Me No More Letters". Local promoter Tony Perry described the show as "one of the most outstanding nights at the
enue, praising the band's performance as "fantastic". Later in the year, Trapeze signed as the first act on
Threshold Records
Threshold Records was a record label created by the rock music group the Moody Blues. The name of the label came from their 1969 album ''On the Threshold of a Dream''.
The band formed this label to allow for artistically packaged gatefold covers ...
, a record label founded by
The Moody Blues
The Moody Blues were an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1964, initially consisting of keyboardist Mike Pinder, multi-instrumentalist Ray Thomas, guitarist Denny Laine, drummer Graeme Edge and bassist Clint Warwick. The group came to ...
and distributed in the United States by
London Records
London Recordings (or London Records and London Music Stream) is a British record label that marketed records in the United States, Canada, and Latin America for Decca Records from 1947 to 1980 before becoming semi-independent. The London nam ...
and elsewhere by
Decca Records
Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis (Decca), Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934 by Lewis, Jack Kapp, American Decca's first president, and Milton Rackmil, who later became American ...
.
The band reportedly declined an offer to join
Apple Records
Apple Records is a record label founded by the Beatles in 1968 as a division of Apple Corps Ltd. It was initially intended as a creative outlet for the Beatles, both as a group and individually, plus a selection of other artists including Mar ...
, the label founded by
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...
, as they believed that they would have more creative freedom with Threshold.
![JohnLodge](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a4/JohnLodge.jpg)
Working with The Moody Blues bassist
John Lodge as producer, Trapeze recorded their
self-titled debut album at London's
Morgan Studios
Morgan Studios (founded as Morgan Sound Studios) was an independent recording studio in Willesden in northwest London. Founded in 1967, the studio was the location for recordings by such notable artists as Jethro Tull, the Kinks, Paul McCartney, ...
and
Decca Studios
Decca Studios was a recording facility at 165 Broadhurst Gardens, West Hampstead, North London, England, controlled by Decca Records from 1937 to 1980. The building was once West Hampstead Town Hall, and had been converted to a recording studio b ...
. Despite Jones being the band's official lead singer, Hughes performed all vocals on the release. Hughes has revealed that he was asked to sing on the album by the group's management, who deemed him to be the better of the two vocalists. Before the end of the year, the Rowley composition "Send Me No More Letters" was released as the band's first
single
Single may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Single (music), a song release
Songs
* "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004
* "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008
* "Single" (William Wei song), 2016
* "Single", by ...
, backed with "Another Day" (written by Galley, Hughes and Jones).
''Trapeze'' was released in May 1970. The album was generally well received by critics – ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
'' magazine described it as featuring "a strong rock personality" and dubbed it "a candidate for big chart action", while journalist
Nigel Williamson
Nigel Williamson (born 1954) is a British journalist.
Biography
Educated at University College London, Williamson worked as a reporter on ''Tribune'' (1982–84) and was then briefly its literary editor (1984) before becoming editor (1984 ...
hailed it as "a classic period example of English prog, mixing pastoral whimsy, swirling psychedelia, rock guitars and pop harmonies".
It also received significant airplay on
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance, ...
from DJs such as
Bob Harris and
Pete Drummond
Peter Drummond-Hay (born 29 July 1943), known professionally as Pete Drummond, is a British voice artist and former BBC and pirate radio disc jockey and announcer.
Biography
Early years and pirate radio
He was born in Bangor, Wales. His pare ...
,
and was played in full by the station.
''Trapeze'' was promoted on a string of shows in the UK between January and July.
In August 1970, Jones and Rowley left Trapeze,
returning to The Montanas.
Rather than replacing the departed members, Hughes, Galley and Holland continued as a
power trio
A power trio is a rock and roll band format having a lineup of electric guitar, bass guitar and drum kit (drums and cymbals), leaving out a second rhythm guitar or keyboard instrument that are often used in other rock music bands that are quartet ...
