Savoy Brown (originally Savoy Brown Blues Band) were an English
blues rock
Blues rock is a fusion music genre that combines elements of blues and rock music. It is mostly an electric ensemble-style music with instrumentation similar to electric blues and rock (electric guitar, electric bass guitar, and drums, sometimes w ...
band
formed in
Battersea
Battersea is a large district in south London, part of the London Borough of Wandsworth, England. It is centred southwest of Charing Cross and extends along the south bank of the River Thames. It includes the Battersea Park.
History
Batter ...
, south west London,
in 1965. Part of the late 1960s
blues rock
Blues rock is a fusion music genre that combines elements of blues and rock music. It is mostly an electric ensemble-style music with instrumentation similar to electric blues and rock (electric guitar, electric bass guitar, and drums, sometimes w ...
movement, Savoy Brown primarily achieved success in the United States, where they promoted their albums with non-stop
touring. Founder, guitarist and primary songwriter
Kim Simmonds was the sole constant member of the band from its formation in 1965 until his death in 2022.
Career
The band was formed by guitarist
Kim Simmonds and harmonica player John O'Leary, following a chance meeting at Transat Imports record shop in Lisle Street,
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 ...
, in 1965. In naming themselves, the group put together two words that conveyed an interesting balance of opposite sentiments and approaches. The word "Savoy" came from an American blues label,
Savoy Records
Savoy Records is an American record company and label established by Herman Lubinsky in 1942 in Newark, New Jersey. Savoy specialized in jazz, rhythm and blues, and gospel music.
In September 2017, Savoy was acquired by Concord Bicycle Music.
...
, as the members of the band thought the word "Savoy" sounded elegant. They added “Brown” because they thought it was an extremely plain word. Overall, the group called itself the Savoy Brown Blues Band to tell listeners that they played
Chicago Blues
Chicago blues is a form of blues music developed in Chicago, Illinois. It is based on earlier blues idioms, such as Delta blues, but performed in an urban style. It developed alongside the Great Migration of the first half of the twentieth cent ...
-sounding music.
The original line-up included singer Brice Portius, keyboardist Trevor Jeavons, bassist Ray Chappell, drummer Leo Manning and harmonica player John O'Leary (O'Leary appeared on record with the band on its initial recordings for
Mike Vernon's Purdah label). Portius was one of the first black blues musicians to be a part of a British rock band. Jeavons was replaced by
Bob Hall shortly after the band's formation and the arrival of
Martin Stone on guitars. Not long after Stone's arrival, O'Leary left the band as a consequence of a dispute with Manager Harry Simmonds. This line-up, sans O'Leary, appeared on the band's 1967 debut album, ''
Shake Down,'' a collection of blues
covers.
Further line-up changes ensued, with founding members Portius, Chappell and Manning departing along with recently recruited guitarist Stone over a short period of time.
Chris Youlden
Christopher Thomas Youlden (born 1 January 1943, Dagenham, England) is an English blues singer. He worked with the British blues band Savoy Brown from 1967 until 1970. He has since released several solo albums.
His albums with Savoy Brown are "G ...
and "Lonesome"
Dave Peverett
David Jack Peverett (16 April 1943 – 7 February 2000), also known as Lonesome Dave, was an English singer and musician, best known as the original lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the rock band Foghat, which he founded following his tenur ...
would become the band's new vocalist and 2nd guitarist respectively. Initially
Bob Brunning
Robert Brunning (29 June 1943 – 18 October 2011) was a British musician who was, as a small part of a long musical career, the original bass guitar player with the blues rock band Fleetwood Mac.
Career
Fleetwood Mac
When Peter Green left ...
and
Hughie Flint
Hughie Flint (born 15 March 1940, Manchester, Lancashire) is an English drummer, known for his stint in John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers, for his group McGuinness Flint in the early 1970s and for his subsequent association with The Blues Ba ...
(from
John Mayall
John Mayall, OBE (born 29 November 1933) is an English blues singer, musician and songwriter, whose musical career spans over sixty years. In the 1960s, he was the founder of John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers, a band that has counted among it ...
's Clapton-version
Bluesbreakers
John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers are an English blues rock band led by singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist John Mayall. While never producing a hit of their own, the band has been influential as an incubator for British rock and blues ...
