Band of Joy (sometimes known as Robert Plant and the Band of Joy) 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 Wale ...

band formed in 1966. Various line-ups of the group performed from 1966 to 1968 and from 1977 to 1983. Frontman

Robert Plant Robert Anthony Plant (born 20 August 1948) is an English singer and songwriter. He was the lead singer and lyricist of the rock band Led Zeppelin from its founding in 1968 until their breakup in 1980. Since then, he has had a successful solo ca ...

revived the band's name in 2010 for a concert tour of

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

and

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

. The band is notable for including two musicians,

and

John Bonham John Henry Bonham (31 May 1948 – 25 September 1980) was an English musician who was the drummer of the rock band Led Zeppelin. Noted for his speed, power, fast single-footed kick drumming, distinctive sound, and feel for groove, John Bonh ...

, who went on to join

Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock music, rock band formed in London in 1968. The band comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist-keyboardist John Paul Jones (musician), John Paul Jones and drummer John Bonham. With a he ...

, as well as

Dave Pegg Dave Pegg (born 2 November 1947) is an English multi-instrumentalist and record producer, primarily a bass guitarist. He is the longest-serving member of the British folk rock band Fairport Convention and has been bassist with a number of folk ...

, who would become a member of both

Fairport Convention Fairport Convention are an English British folk rock, folk rock band, formed in 1967 by guitarists Richard Thompson (musician), Richard Thompson and Simon Nicol, bassist Ashley Hutchings and drummer Shaun Frater (with Frater replaced by Marti ...

and Jethro Tull; and, to a lesser degree, because the band's one-time roadie was

Noddy Holder Neville John "Noddy" Holder (born 15 June 1946) is an English musician, songwriter and actor. He was the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the English rock band Slade, one of the UK's most successful acts of the 1970s. Known for his disti ...

, who later went on to front the band

Slade Slade are a rock band formed in Wolverhampton, England in 1966. They rose to prominence during the glam rock era in the early 1970s, achieving 17 consecutive top 20 hits and six number ones on the UK Singles Chart. The '' British Hit Singl ...

1966–1968

Band of Joy was originally formed in 1966 in

West Bromwich West Bromwich ( ), commonly known as West Brom, is a market town in the borough of Sandwell, in the county of the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. Historic counties of England, Historically part of Staffordshire, it is northwes ...

, a town near Birmingham, England, by Chris Brown (keyboards), Vernon Pereira (guitar), and singer

. A third incarnation of the band, including Plant's friend

lasted from 1967 to mid-1968. This line-up included Kevyn Gammond's guitar and Paul Lockey on bass. Their brand of soul and

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form that originated among African Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues has incorporated spiritual (music), spirituals, work songs, field hollers, Ring shout, shouts, cha ...

was popular with Birmingham mods. This line-up recorded a number of demo recordings in early 1968, but broke up in May 1968 when a recording contract failed to materialise. Lead guitar duties were briefly served by

, who later played the bass guitar with

and Jethro Tull. Pegg rehearsed with Band of Joy but did not tour with them. For a 1968 tour of Scotland, Plant and Bonham used bassist John Hill (ex–Uncle Joseph) and guitarist Mick Strode to fill in a temporary line-up.

1977–1983

In 1977 Gammond and Paul Lockey revived Band of Joy, rounding out the line-up with John Pasternak, Peter Robinson, and keyboardist Michael Chetwood. Gammond, Lockey, Pasternak and Robinson had previously played in

Bronco A bucking horse is any breed of horse, male or female, with a propensity to buck. They have been, and still are, referred to by various names, including bronco, broncho, and roughstock. The harder they buck, the more desirable they are for ro ...

. The two albums recorded under this line-up went on to define the trademark sound of the band, with progressive melodies, blues hooks and experimentation with new sounds blending the sounds of the punk movement with classic genres of rock, blues and progressive influences. The group released a second album in 1983 before breaking up. Gammond later worked with Plant in his group Priory of Brion.

2010–2011

In 2010 it was announced that Plant would form a new band, record an album and tour as Robert Plant & the Band of Joy. The album was number 8 on ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

''s list of the 30 Best Albums of 2010.The 30 Best Albums of 2010
. ''Rolling Stone'' (25 December 2010). Retrieved 18 January 2011 In October 2010 the band appeared, alongside the London Oriana Choir at the Roundhouse, London for a special performance at the

BBC Radio 2 Electric Proms The BBC Radio 2 Electric Proms (formerly the BBC Electric Proms) was an October pop music festival in London run by the BBC for five years, 2006–2010. On 31 January 2011, the BBC announced that the event would be discontinued with immediate ...

Discography

* ''Band of Joy'' (1978) * ''24k'' (1983) * '' Sixty Six to Timbuktu'' (2003) – Robert Plant retrospective album; includes some Band of Joy recordings, more specifically the covers "

Hey Joe "Hey Joe" is a song from the 1960s that has become a rock standard and been performed in many musical styles by hundreds of different artists. The lyrics are from the point of view of a man on the run and planning to escape to Mexico after sho ...

" by

The Jimi Hendrix Experience James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American singer-songwriter and musician. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential guitarists of all time. Inducted ...

and "

For What It's Worth "For What It's Worth (Stop, Hey What's That Sound)", often referred to as simply "For What It's Worth", is a song written by Stephen Stills. Performed by Buffalo Springfield, it was recorded on December 5, 1966, released as a single on Atco Reco ...

" by

Buffalo Springfield Buffalo Springfield was a Canadian-American Rock music, rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1966 by Canadians Neil Young, Bruce Palmer and Dewey Martin (musician), Dewey Martin and Americans Stephen Stills and Richie Furay. The group, widely know ...

. * '' Band of Joy'' (2010)

Personnel

Members

– vocals (1966, 1967–1968, 2010–2011) *Chris Brown – keyboards (1966, 1967–1968) *Vernon Pereira – guitar (1966) *

– drums (1967–1968; died 1980) *Paul Lockey – bass, guitar, vocals (1967–1968, 1977–1983) *Kevyn Gammond – guitar, vocals (1967–1968, 1977–1983) *

– guitar (1968) *John Hill – bass (1968) *John Kelsey – keyboards (1968) *Mick Strode – guitar (1968) *Michael Chetwood – keyboards, vocals (1977–1983) *John Pasternak – bass, vocals (1977–1983; died 1986) *Peter Robinson – drums (1977–1983) *

Marco Giovino Marco Giovino is an American drummer. He was born in Boston, Massachusetts, and grew up in nearby Burlington. In 2003, Giovino accompanied in concerts the Welsh musician John Cale, and played on his album, ''HoboSapiens'' in the same year. F ...

– drums, percussion, vocals (2010–2011) *

Patty Griffin Patricia Jean Griffin (born March 16, 1964) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician.Griffin, Patricia She is a vocalist and plays guitar and piano. She is known for her stripped-down songwriting style in the folk music genre. Her songs ...

– vocals, guitar (2010–2011) *Byron House – bass (2010–2011) *

Buddy Miller Steven Paul "Buddy" Miller (born September 6, 1952) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, recording artist and producer, currently living in Nashville Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in T ...

– guitar, vocals (2010–2011) *

Darrell Scott James Darrell Scott (born August 6, 1959) is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer. He has written several mainstream country hits, and is well-established as one of Nashville's premier session instrumentalists. B ...

– vocals, mandolin, guitar, accordion, pedals, lap steel guitar, banjo (2010–2011)

1966–1968

1977–1983

2010–2011

Discography

Personnel

Members

Lineups

See also

References

Further reading