, adopting a style more akin to
hard rock
Hard rock or heavy rock is a loosely defined subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the garage, psychedelic and blues rock movements. Some of the earliest hard ...
and
funk rock
Funk rock is a fusion genre that mixes elements of funk and rock. James Brown and others declared that Little Richard and his mid-1950s road band, The Upsetters, were the first to put the funk in the rock and roll beat, with a biographer sta ...
.
On 13 November 1970, the band released their second album ''
Medusa
In Greek mythology, Medusa (; Ancient Greek: Μέδουσα "guardian, protectress"), also called Gorgo, was one of the three monstrous Gorgons, generally described as winged human females with living venomous snakes in place of hair. Those ...
'' in the UK,
which was issued in the US in March 1971. Produced again by Lodge, the album has since been highlighted by multiple critics as the band's best release, as well as one of the decade's most underrated hard rock albums. Writing in the booklet for a 1994 reissue of the album, author John Tracy claimed that ''Medusa'' was "greeted with instant, and seemingly universal, acclaim".
Ultimate Classic Rock writer Eduardo Rivadavia credited the album for contributing to the early development of the
heavy metal genre in 1970. "Black Cloud", written by Galley with brother Tom, was issued in the US as the only single from the album backed with "Your Love Is Alright", written by the three band members.
Trapeze toured extensively in promotion of ''Medusa'', primarily in the US, including a stint in December 1970 supporting The Moody Blues and numerous headline tours throughout 1971,
before releasing their third album ''
You Are the Music... We're Just the Band'' on 1 December 1972.
The album was primarily written by Hughes (three tracks were written by the Galley brothers), produced by Neil Slaven, and featured a number of guest contributors including
Rod Argent
Rodney Terence Argent (born 14 June 1945) is an English musician, singer, songwriter, composer, and record producer. In a career spanning more than 50 years, Argent came to prominence in the mid 1960s as the keyboardist, founder and leader of the ...
on piano and
B. J. Cole on steel guitar.
The album marked an increase in softer, more melodic songs since ''Medusa'', which were praised as highlights of the collection by multiple reviewers.
''Billboard'' dubbed the album a "fine set",
while Tracy described it as "a masterpiece".
''You Are the Music... We're Just the Band'' was the first Trapeze album to chart, peaking at number 9 on the US ''Billboard'' Bubbling Under chart, which acts as an extension to the
''Billboard'' 200. The band toured throughout late 1972 and early 1973 in promotion of the album, including dates in the US and the UK.
Prior to a show at the
Village East in December 1972, the band's equipment was stolen and they were forced to play using "hastily rented equipment".
1973–1976: Hughes's departure and return
![Glenn hughes](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9c/Glenn_hughes.jpg)
In April 1973,
Deep Purple
Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in London in 1968. They are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal music, heavy metal and modern hard rock music, but their musical style has changed over the course of its existence. Ori ...
members
Ritchie Blackmore
Richard Hugh Blackmore (born 14 April 1945) is an English guitarist and songwriter. He was a founding member of Deep Purple in 1968, playing jam-style hard rock music that mixed guitar riffs and organ sounds. He is prolific in creating guitar ...
,
Jon Lord
John Douglas Lord (9 June 194116 July 2012) was an English orchestral and rock composer, pianist, and Hammond organ player known for his pioneering work in fusing rock with classical or baroque forms, especially with the British rock band Deep ...
and
Ian Paice
Ian Anderson Paice (born 29 June 1948) is an English musician, best known as the drummer and last remaining original member of the rock band Deep Purple.