) filled the bassist and drummer positions on the single "Taste and Try (Before You Buy)," but they were subsequently replaced by
Rivers Jobe
Rivers Jobe (1950 – 1979), born Rivers Maitland Alexander Job, was a British bass player known for being a member of Anon, one of the two bands which merged to form the progressive rock band Genesis; and for playing on the Savoy Brown album, ...
and
Bill Bruford
William Scott Bruford (born 17 May 1949) is an English former drummer and percussionist who first gained prominence as a founding member of the progressive rock band Yes. After leaving Yes in 1972, Bruford spent the rest of the 1970s recording ...
. Within a fortnight of Bruford's arrival in the band, he had been replaced by
Roger Earl
Roger Earl (born 16 May 1946) is an English drummer best known as a member of the rock band Foghat. A founding member, along with guitarist and vocalist "Lonesome" Dave Peverett, guitarist Rod Price, and bassist Tony Stevens, Earl is the onl ...
(Bruford went on to huge success later as
Yes's drummer). This line-up recorded two albums in 1968, ''
Getting to the Point,'' and ''
Blue Matter,'' which demonstrated Youlden's rise as a songwriter alongside Simmonds. It was this line-up that released the single "Train to Nowhere" in 1969. ''
A Step Further
''A Step Further'' is the fourth album by the band Savoy Brown. It was released by Decca in the U.K. and by Parrot in the U.S. in September 1969. This is the last album recorded with long time pianist Bob Hall. The album track "Made Up My Mind" ...
'' was released later that year, and introduced bassist
Tony Stevens
Tony Stevens (born 12 September 1949) is an English musician, best known as the bassist with the bands Foghat, Savoy Brown, and Nobody's Business.
Career
Stevens joined the British blues-rock band Savoy Brown in 1968, and contributed to ...
replacing Jobe. They developed a loyal core following in the United States, due to songs such as "I'm Tired," a driving, melodic song from the album.
Following the release of ''
Raw Sienna'' (also released in 1969) Youlden departed the band. ''Raw Sienna'' had marked the first time that a single line-up of the band had recorded successive albums without any changes in personnel. The band recorded their next album, 1970's ''
Looking In
''Looking In'' is the sixth album by the British blues band Savoy Brown. The album featured "Lonesome" Dave Peverett on vocals after Chris Youlden left the band the previous spring. Leader/guitarist Kim Simmonds would be the only band member to ...
,'' as a four-piece, and following this album Peverett, Stevens, and Earl left to form
Foghat
Foghat are an English rock band formed in London in 1971. The band is known for the use of electric slide guitar in its music. The band has achieved eight gold records, one platinum and one double platinum record, and despite several line-up ...
with guitarist
Rod Price
Roderick Michael Price (22 November 1947 – 22 March 2005) was an English guitarist best known for his work with the rock band Foghat. He was known as 'The Magician of Slide', 'The Bottle', and 'Slide King of Rock and Roll', due to his slide g ...
.
Simmonds continued the band with
Dave Walker
David Walker (born 25 January 1945) is a British singer and guitarist who has been front-man for a number of bands; most notably The Idle Race, Savoy Brown and Humble Pie, he also served briefly with Fleetwood Mac and Black Sabbath.
Histor ...
on vocals,
Paul Raymond on keyboards and guitars,
Andy Silvester
Andrew Frederick Silvester (born 16 June 1947, Kidderminster, Worcestershire, England) is a British bassist and multi-instrumentalist. Silvester has played in various bands during his career, most notably as co-founder of both Chicken Shack and ...
on bass, and Dave Bidwell on drums – almost the complete
Chicken Shack
Chicken Shack are a British blues band, founded in the mid-1960s by Stan Webb (guitar and vocals), Andy Silvester (bass guitar), and Alan Morley (drums), who were later joined by Christine Perfect (later McVie) (vocals and keyboards) in 1967. ...
line up.
They were one of the bands that UK
Decca Decca may refer to:
Music
* Decca Records or Decca Music Group, a record label
* Decca Gold, a classical music record label owned by Universal Music Group
* Decca Broadway, a musical theater record label
* Decca Studios, a recording facility in W ...
(US London/Parrot) stuck with through the lean times until they started selling records; it took four or five albums until they started to sell in the US. In the late 1960s and 1970s, the band managed to break into the
''Billboard'' Hot 100. The 1971 release ''
Street Corner Talking
''Street Corner Talking'' is the seventh studio album by the English blues rock band Savoy Brown. Released by Parrot Records in 1971 (PAS 71047), it was the first album released after the departure of guitarist Lonesome Dave, drummer Roger ...
