Groundhogs are an English

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 ...

and

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 founded in late 1963, that toured extensively in the 1960s, achieved prominence in the early 1970s, and continued sporadically into the 21st century.

Tony McPhee Anthony Charles McPhee (born 23 March 1944) is an English guitarist, and founder of the blues rock band Groundhogs. An early version of this band backed Champion Jack Dupree and John Lee Hooker on UK concerts in the mid-1960s. He is often cred ...

(guitar and vocals) is the sole constant member of the group, which has gone through many personnel changes, but usually records and performs 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 quart ...

Career

The band was originally formed as the Dollar Bills in

New Cross New Cross is an area in south east London, England, south-east of Charing Cross in the London Borough of Lewisham and the SE14 postcode district. New Cross is near St Johns, Telegraph Hill, Nunhead, Peckham, Brockley, Deptford and Greenwich, ...

, London, in 1962 by brothers Pete and John Cruickshank (born in 1943 and 1945 respectively in

Calcutta Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, the official name until 2001) is the Capital city, capital of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal, on the eastern ba ...

, West Bengal, India). Tony McPhee (born 22 March 1944), the lead guitarist in the instrumental group the Seneschals, joined the group later that year. McPhee steered them towards the blues and renamed them after a

John Lee Hooker John Lee Hooker (August 22, 1912 or 1917 – June 21, 2001) was an American blues singer, songwriter, and guitarist. The son of a sharecropper, he rose to prominence performing an electric guitar-style adaptation of Delta blues. Hooker often ...

song, "Groundhog's Blues". At John Cruickshank's suggestion, they became John Lee's Groundhogs when they backed Hooker on his 1964 UK tour. They later supplemented

Little Walter Marion Walter Jacobs (May 1, 1930 – February 15, 1968), known as Little Walter, was an American blues musician, singer, and songwriter, whose revolutionary approach to the harmonica had a strong impact on succeeding generations, earning him ...

Jimmy Reed Mathis James Reed (September 6, 1925 – August 29, 1976) was an American blues musician and songwriter. His particular style of electric blues was popular with blues as well as non-blues audiences. Reed's songs such as "Honest I Do" (1957), " ...

and

Champion Jack Dupree William Thomas "Champion Jack" Dupree (July 23, 1909 or July 4, 1910 – January 21, 1992) was an American blues and boogie-woogie pianist and singer. His nickname was derived from his early career as a boxer. Biography Dupree was a New Orleans ...

when they toured the UK. McPhee featured on Dupree's ''From New Orleans to Chicago'' (1966) alongside

Eric Clapton Eric Patrick Clapton (born 1945) is an English rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is often regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in ''Rolling Stone''s list of ...

. Groundhogs issued "Shake It" b/w "Rock Me" on the Interphon record label in January 1965. The line-up on their first album, '' Scratchin' the Surface'', produced by the 19-year-old head of A&R for Liberty Records, Mike Batt, and released in November 1968, consisted of McPhee as singer and guitarist, bassist Peter Cruickshank (born 2 July 1945), Ken Pustelnik (born 13 March 1946 on a farm near Blairgowrie, Angus, Scotland) on drums and Steve Rye (born 8 March 1946 in London – died 19 July 1992, in London) on harmonica. In 1969, the single " B.D.D." (Blind Deaf Dumb), taken from ''Blues Obituary'', flopped in the UK but hit number one in

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus li ...

. The group's next four album releases, ''Blues Obituary'' (September 1969), ''

Thank Christ for the Bomb ''Thank Christ for the Bomb'' is the third studio album recorded by The Groundhogs, originally released by Liberty Records in 1970. It was engineered by Martin Birch, who had previously worked on albums by Deep Purple, Jeff Beck, Fleetwood ...

'' (May 1970), ''

Split Split(s) or The Split may refer to: Places * Split, Croatia, the largest coastal city in Croatia * Split Island, Canada, an island in the Hudson Bay * Split Island, Falkland Islands * Split Island, Fiji, better known as Hạfliua Arts, enterta ...

'' (March 1971) and ''

Who Will Save the World? ''Who Will Save the World? The Mighty Groundhogs'' is a 1972 album recorded by The Groundhogs, originally released by United Artists Records in 1972, catalogue number UAS-5570. The most recent CD reissue is that of 2003 by EMI Records, catalogue ...

The Mighty Groundhogs'' (March 1972), were recorded as a trio without Rye; all but ''Blues Obituary'' reached the Top 10 in 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 ...