He is often cited as one of the greatest drummers of all-time. He remains the only member ...
attended a Trapeze show at the
Whisky a Go Go
The Whisky a Go Go (informally nicknamed "the Whisky") is a historic nightclub in West Hollywood, California, United States. It is located at 8901 Sunset Boulevard on the Sunset Strip, corner North Clark Street, opposite North San Vicente Boul ...
in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
,
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
, with a view to asking Hughes to replace bassist
Roger Glover
Roger David Glover (born 30 November 1945) is a Welsh bassist, songwriter, and record producer. He is best known as the member of the hard rock bands Deep Purple and Rainbow. As a member of Deep Purple, Glover was inducted into the Rock and Ro ...
in the band. When approached at another show the following month, Hughes declined the invitation in favour of remaining with Trapeze, claiming that he was "in a very, very different frame of mind as a musician" at the time and dubbing Deep Purple "too basic rock for me".
However, due to the high-profile status of the group at the time, combined with the prospect of working with former
Free
Free may refer to:
Concept
* Freedom, having the ability to do something, without having to obey anyone/anything
* Freethought, a position that beliefs should be formed only on the basis of logic, reason, and empiricism
* Emancipate, to procur ...
frontman
Paul Rodgers
Paul Rodgers (born 17 December 1949) is a British singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He was the lead vocalist of numerous bands, including Free, Bad Company, The Firm, and The Law. He has also performed as a solo artist, and co ...
, who had been approached to replace vocalist
Ian Gillan
Ian Gillan (born 19 August 1945) is a British singer who is best known as the lead singer and lyricist for the rock band Deep Purple. He is known for his powerful and wide-ranging singing voice.
Initially influenced by Elvis Presley, Gillan ...
, Hughes reconsidered and agreed to join the band as bassist and second vocalist. The lineup change was officially announced in the music magazine ''
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 ...
'' on 14 July 1973. Rodgers ultimately passed on the opportunity to join, focusing instead on the formation of
Bad Company
Bad Company are an English rock supergroup that was formed in 1973 by singer Paul Rodgers, guitarist Mick Ralphs, drummer Simon Kirke and bassist Boz Burrell.Bad Company ''AllMusic'' Peter Grant, who managed the rock band Led Zeppelin, also ...
.
David Coverdale
David Coverdale (born 22 September 1951) is an English singer who is best known as the lead vocalist of Whitesnake, a hard rock band he founded in 1978. Before Whitesnake, Coverdale was the lead singer of Deep Purple from 1973 to 1976, after wh ...
was brought in as Gillan's replacement later, after contacting the group in response to the ''Melody Maker'' article, which mentioned that they were still looking for a new singer. Hughes has since described the choice to leave Trapeze as a "horrible" one to make, dubbing the band his "family" and claiming in multiple interviews that to some extent he regrets leaving.
[Archived a]
Ghostarchive
and th
Wayback Machine
After a brief hiatus, Trapeze returned in 1974 with Galley on lead vocals, adding second guitarist Rob Kendrick and bassist Pete Wright to their lineup.
In July it was announced that the band had signed with
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Records Inc. (formerly Warner Bros. Records Inc.) is an American record label. A subsidiary of the Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division of the ...
, with a new album slated for release later in the year. Threshold issued the band's first compilation album ''
The Final Swing'' in October, which featured tracks from their first three albums as well as the previously unreleased "Good Love" and "Dats It".
The album was the band's first to chart, entering the US ''Billboard'' 200 at number 184 and peaking at number 172. December saw the release of the band's fourth studio album ''
Hot Wire'', which peaked at number 146 on the ''Billboard'' 200, number 153 on the ''
Cash Box
''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', was an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...
'' albums chart, and number 161 on the ''
Record World
''Record World'' magazine was one of the three main music industry trade magazines in the United States, along with '' Billboard'' and '' Cashbox''. It was founded in 1946 under the name ''Music Vendor'', but in 1964 it was changed to ''Record Wo ...
'' albums chart in early 1975. Former keyboardist Terry Rowley was also featured as a guest contributor on the album, performing synthesizers, organ, electric piano and backing vocals. Rowley remained in the touring lineup of the band for the ''Hot Wire'' cycle and featured on the album ''
Live at the Boat Club 1975
''Live at the Boat Club'' is an album by the British rock band Trapeze.