'' included the songs "Tell Mama" and "Street Corner Talking". Superstardom perpetually evaded them, though, perhaps in part because of their frequent line-up changes. Despite that their next album, ''
Hellbound Train'' (1972) was a
Top 40
In the music industry, the Top 40 is the current, 40 most-popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "Top 40" or " con ...
album for them in the US. In January 1974, the British music magazine, ''
NME
''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...
'' reported that
Stan Webb was joining Savoy Brown, following the break-up of
Chicken Shack
Chicken Shack are a British blues band, founded in the mid-1960s by Stan Webb (guitar and vocals), Andy Silvester (bass guitar), and Alan Morley (drums), who were later joined by Christine Perfect (later McVie) (vocals and keyboards) in 1967. ...
.
In the late 1970s, Simmonds organised the band with singer Ralph Morman, formerly of the
Joe Perry Project
The Joe Perry Project is an American rock band formed by Aerosmith lead guitarist Joe Perry. Perry formed the band shortly before his departure from Aerosmith in 1979. The Joe Perry Project signed a record deal almost immediately after Perry's e ...
, drummer Keith Boyce and guitarist Barry Paul of
Heavy Metal Kids
Heavy Metal Kids are a British rock band.
History Early years (1973–1985)
Heavy Metal Kids were formed in 1972 by the merger of two previous bands: Heaven and Biggles. They took their name from a gang of street kids, featured in the nove ...
fame, and bassist
John Humphrey. This line-up recorded the 1981 ''Rock 'N' Roll Warriors'' album, which gave Savoy Brown more success than the group had seen since the mid-1970s. The single "
Run to Me", a cover of a song originally recorded by
Smokie, became Savoy's highest-charting single in the United States, peaking at number 68 on the
''Billboard'' Hot 100 on the week of 31 October 1981.
That year found the band performing several major arena shows in the US alongside
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 ...
, and recording a live album at the
Rainbow Music Hall The Rainbow Music Hall was a 1,485-capacity music venue located in Denver, Colorado at the intersection of Monaco and Evans. The venue opened in 1979 by concert promoter Barry Fey and closed in 1989. Many famous artists performed at the Rainbow Mus ...
in Denver. ''Greatest Hits – Live in Concert'' was released at the end of the year, featuring "Run to Me" as the sole studio track, as the single had appeared previously only on the German version of ''Rock 'N' Roll Warriors''. Despite the success of this line-up, Simmonds was once again on his own by the Spring of 1982.
Singer
Dave Walker
David Walker (born 25 January 1945) is a British singer and guitarist who has been front-man for a number of bands; most notably The Idle Race, Savoy Brown and Humble Pie, he also served briefly with Fleetwood Mac and Black Sabbath.
Histor ...
returned to the group in the late 1980s and recorded two studio albums and one live album as lead vocalist, but left the group for a second time in 1991. All three of these projects featuring Walker were well received by longtime fans. During the 1990s Simmonds continued working with various line-ups of the band, including a brief stint with future
Molly Hatchet
Molly Hatchet is an American rock band formed in 1971 by guitarist Dave Hlubek in Jacksonville, Florida. They were a popular band during the late 1970s and early-to-mid 1980s among the southern rock and hard rock communities. The band released ...
lead singer Phil McCormack.
During the band's active years, they toured the world and recorded regularly, with only Simmonds since its beginning.
Original member and harmonica player John O'Leary is still active on the British blues circuit with his band Sugarkane. After leaving Savoy Brown for the first time in the 1970s singer
Dave Walker
David Walker (born 25 January 1945) is a British singer and guitarist who has been front-man for a number of bands; most notably The Idle Race, Savoy Brown and Humble Pie, he also served briefly with Fleetwood Mac and Black Sabbath.
Histor ...
joined
Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac are a British-American rock band, formed in London in 1967. Fleetwood Mac were founded by guitarist Peter Green, drummer Mick Fleetwood and guitarist Jeremy Spencer, before bassist John McVie joined the line-up for their epony ...
for one album, and in early 1978 became the temporary lead singer for
Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath were an English rock music, rock band formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward (musician), Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. They are often cited as pioneers of heavy met ...
.
Bassists have included:
Andy Pyle, who played with
Mick Abrahams
Michael Timothy Abrahams (born 7 April 1943) is an English guitarist and band leader, best known for being the original guitarist for Jethro Tull from 1967 to 1968 and the frontman for Blodwyn Pig.