. ''Split'' reached number 5, spending 27 weeks in the UK Albums Chart and achieved

gold record Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile meta ...

status, while a single release from the album, "Cherry Red", was featured on

BBC Television BBC Television is a service of the BBC. The corporation has operated a public broadcast television service in the United Kingdom, under the terms of a royal charter, since 1927. It produced television programmes from its own studios from 193 ...

's ''

Top of the Pops ''Top of the Pops'' (''TOTP'') is a British Record chart, music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly between 1January 1964 and 30 July 2006. The programme was the world's longest-running weekly music show ...

'' programme on 15 April 1971. They supported

the Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the gritty, rhythmically d ...

on their 1971 British tour at the request of

Mick Jagger Sir Michael Philip Jagger (born 26 July 1943) is an English singer and songwriter who has achieved international fame as the lead vocalist and one of the founder members of the rock band the Rolling Stones. His ongoing songwriting partnershi ...

and released an album of their live set on the tour, recorded at

Leeds University , mottoeng = And knowledge will be increased , established = 1831 – Leeds School of Medicine1874 – Yorkshire College of Science1884 - Yorkshire College1887 – affiliated to the federal Victoria University1904 – University of Leeds , ...

and called ''Live at Leeds''. All these albums and live shows were performed by the classic

of Cruickshank, McPhee and Pustelnik. Pustelnik left in 1972 and Clive Brooks from the band Egg joined on drums for '' Hogwash'', released in November 1972. The ''

Solid Solid is one of the State of matter#Four fundamental states, four fundamental states of matter (the others being liquid, gas, and Plasma (physics), plasma). The molecules in a solid are closely packed together and contain the least amount o ...

'' album of 1974 saw a last return to the

charts A chart (sometimes known as a graph) is a graphical representation for data visualization, in which "the data is represented by symbols, such as bars in a bar chart, lines in a line chart, or slices in a pie chart". A chart can represent tabul ...

. After breaking up in 1974, they returned in 1975 with a different line-up. Two albums, ''Crosscut Saw'' and ''Black Diamond'', were released in 1976. At times in the 1990s, McPhee alternated two line-ups. After years of performing and recording for a loyal following, original manager Roy Fisher put together a short-lived 'original line-up' to celebrate their fortieth anniversary. McPhee left the band again to pursue an acoustic career, leaving Cruickshank and Pustelnik to continue, subsequently forming 'The Groundhogs Rhythm Section' with invited frontmen, latterly with Eddie Martin, while McPhee embarked on a major tour in 2004 with

Edgar Winter Edgar Holland Winter (born December 28, 1946) is an American musician. He is a multi-instrumentalist, playing keyboards, guitar, saxophone, and percussion, as well as singing. His success peaked in the 1970s with his band the Edgar Winter Group ...

and

Alvin Lee Alvin Lee (born Graham Anthony Barnes; 19 December 1944 – 6 March 2013) was an English singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He is best known as the lead vocalist and lead guitarist of the blues rock band Ten Years After. Early life He w ...

and issued an acoustic blues album ''Blues at Ten''. McPhee put together a new band in 2007, with long-time Groundhogs bassist Dave Anderson (ex-

Hawkwind Hawkwind are an English rock band known as one of the earliest space rock groups. Since their formation in November 1969, Hawkwind have gone through many incarnations and have incorporated many different styles into their music, including hard ...

) and Marco Anderson on drums. This trio toured the UK in 2008 with

Focus Focus, or its plural form foci may refer to: Arts * Focus or Focus Festival, former name of the Adelaide Fringe arts festival in South Australia Film *''Focus'', a 1962 TV film starring James Whitmore * ''Focus'' (2001 film), a 2001 film based ...

and Martin Turner's

Wishbone Ash Wishbone Ash are a British rock band who achieved success in the early and mid-1970s. Their popular albums included ''Wishbone Ash'' (1970), ''Pilgrimage'' (1971), '' Argus'' (1972), ''Wishbone Four'' (1973), ''There's the Rub'' (1974), and '' ...

. The 2009 line-up of Tony McPhee's Groundhogs comprised McPhee, Anderson and previous long-term drummer Mick Jones. The Groundhogs Rhythm Section's latest recruits, Bob Bowles (guitar, vocals) and Jon Buckett (guitars, keyboards, vocals), joined Ken Pustelnik and Pete Cruickshank in February 2011. As of 2011, the new Groundhogs' lineup consisted of McPhee, Anderson, Joanna Deacon (vocals), and Carl Stokes (drums) from the death rock band Cancer. Due to McPhee's ongoing health issues relating to a stroke in 2009, Tony McPhee & Groundhogs retired in January 2014, although Tony McPhee and Carl Stokes have since worked with

David Tibet David Tibet (born David Michael Bunting; 5 March 1960) is a British poet and artist who founded the music group Current 93, of which he is the only full-time member. He was given the name "Tibet" by Genesis P-Orridge, and in January 2005 he ...

