Jonathan Gray (born 4 February 1966), known professionally as Spike, or Spike Gray, is an English singer-songwriter and founding member of the British rock band

the Quireboys The Quireboys are an English rock band formed in 1984 in London, with strong ties to Newcastle. When the band formed they were originally known as The Queerboys and later as the London Quireboys in the United States and Canada, settling at ...

, for whom he performed as lead singer and released 12 studio albums. He is recognised for his raspy voice which led to comparisons with

Rod Stewart Sir Roderick David Stewart (born 10 January 1945) is a British rock and pop singer and songwriter. Born and raised in London, he is of Scottish and English ancestry. With his distinctive raspy singing voice, Stewart is among the best-selling ...

. As a solo performer, Spike has collaborated with Tyla of

The Dogs D'Amour The Dogs D'Amour are an English bluesey hard rock band formed in London in 1983. Over the years the band has had various line-ups, the only constant being vocalist Tyla. Their music has been described as a mixture of the Rolling Stones, the ...

, and released five solo studio albums. In March 2022, fellow Quireboys members announced that Spike had been fired from the band, leading to an ongoing dispute about ownership of the Quireboys name.

Career

Jonathan Gray was born in

Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne ( RP: , ), or simply Newcastle, is a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. The city is located on the River Tyne's northern bank and forms the largest part of the Tyneside built-up area. Newcastle is ...

and grew up in

Northern England Northern England, also known as the North of England, the North Country, or simply the North, is the northern area of England. It broadly corresponds to the former borders of Angle Northumbria, the Anglo-Scandinavian Kingdom of Jorvik, and the ...

. At age 17, he moved down to London where, eventually, he would form the rock band

with Guy Bailey in 1984. After various tours and singles, Spike with the Quireboys released their debut album ''

A Bit of What You Fancy ''A Bit of What You Fancy'' is the debut studio album by the English rock band the Quireboys. It was released by EMI on 29 January 1990, and produced by George Tutko and Jim Cregan. ''A Bit of What You Fancy'' remains the Quireboys' most commer ...

'' (1990), which went to number two on the

UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts C ...

. The band gained significant success, but their second album ''

Bitter Sweet & Twisted ''Bitter Sweet & Twisted'' is rock band the Quireboys's second studio album, released in 1993. The album was released on EMI and went into the UK Albums Chart at #31. Three of the tracks from this album ("Tramps & Thieves", "Brother Louie" and "L ...

'' (1993) did not quite have the impact of the first. After the Quireboys split up in 1993, he played in the United States, in Los Angeles, California, with a band called God's Hotel. He also sang lead vocals on a cover of

Hank Williams Hank Williams (born Hiram Williams; September 17, 1923 – January 1, 1953) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician. Regarded as one of the most significant and influential American singers and songwriters of the 20th century, he reco ...

's country classic " Hey Good Lookin'", with

C.C. DeVille C.C. DeVille (born Bruce Anthony Johannesson; May 14, 1962) is an American guitarist best known as a member of rock band Poison. The band has sold more than 50 million albums worldwide, including 15 million in the United States. In addition to ...

from the American glam-metal band

Poison Poison is a chemical substance that has a detrimental effect to life. The term is used in a wide range of scientific fields and industries, where it is often specifically defined. It may also be applied colloquially or figuratively, with a broa ...

, for the soundtrack of the comedy film ''

Son in Law In law and in cultural anthropology, affinity is the kinship relationship created or that exists between two people as a result of someone's marriage. It is the relationship which each party to a marriage has to the relations of the other part ...

'' (1993) that starred

Pauly Shore Paul Montgomery Shore (born February 1, 1968) is an American actor, comedian and filmmaker best known for his roles in 1990s comedy films. Shore began as a stand-up comedian at the age of 17, before becoming an MTV VJ in 1989. This led to a sta ...

. Spike decided to record in other projects; the first was in 1994 with

Darrell Bath The Vibrators are a British punk rock band that formed in 1976. Early career The Vibrators were founded by Ian ' Knox' Carnochan, bassist Pat Collier, guitarist John Ellis, and drummer John 'Eddie' Edwards. They first came to public notice ...

of the English

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from Africa ...

band

the Dogs D'Amour The Dogs D'Amour are an English bluesey hard rock band formed in London in 1983. Over the years the band has had various line-ups, the only constant being vocalist Tyla. Their music has been described as a mixture of the Rolling Stones, the ...