Recorded on 13 September 1975 live at the Boat Club in Nottingham for a UK live radio broadcast featuring tracks from their four mid-1970s albums ''Medusa'' (1970), '' You A ...
'', although again not credited as a group member.
Later in 1975, Trapeze released a second
self-titled album, on which Hughes returned to perform vocals on two tracks.
''Billboard'' praised ''Trapeze'' as an example of "tight, cooking, soul-tinged hard rock", although
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
's Dave Thompson criticised it as "a dour little disc, desperately missing the funk infusions of Glenn Hughes and, for the most part, overshadowed even by its disappointing predecessor". Galley and Holland briefly took a break from Trapeze in November to complete a British concert tour with
Justin Hayward
David Justin Hayward (born 14 October 1946) is an English musician best known as the lead singer, songwriter and guitarist of the rock band the Moody Blues. Hayward became the group's principal lead guitarist and vocalist over the 1967–1974 ...
and John Lodge, in promotion of their collaboration album ''
Blue Jays'', released earlier in the year. The following year, after Deep Purple broke up, Hughes temporarily reunited the classic trio of Trapeze for The Appreciation Tour, which was scheduled to visit the US in August and the UK in September. After a short run of US dates, Hughes left again due to off-stage problems caused by drug abuse, particularly
cocaine
Cocaine (from , from , ultimately from Quechuan languages, Quechua: ''kúka'') is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant mainly recreational drug use, used recreationally for its euphoria, euphoric effects. It is primarily obtained from t ...
.
Speaking about the brief reunion in 2007, Galley recalled that Hughes "wasn't in a good state of mind at the time", suggesting that "if we could have carried the electricity of those shows on, we could have known no bounds". Similarly, the band's manager Tony Perry has recalled that Hughes "
admajor problems at the time and was very difficult to deal with", adding that he and the other members of the band had discussed the possibility of firing and replacing him during the tour.
During their reunion, the trio also recorded a number of new songs, including "L.A. Cut Off" and "Space High", both of which were later released on Hughes's debut solo album ''
Play Me Out'' in 1977.
1978–1982: Later years and disbandment
After Hughes left the band for a second time, Trapeze returned in 1978 with new frontman
Peter Goalby
Peter may refer to:
People
* List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name
* Peter (given name)
** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church
* Peter (surname), a sur ...
and Wright returning on bass.
Signing a deal with newly formed label Aura Records, the band released their final studio album ''
Hold On
Hold On may refer to:
Music Albums and EPs
* ''Hold On!'' (album), by Herman's Hermits, 1966
* ''Hold On'' (Trapeze album), or the title song, 1978
* ''Hold On'' (High Inergy album), 1980
* ''Hold On'' (Nitty Gritty Dirt Band album), 1987
* ...
'' in late 1979, produced by
Jimmy Miller
James Miller (March 23, 1942 – October 22, 1994) was an American record producer and musician. While he produced albums for dozens of different bands and artists, he is most closely associated for his work with several key musical acts of t ...
.
The album, initially released in Germany in 1978 under the title ''Running'' with a different track listing, was hailed by ''
Sounds
In physics, sound is a vibration that propagates as an acoustic wave, through a transmission medium such as a gas, liquid or solid.
In human physiology and psychology, sound is the ''reception'' of such waves and their ''perception'' by the ...
'' magazine's Graham Neale as the culmination of the band's "obvious regenerated enthusiasm" following recent challenges, while Galley presented it as an evolution in the band's sound and style of songwriting.
The album received a positive review from ''Billboard'' magazine, which described it as "a noticeably strong ... LP that takes its strength from the tight vocal harmonies and solid original material", suggesting that "Several of the songs included here could become
AOR staples". AllMusic's Steve Huey hailed ''Hold On'' as "quite possibly
rapezes best" album, while his colleague Joe Viglione praised it for its songwriting and production qualities.