Current 93 Current 93 are an English experimental music group, working since the early 1980s in folk-based musical forms. The band was founded in 1982 by David Tibet, who has been Current 93's only constant member. Background Tibet has been the only const ...

Music

Groundhogs initially formed as a

band, but subsequently began incorporating elements of

psychedelic Psychedelics are a subclass of hallucinogenic drugs whose primary effect is to trigger non-ordinary states of consciousness (known as psychedelic experiences or "trips").Pollan, Michael (2018). ''How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of ...

progressive music Progressive music is music that attempts to expand existing stylistic boundaries associated with specific genres of music. The word comes from the basic concept of "progress", which refers to advancements through accumulation, and is often dep ...

and

space rock Space rock is a music genre characterized by loose and lengthy song structures centered on instrumental textures that typically produce a hypnotic, otherworldly sound. It may feature distorted and reverberation-laden guitars, minimal drummin ...

into their sound. This style has been classified as

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 ...

acid rock Acid rock is a loosely defined type of rock music that evolved out of the mid-1960s garage punk movement and helped launch the psychedelic subculture. Named after lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), the style is generally defined by heavy, di ...

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 ...

psychedelic blues Psychedelic rock is a rock music genre that is inspired, influenced, or representative of psychedelic culture, which is centered on perception-altering hallucinogenic drugs. The music incorporated new electronic sound effects and recording tech ...

and

progressive rock Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog; sometimes conflated with art rock) is a broad genre of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom and United States through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early 1970s. Init ...

Personnel

Members

;Current members * Joanna Deacon – vocals (2001–2003, 2011–present) *

– guitars, vocals (1963–1974, 1976, 1982–2004, 2007–present) * Dave Anderson – bass (1987–1988, 2001–2003, 2007–present) * Carl Stokes – drums (2011–present) ;Former members * Peter Cruickshank – bass (1963–1974, 2003–2004) * Dave Boorman – drums (1963–1965) * Bob Hall – keyboards (1963–1965) * John Cruickshank – harmonica, vocals (1963–1964) * Ken Pustelnik – drums (1965–1972, 2003–2004) * Tom Parker – keyboards (1965) * Steve Rye – harmonica (1969; died 1992) *

Clive Brooks Clive Colin Brooks (28 December 1949 – 5 May 2017) was a drummer, best known for his work in the English progressive rock band Egg. Biography Uriel/Egg Clive Colin Brooks was born in Bow, East London. Answering a ''Melody Maker'' ad in earl ...

– drums (1972–1974; died 2017) * Dave Thompson – bass (1972) * Mick Cook – drums (1976; died 1997) * Martin Kent – bass (1976) * Dave Wellbelove – guitars (1976) * Rick Adams – guitars (1976) * Alan Fish – bass (1982–1994) *

Wilgar Campbell Wilgar William Campbell (1946 – October 1989) was an Irish blues rock musician, best known for his role as drummer with Rory Gallagher in the early 1970s. Career Early career Campbell played with Belfast band The Method, who moved to London in ...

– drums (1982–1984; died 1989) * "Mighty" Joe Young – guitars (1982–1983) * Mick Kirton – drums (1984–1989) * Mick Jones – drums (1989–1994, 2000–2003, 2009–2011) *Chris Bennett – drums (1990–1991) * Jon Camp – bass (1989, 2001) * Eric Chipulina – bass, live guitars (1994–1996, 1996–2000) * Pete Correa – drums (1994–1996, 1996–2000) * Pete Chymon – bass (1996) * Dale Iviss – drums (1996) * Brian Jones – bass (2000–2001) * Marco Anderson – drums (2007–2009)

Lineups

The Groundhogs rhythm section

;Current members * Bob Bowles – guitars, vocals (2011–present) * Jon Buckett – guitars, keyboards, vocals (2011–present) * Peter Cruickshank – bass (2004–present) * Ken Pustelnik – drums (2004–present) ;Former members * Chas Depaolo – guitars, vocals (2004–2006)There may be an issue with this listing. The Groundhogs official website http://www.thegroundhogs.co.uk/41%20years.html does not list Chaz Depaolo as being with them as a member. It also lists these people for collaborations: John Lee Hooker, Jo Anne Kelly, Dave Kelly, Champion Jack Dupree, Eddy Boyd, Big Joe Williams, Hapshash & the Coloured Coat, John Dummer Band, Andy Fernbach, Mike Batt, Billy Boy Arnold, Blue Cheer, Amon Duul, Yorkshire Chamber Choir, Dick Heckstall-Smith. The UK Scarborough News has articles about Depaolo using the rhythm section of the Groundhogs for some short tours in the UK. He had Ken Pustelnik and Pete Cruickshank back him for a few tours. http://www.thescarboroughnews.co.uk/what-s-on/gigs-music/as-printed-in-the-scarborough-evening-news-on-8-december-1-1489220#ixzz427XZQvN4 * Dave Weld – guitars, vocals (2004–2006) * Eddie Martin – guitars, vocals (2006–2011)