Jethro Tull
Abrahams was born in Luton, B ...
from
Jethro Tull in
Blodwyn Pig
Blodwyn Pig was a British blues rock band, founded in 1968 by guitarist–vocalist–songwriter Mick Abrahams.
Career
Abrahams left Jethro Tull after their debut album, '' This Was'', was released, due to a falling-out with Tull vocalist Ian A ...
, then later with
The Kinks
The Kinks were an English rock band formed in Muswell Hill, north London, in 1963 by brothers Ray and Dave Davies. They are regarded as one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s. The band emerged during the height of British rhythm ...
;
John Humphrey, who would go on to work with many major artists, including
Carole King
Carole King Klein (born Carol Joan Klein; February 9, 1942) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician who has been active since 1958, initially as one of the staff songwriters at 1650 Broadway and later as a solo artist. Regarded as one ...
;
Gary Moore
Robert William Gary Moore (4 April 19526 February 2011) was a Northern Irish musician. Over the course of his career he played in various groups and performed a range of music including blues, blues rock, hard rock, heavy metal, and jazz ...
; and
Andy Silvester
Andrew Frederick Silvester (born 16 June 1947, Kidderminster, Worcestershire, England) is a British bassist and multi-instrumentalist. Silvester has played in various bands during his career, most notably as co-founder of both Chicken Shack and ...
, who played with
Wha-Koo
Wha-Koo (originally called The Big Wha-Koo) was an American rock band best known for their 1978 single, "(You're Such a) Fabulous Dancer", which peaked at #101 on the ''Billboard'' and #10 on the Australian charts.
History
The Big Wha-Koo were ...
after Chicken Shack. Savoy Brown also provided an outlet for keyboardist and guitarist
Paul Raymond, who later went on to join
UFO
An unidentified flying object (UFO), more recently renamed by US officials as a UAP (unidentified aerial phenomenon), is any perceived aerial phenomenon that cannot be immediately identified or explained. On investigation, most UFOs are id ...
. Drummer Keith Boyce reformed
Heavy Metal Kids
Heavy Metal Kids are a British rock band.
History Early years (1973–1985)
Heavy Metal Kids were formed in 1972 by the merger of two previous bands: Heaven and Biggles. They took their name from a gang of street kids, featured in the nove ...
and is currently active with that group. Singer Ralph Morman disappeared from the scene in the mid-1980s until emerging in 2011 with plans for a solo project. Guitarist Barry Paul became a successful studio owner in Los Angeles. Singer Jimmy Kunes, who fronted the band during the mid-1980s, is currently the singer for the reformed supergroup
Cactus
A cactus (, or less commonly, cactus) is a member of the plant family Cactaceae, a family comprising about 127 genera with some 1750 known species of the order Caryophyllales. The word ''cactus'' derives, through Latin, from the Ancient Greek ...
.
Savoy Brown contributed the song "A Man Alone" for the soundtrack to the movie ''
Kickboxer 2
''Kickboxer 2'' (stylized on-screen as ''Kickboxer 2: The Road Back'') is a 1991 American martial arts film directed by Albert Pyun and written by David S. Goyer. The film is the second entry into the ''Kickboxer'' film series, and stars Sasha Mi ...
''.
In 2008, "Train to Nowhere" was used, and figured as a clue, in the TV series ''
CSI: NY
''CSI: NY'' (''Crime Scene Investigation: New York'', stylized as ''CSI: NY/Crime Scene Investigation'') is an American police procedural television series that ran on CBS from September 22, 2004, to February 22, 2013, for a total of nine seaso ...
,'' in Season 4, Episode 10 – "The Thing About Heroes".
Their first album for
Blind Pig Records
Blind Pig Records is an American blues independent record label.
Blind Pig was formed in 1977 in Ann Arbor, Michigan, by Jerry Del Giudice, owner of the Blind Pig Cafe, and his friend Edward Chmelewski. The label is now based in San Francisco. I ...
, ''Strange Days,'' was released in 2003.
The band released another record, ''Steel'', in 2007.
Their album, ''Voodoo Moon,'' was released by
Ruf Records
Ruf Records is a German independent record label, which was founded in 1994 by Luther Allison’s manager, Thomas Ruf, to promote Allison's career.
The motto of the blues label is "Where Blues Crosses Over". The company's office is located in ...
in 2011.