![Whitesnake1983](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4b/Whitesnake1983.jpg)
In August 1979, Holland left Trapeze to join heavy metal band
Judas Priest
Judas Priest are an English heavy metal band formed in Birmingham in 1969. They have sold over 50 million albums and are frequently ranked as one of the greatest metal bands of all time. Despite an innovative and pioneering body of work in th ...
.
He was replaced later by Steve Bray as the band continued to tour in support of ''Hold On'', including dates with
Humble Pie
Humble Pie are an English rock band formed by guitarist and singer Steve Marriott in Moreton, Essex, in 1969. They are known as one of the first supergroups of the late 1960s and found success in the early 1970s with songs such as " Black Cof ...
and a stint supporting Scottish band
Nazareth
Nazareth ( ; ar, النَّاصِرَة, ''an-Nāṣira''; he, נָצְרַת, ''Nāṣəraṯ''; arc, ܢܨܪܬ, ''Naṣrath'') is the largest city in the Northern District of Israel. Nazareth is known as "the Arab capital of Israel". In ...
alongside Swiss group
Krokus.
The band released their first live album ''
Live in Texas: Dead Armadillos'' in 1981, which was recorded on the resulting tour in May 1981. By the time the album was released, Goalby had left Trapeze to join
Uriah Heep.
Mervyn Spence
Merv "Spam" Spence is a Northern Irish musician and producer, best known for his work with Wishbone Ash and Trapeze.
Musical career
Spence moved to Staffordshire from Ireland in the late 1970s, and began playing with bands such as ''The Jury' ...
(bass, lead vocals) and Richard Bailey (keyboards) joined the band later in the year, and in 1982 Bray was replaced by
Kex Gorin
Magnum are an English hard rock band. They were formed in Birmingham by Tony Clarkin (guitar, songwriter) and Bob Catley (vocals) in order to appear as the resident band at the Rum Runner nightclub in the city. Magnum have undergone several ...
.
Trapeze officially came to an end in late 1982, when Galley joined a new lineup of
Whitesnake
Whitesnake are an English hard rock band formed in London in 1978. The group was originally put together as the backing band for singer David Coverdale, who had recently left Deep Purple. Though the band quickly developed into their own entit ...
in time for the Saints & Sinners Tour, which commenced in October. The final lineup of Trapeze had begun recording material for a potential new album before Galley left, with the material later adapted for Whitesnake and
Phenomena
A phenomenon ( : phenomena) is an observable event. The term came into its modern philosophical usage through Immanuel Kant, who contrasted it with the noumenon, which ''cannot'' be directly observed. Kant was heavily influenced by Gottfried W ...
, a project started by Tom Galley.
1991–1994: Reunions and live releases
Hughes, Galley and Holland revived Trapeze in 1991 for a concert tour featuring keyboardist
Geoff Downes
Geoffrey Downes (born 25 August 1952) is an English keyboardist who gained fame as a member of the new wave group The Buggles with Trevor Horn, the progressive rock band Yes, and the supergroup Asia.
Born in Stockport, Downes moved to London ...
.
On 20 March 1992 they supported
Fish
Fish are aquatic, craniate, gill-bearing animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish as well as various extinct related groups. Approximately 95% of li ...
at
Hammersmith Apollo
The Hammersmith Apollo, currently called the Eventim Apollo for sponsorship reasons, and formerly known as the Hammersmith Odeon, is a live entertainment performance venue, originally built as a cinema called the Gaumont Palace. Located in Ham ...
. In May 1992, the band recorded the live album ''
Welcome to the Real World: Live at the Borderline'', which was released in 1998. Another live album, ''Live: Way Back to the Bone'', was released the same year, featuring recordings from earlier in the band's career. The trio reunited again in 1993, recording a number of demos for a planned future release.
On 9 February 1994, the band performed at the
Irving Plaza
Irving Plaza (known through sponsorship as Irving Plaza, powered by Klipsch and formerly known as the Fillmore New York at Irving Plaza) is a ballroom-style music venue located within the Union Square neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. ...
in New York City as part of a concert dedicated to vocalist
Ray Gillen
Raymond Arthur Gillen (May 12, 1959 – December 1, 1993) was an American rock singer. He is best known for his work with Badlands, in addition to his stint with Black Sabbath in the mid-1980s and recording most of the vocals on Phenomena's '' ...