. The recording, ''Take Out Some Insurance'', was an album of covers, featuring songs from old

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...

artists, and was released under the artist name Spike an' Darrell. Soon after, Spike moved back to Newcastle and, in 1996, he recorded with another member of the Dogs D'Amour this time it was frontman Tyla, with whom he recorded the album ''Flagrantly Yours'', under the artist name Spike and Tyla's Hot Knives. In 1998, Spike recorded his first solo album ''Blue Eyed Soul''. The Quireboys reformed in 2001 with a new line-up and have released six new albums since that time. Spike's second solo studio album, ''It's a Treat to Be Alive'', was released in 2005, followed by ''So Called Friends'' in 2008. Spike was involved in a fracas with German rock guitarist

Michael Schenker Michael Schenker (born 10 January 1955) is a German guitarist. He played in the rock band UFO and leads the Michael Schenker Group. He was an early member of the hard rock band Scorpions, a band co-founded by his elder brother Rudolf Schenker. ...

in November 2000. This happened after a show at the

Newcastle City Hall The Newcastle City Hall (currently known as O2 City Hall Newcastle for sponsorship reasons) is a concert hall located in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It has hosted many popular music and classical artists throughout the years, as well as stan ...

by the English heavy-metal and

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 ...

band

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 ...

. Schenker later admitted he caused the brawl, and refused to blame Spike. The Quireboys have since played on the same bill as the hard-rock band

Michael Schenker Group The Michael Schenker Group (often abbreviated as MSG) are a guitar-oriented hard rock band, formed in London in 1979 by former Scorpions and UFO guitarist Michael Schenker. In 1986, Schenker and vocalist Robin McAuley formed the McAuley Schenke ...

. In 2006, Spike released his second studio album ''It's a Treat to Be Alive'' through

Demolition Records Demolition Records was a British record label based in Jarrow, England, specialising in heavy metal and rock, with many international artists. It was founded in 2000 by brothers Ged and Eric Cook. There were also distribution offices in Frankfurt, ...

. It was described by the ''

Belfast Telegraph The ''Belfast Telegraph'' is a daily newspaper published in Belfast, Northern Ireland, by Independent News & Media. Its editor is Eoin Brannigan. Reflecting its unionist tradition, the paper has historically been "favoured by the Protestant po ...

'' as "more than decent collection", noting its "bluesy" influences. In 2007, Spike became part of Damage Control, a British

supergroup Supergroup or super group may refer to: * Supergroup (music), a music group formed by artists who are already notable or respected in their fields * Supergroup (physics), a generalization of groups, used in the study of supersymmetry * Supergroup ...

formed by guitarist

Robin George Robin Charles George Sidebotham (born 1956) is a British rock guitarist, singer, songwriter and producer. He achieved success during 1985 with the song "Heartline", which peaked at #68 in the UK Singles Chart and #92 in the US Hot 100 (#40 in the ...

, UFO bassist

Pete Way Peter Frederick Way (7 August 1950 – 14 August 2020) was an English hard rock and heavy metal bassist. He was bassist for the rock band UFO from 1968 to 1982; Way rejoined the band briefly in 1988–1989, and full-time from 1991 to 2008. He ...

and

Chris Slade Chris Slade (born Christopher Slade Rees; 30 October 1946) is a Welsh musician, best known for playing for the Australian rock band AC/DC. He drummed for the band from 1989 to 1994, performing on their 1990 album '' The Razors Edge'' along with ...

, former drummer with the Australian hard-rock band

AC/DC AC/DC (stylised as ACϟDC) are an Australian Rock music, rock band formed in Sydney in 1973 by Scottish-born brothers Malcolm Young, Malcolm and Angus Young. Their music has been variously described as hard rock, blues rock, and Heavy metal ...

. The group released a self-titled album on Cargo Records which was generally well received. Over the years, Spike has also provided vocals for a number of songs on various American rock

tribute album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records coll ...

s, specifically: the

power ballad A sentimental ballad is an emotional style of music that often deals with romantic and intimate relationships, and to a lesser extent, loneliness, death, war, drug abuse, politics and religion, usually in a poignant but solemn manner.J. M. C ...

Don't Cry "Don't Cry" is a song by American hard rock band Guns N' Roses, two versions of which were released simultaneously on different albums. The version with the original lyrics is the fourth track on ''Use Your Illusion I'', while the version with ...

" on ''Uncivil War'', a tribute album to the hard-rock band

Guns N' Roses Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1985. When they signed to Geffen Records in 1986, the band comprised vocalist Axl Rose, lead guitarist Slash, rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin, bassist Duff McKa ...

; a cover of the rock band

Styx In Greek mythology, Styx (; grc, Στύξ ) is a river that forms the boundary between Earth (Gaia) and the Underworld. The rivers Acheron, Cocytus, Lethe, Phlegethon, and Styx all converge at the centre of the underworld on a great marsh, whic ...