In 2015, billed as Kim Simmonds and Savoy Brown, their album, ''The Devil to Pay'', reached number four on the US ''
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 ...
''
Top Blues Albums
The ''Billboard'' charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs and albums in the United States and elsewhere. The results are published in ''Billboard'' magazine. ''Billboard'' biz, the online extension of the ''Billboard'' charts, pr ...
chart.
Members
Discography
Albums
*''
Shake Down'' – 1967 (not issued in the US until CD release in 1990)
*''
Getting to the Point'' – 1968
*''
Blue Matter'' – 1969 –
US No. 182
*''
A Step Further
''A Step Further'' is the fourth album by the band Savoy Brown. It was released by Decca in the U.K. and by Parrot in the U.S. in September 1969. This is the last album recorded with long time pianist Bob Hall. The album track "Made Up My Mind" ...
'' – 1969 – US No. 71
*''
Raw Sienna'' – 1970 – US No. 121; CAN No. 75
*''
Looking In
''Looking In'' is the sixth album by the British blues band Savoy Brown. The album featured "Lonesome" Dave Peverett on vocals after Chris Youlden left the band the previous spring. Leader/guitarist Kim Simmonds would be the only band member to ...
'' – 1970 –
UK No. 50; US No. 39, AUS No. 25,
CAN No. 58
*''
Street Corner Talking
''Street Corner Talking'' is the seventh studio album by the English blues rock band Savoy Brown. Released by Parrot Records in 1971 (PAS 71047), it was the first album released after the departure of guitarist Lonesome Dave, drummer Roger ...
'' – 1971 – US No. 75; CAN No. 47
*''
Hellbound Train'' – 1972 – US No. 34; CAN N0. 40
*''Lion's Share'' – 1972 – US No. 151
*''Jack the Toad'' – 1973 – US No. 84
*''Boogie Brothers'' – 1974 – US No. 101; CAN No. 95
*''Wire Fire'' – 1975 – US No. 153
*''Skin 'n' Bone'' – 1976 – US No. 206
*''Savage Return'' – 1978 – US No. 208
*''Rock 'n' Roll Warriors'' – 1981 – US No. 185
*''Greatest Hits Live in Concert'' – 1981
*''Just Live'' (recorded 1970) – 1981
*''Live in Central Park'' (recorded 1972) – 1985 (Relix RRLP-2014)
*''Slow Train (An Album of Acoustic Music)'' – 1986 (Relix RRLP-2023)
*''Make Me Sweat'' – 1988
*''Kings of Boogie'' – 1989
*''Live and Kickin – 1990
*''Let It Ride'' – 1992
*''Bring It Home'' – 1994 (billed as 'Savoy Brown/Kim Simmonds')
*''Live at the Record Plant'' (recorded 1975) – 1998
*''The Bottom Line Encore Collection'' (live, recorded 1981) – 1999
*''The Blues Keep Me Holding On'' – 1999
*''Looking from the Outside: Live '69/'70'' – 2000
*''Jack the Toad: Live '70/'72'' – 2000
*''Hellbound Train: Live 1969-1972'' – 2003
*''Strange Dreams'' – 2003
*''You Should Have Been There!'' (live, recorded 23 February 2003) – 2004
*''Steel'' – 2007
*''Too Much of a Good Thing'' – 2009
*''Voodoo Moon'' – 2011
*''Songs from the Road'' – 2013
*''Goin' to the Delta'' – 2014 (billed as 'Kim Simmonds and Savoy Brown')
*''Still Live After 50 Years, Volume 1'' − 2015
*''The Devil to Pay'' – 2015 (billed as 'Kim Simmonds and Savoy Brown')
*''Still Live After 50 Years, Volume 2'' − 2017
*''Witchy Feelin' '' – 2017
*''City Night'' – 2019
*''Ain't Done Yet'' – 2020
*''Taking the Blues Back Home: Live in America'' – 2020
Selected singles
* "I'm Tired" (1969) – US No. 74; CAN No. 51
* "Tell Mama" (1971) – US No. 83
* "
Run to Me" (1981) – US No. 68
References
External links
Savoy Brown website*
*
*
John O'Leary & Sugarkane
{{Authority control
1965 establishments in England
Musical groups from London
English blues rock musical groups
English hard rock musical groups
British rhythm and blues boom musicians
English psychedelic rock music groups
Musical groups established in 1965
Decca Records artists
Deram Records artists
Parrot Records artists
Blind Pig Records artists
Relix Records artists