Discography

Albums

as Groundhogs:

Studio albums

* '' Scratching the Surface'' (December 1968) * '' Blues Obituary'' (September 1969) * ''

'' (May 1970) – UK Number 9 * ''

'' (March 1971) – UK Number 5 * ''

The Mighty Groundhogs'' (March 1972) – UK Number 8, US Number 202 * '' Hogwash'' (November 1972) * ''

'' (June 1974) – UK Number 31 * ''Crosscut Saw'' (February 1976) * ''Black Diamond'' (October 1976) * ''Razor's Edge'' (May 1985) * ''Back Against the Wall'' (1987) * ''Hogs in Wolf's Clothing'' (January 1998) * ''The Muddy Waters Song Book'' (April 1999)

Live

* ''Hoggin' the Stage'' (April 1984) - Recorded in Leeds and London in 1971 & Stockholm in 1976. * ''Extremely Live'' (July 1988) * ''Hogs on the Road'' (June 1988) - Recorded in Germany in December 1987 * ''No Surrender'' (August 1989) * ''Groundhog Night'' (July 1993) * ''Who Said Cherry Red?'' (October 1996) * ''Live at Leeds 71'' (August 1998) - Featuring the 5 tracks recorded in Leeds previously released on "Hoggin' The Stage". * ''No Surrender – Razors Edge Tour 1985'' (1998) - Recorded in Northfleet, Kent in 1985 * ''UK Tour '76'' (1999) *'' U.S. Tour '72'' (1999) (Akarma Records) * ''Live at the Astoria'' (September 2001) - Recorded at the Astoria, London on 20th February 1998. * ''Live at the New York Club, Switzerland 1991'' (2007) * ''Live at Anti WAA Festival 1989'' (CD, 2014; Nibelung Records) *'' Christmas Marketing in Weiden'' (Download 2017) (Nibelung Records) *'' Road Hogs: Live from Richmond to Pocono'' (3LP/2CD, 2021) (Fire Records) - Live at Richmond Athletic Ground, London, England, 7th November 1969 & at Pocono Raceway, Pennsylvania, USA, on 8th July 1972.

Compilations

* ''Groundhogs Best 1969-1972'' (March 1974) * ''Moving Fast, Standing Still'' (May 1986) - compilation of ''Razor's Edge'' and ''Two Side Of T.S. McPhee'' plus 4 mid 60's tracks. * ''The Best Of'' (May 1997) - compilation from first 6 studio albums. * ''54146'' (October 2001) - compilation of ''Back Against The Wall'' and ''Hogs On The Road''. * ''Thank Christ For The Groundhogs: The Liberty Years (1968-1972)'' (2010) * ''The United Artists Years (1972-1976)'' (2013) Tony McPhee (solo): *''The Two Sides Of T.S. McPhee'' (1973) *''The Blues and the Beast'' (1991) (Nibelung Records) *''Foolish Pride'' (February 1993) *''Slide, T.S., Slide'' (1996) *''Bleaching the Blues'' (April 1997) With John Lee Hooker: * '' ...And Seven Nights'' with

(Verve Folkways, 1965)

DVDs and videos

*''Live at the Astoria'' (1999)

ideo IDEO () is a design and consulting firm with offices in the U.S., England, Germany, Japan, and China. It was founded in Palo Alto, California, in 1991. The company's 700 staff uses a design thinking approach to design products, services, enviro ...

*''60/40 Split'' (2005) VD*''Live at Anti WAA Festival 1989'' (DVD, 2014; Nibelung Records)

References

Bibliography

External links

* Groundhogs biography at the AMG website
Groundhogs & Tony McPhee's Official Website

Fan Site with complete Discography

Tony McPhee's MySpace page

Rare photos & video clips

Groundhogs at Fire Records
{{DEFAULTSORT:Groundhogs, The English blues musical groups English blues rock musical groups English progressive rock groups Psychedelic musical groups Liberty Records artists United Artists Records artists Transatlantic Records artists Fire Records (UK) artists Vertigo Records artists