, who had died on 1 December 1993. This was followed later in the year by a short string of shows in the US and the UK, which Hughes described as a "wonderful run" and a "great experience".
The trio were joined for the shows by second guitarist Craig Erickson.
''
Live at the Boat Club 1975
''Live at the Boat Club'' is an album by the British rock band Trapeze.
Recorded on 13 September 1975 live at the Boat Club in Nottingham for a UK live radio broadcast featuring tracks from their four mid-1970s albums ''Medusa'' (1970), '' You A ...
'' was released in 2006, before Galley died on 1 July 2008, ending any future chance of the band returning again.
Nearly a decade later, Holland died on 16 January 2018, which now leaves Hughes the sole surviving member of the trio.
Band members
Discography
Studio albums
*''
Trapeze
A trapeze is a short horizontal bar hung by ropes or metal straps from a ceiling support. It is an aerial apparatus commonly found in circus performances. Trapeze acts may be static, spinning (rigged from a single point), swinging or flying, an ...
'' (1970)
*''
Medusa
In Greek mythology, Medusa (; Ancient Greek: Μέδουσα "guardian, protectress"), also called Gorgo, was one of the three monstrous Gorgons, generally described as winged human females with living venomous snakes in place of hair. Those ...
'' (1970)
*''
You Are the Music...We're Just the Band'' (1972)
*''
Hot Wire'' (1974)
*''
Trapeze
A trapeze is a short horizontal bar hung by ropes or metal straps from a ceiling support. It is an aerial apparatus commonly found in circus performances. Trapeze acts may be static, spinning (rigged from a single point), swinging or flying, an ...
'' (1975)
*''
Hold On
Hold On may refer to:
Music Albums and EPs
* ''Hold On!'' (album), by Herman's Hermits, 1966
* ''Hold On'' (Trapeze album), or the title song, 1978
* ''Hold On'' (High Inergy album), 1980
* ''Hold On'' (Nitty Gritty Dirt Band album), 1987
* ...
'' (1979) / ''
Running
Running is a method of terrestrial locomotion allowing humans and other animals to move rapidly on foot. Running is a type of gait characterized by an aerial phase in which all feet are above the ground (though there are exceptions). This is ...
'' (1978, Germany)
Live albums
*''
Live in Texas: Dead Armadillos'' (1981)
*''
Welcome to the Real World: Live at the Borderline'' (1993)
*''Live: Way Back to the Bone'' (1998)
*''
Live at the Boat Club 1975
''Live at the Boat Club'' is an album by the British rock band Trapeze.
Recorded on 13 September 1975 live at the Boat Club in Nottingham for a UK live radio broadcast featuring tracks from their four mid-1970s albums ''Medusa'' (1970), '' You A ...
'' (2006)
*''Live In Houston 1972'' (2021) - RSD release vinyl only 2lp
Compilations
*''
The Final Swing'' (1974)
*''
Way Back to the Bone'' (1986)
*''
High Flyers: The Best of Trapeze'' (1996)
*''
On the Highwire'' (2003)
Singles
*"Send Me No More Letters" (1969)
*"Black Cloud" (1970)
*"Coast to Coast" (1972)
*"On the Sunny Side of the Street" (1975)
*"Don't Ask Me How I Know" (1979)
*"Running Away" (1980)
References
External links
Trapeze historyon the
Glenn Hughes official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Trapeze
1969 establishments in England
1994 disestablishments in England
English rock music groups
English hard rock musical groups
Musical groups established in 1969
Musical groups disestablished in 1982
Musical groups reestablished in 1991
Musical groups disestablished in 1992
Musical groups reestablished in 1993
Musical groups disestablished in 1994
Warner Records artists