's song "Lady" on the album ''A Tribute to Styx''; rock musician

Ted Nugent Theodore Anthony Nugent (; born December 13, 1948) is an American rock musician and activist. He initially gained fame as the lead guitarist and occasional lead vocalist of The Amboy Dukes, a band formed in 1963 that played psychedelic rock an ...

's "Need You Bad" on the album ''The World's Greatest Tribute to Ted Nugent''; and the rock band

Bon Jovi Bon Jovi is an American Rock music, rock band formed in 1983 in Sayreville, New Jersey. It consists of singer Jon Bon Jovi, keyboardist David Bryan, drummer Tico Torres, guitarist Phil X, and bassist Hugh McDonald (American musician), Hugh McD ...

's ballad "Living in Sin" on the album ''Covered Dead or Alive''. Spike also collaborated with the American

electronica Electronica is both a broad group of electronic-based music styles intended for listening rather than strictly for dancing and a music scene that started in the early 1990s in the United Kingdom. In the United States, the term is mostly used to r ...

artist David Madden (also sometimes known as DJ Webern and Nonnon) on a version of the English 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 ...

's song " Rock Forever" for ''An Industrial Tribute to Judas Priest''. Spike is known to have contributed backing vocals on the following recordings: * ''Gang Bang'' (1997) an

extended-play An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record.

(EP) album by the Gangbang Band (also featuring members of the Finnish hard-rock band

Hanoi Rocks Hanoi Rocks was a Finnish rock band formed in 1979. They were the first Finnish band to chart in the UK and they were also popular in Japan. The band broke up in June 1985 after drummer Nicholas "Razzle" Dingley died in a drunk driving acciden ...

and the Babysitters); a live session * '' Company Of Wolves'' (1990) an album by the American rock band of the same name * "Night of the Cadillacs" on the ''Cuts'' EP (1992) by the American hard-rock band

L.A. Guns L.A. Guns is an American glam metal band from Los Angeles, formed in 1983. The lineup currently consists of Tracii Guns (lead guitar), Phil Lewis (lead vocals), Ace Von Johnson (rhythm guitar, backing vocals), Johnny Martin (bass, backing vo ...

* ''Rock & A Hard Place'' (2007) an album by the English heavy-metal band

the Handsome Beasts The Handsome Beasts are an English heavy metal band who surfaced during the new wave of British heavy metal. Currently enjoying a resurgence in popularity, their album ''Beastiality'' is infamous for being featured on several "Worst album cov ...

* "Good Times" on the ''Cookin EP (2009) and "On the Sunny Side Again" on the ''Set Fire to It All'' album (2012) by the Swedish rock band

Diamond Dogs ''Diamond Dogs'' is the eighth studio album by English musician David Bowie, released on 24 May 1974 through RCA Records. Bowie produced the album and recorded it in early 1974 at Olympic and Island Studios in London and Ludolph Studios i ...

Discography

This discography documents the studio albums Spike has been a part of in various projects, throughout his musical career.

The Quireboys

* 1990 ''

'' UK #2 * 1993 ''

'' UK #31 * 2001 '' This Is Rock'n'Roll'' * 2004 '' Well Oiled'' * 2008 ''Homewreckers & Heartbreakers'' * 2009 ''Halfpenny Dancer'' * 2010 ''Halfpenny Dancer Live'' * 2011 ''Live in Glasgow'' * 2013 ''Beautiful Curse'' * 2014 ''Black Eyed Sons'' * 2015 '' St. Cecilia and the Gypsy Soul'' * 2016 "Twisted Love" * 2017 "White Trash Blues" * 2019 "Amazing Disgrace" * 2020 "Live & Alive 35" * 2021 "A bit of what you fancy remixed"

God's Hotel

* 1997 '' God's Hotel''

Spike an' Darrell

* 1995 ''Take Out Some Insurance''

Spike and Tyla's Hot Knives

* 1996 ''Flagrantly Yours'' * 2005 ''Flagrantly Electrically Acoustically Yours'' * 2016 ''The Sinister Indecisions of Frankie Gray and Jimmy Pallas''

Damage Control

* 2007 ''Damage Control''

Solo

* 1998 ''Blue Eyed Soul'' * 1998 ''Live in London'' * 2005 ''It's a Treat to Be Alive'' * 2008 ''So-Called Friends'' * 2014 '' 100% Pure Frankie Miller''

References

External links

* * *Official website: https://www.spikequireboys.com/ {{DEFAULTSORT:Spike (musician) 1968 births 20th-century English singers 21st-century English singers English expatriates in the United States English male singer-songwriters Blues rock musicians Glam metal musicians Living people Musicians from Newcastle upon Tyne Musicians from Northumberland People from Haltwhistle Singers from London 20th-century English musicians 21st-century English musicians The Quireboys members 20th-century British male singers 21st-century British male singers British hard rock musicians