Name	Them
Background	group_or_band
Origin	Belfast, Northern Ireland
Genre	Rock, blue-eyed soul, garage rock, blues-rock, protopunk
Years active	1964–19721979
Label	DeccaParrot Major MinorHappy TigerTeldecDeramTowerRev-OlaFalloutSpalaxUniversal International
Former members	Van MorrisonAlan HendersonBilly HarrisonRonnie MillingsEric WrixonPat McAuleyJackie McAuleyPeter BardensJoe BaldiTerry NoonMark ScottSkip AlanNick WymerJim ArmstrongRay ElliotJohn WilsonDave HarveyEric BellJoe HanrattyMike BrownKenny McDowellJerry ColeJohn StarkJim ParkerCurtis BachmanReno SmithMel AustinBilly Bell

Them was a Northern Irish band formed in Belfast in April 1964, most prominently known for the garage rock standard "Gloria" and launching singer Van Morrison's musical career. The group was marketed in the United States as part of the British Invasion.

The band featured Van Morrison on vocals and harmonica, Billy Harrison on guitar (born William Harrison, 14 October 1942, in Belfast, County Antrim, Northern Ireland), Eric Wrixon on piano and keyboards (Wrixon named the band, but never played on any published albums or toured the States), Alan Henderson on bass (born 26 November 1944, in Belfast), Raymond Sweetman on bass (born Dermot Robert Sweetman, 1 January 1948, in Holyhead, Anglesey, North Wales) and Ronnie Millings on drums (born c 1937, in Belfast), with other musicians replacing or contributing during the life of the band. Henderson was the only constant member of the band from inception through their 1972 breakup and 1979 reunion.

Formation of the group

When Van Morrison established an R&B; club with entrepreneurs Jimmy Conlon, Jerry McKernan and Jerry McCurvey (known as the "3Js") at the Maritime Hotel in April 1964, he gave notice to the Golden Eagles, the group with which he performed at the time. This left him without a group. With an anticipated opening night for the new R&B; club approaching, he embarked on a mission to find his ideal line-up. He had recently been introduced to The Gamblers, a Belfast East group formed by Ronnie Millings, Billy Harrison, and Alan Henderson in 1962. Still a schoolboy, Eric Wrixon had been recruited as piano player and keyboardist. Morrison soon joined up with this group playing saxophone and harmonica and sharing vocals with Billy Harrison. The group rehearsed together in a room over a bicycle shop in preparation for their debut at the Maritime. Deciding the group now needed a new name, they followed Eric Wrixon's suggestion, and The Gamblers morphed into Them after the 1954 sci-fi horror film.

The Maritime Hotel days

In an enigmatic manner, the very first announcement of the band Them transpired on 14 April 1964 with an ad in a Belfast newspaper asking: Who Are? What Are? THEM followed with similarly curious ads and building interest, until the Friday ad before the gig announced that Them would be performing at the Maritime Hotel (Club Rado) that evening. Their initial club attendance in the two hundred capacity venue grew very quickly; within a week, people could be seen queuing well down the street hours before the show.

Them performed without a routine, and the act absorbed their fuel from the crowd's energy. Morrison ad libbed, creating his songs live as he performed. Their debut of Morrison's "Gloria" took place on stage here. Sometimes, depending on his mood, the song could last up to twenty minutes. Morrison has stated that "Them lived and died on the stage at the Maritime Hotel." The records and tours never adequately captured the true spirit of Them, as they fed off one another and the energy of the audience. Only the most rudimentary of recordings of the performances survive.

One of the fan's recordings of "Turn On Your Love Light" made its way to Dick Rowe with Decca Records. He was notoriously known for having turned down signing The Beatles after listening to a badly recorded demo. Not anxious to repeat this type of mistake, Rowe rushed over to the Maritime to hear Them and then rushed them into the Decca studios to sign away their rights on a standard two year contract. The minors had to have their parents' signatures and when Eric Wrixon's parents refused to sign, he was replaced with Pat John McAuley.

Recording with Decca and touring

The first recording session took place in London England in Decca Records' recording studios in West Hampstead on 5 July 1964. Dick Rowe brought in session musicians Arthur Greenslade on organ and Bobby Graham on drums. Six songs were recorded during this session: "Groovin'", "You Can't Judge a Book by Its Cover", "Turn on Your Love Light", "Don't Start Crying Now", "One Two Brown Eyes", "Philosophy" and "Gloria". This session was remarkable in its employment of two drums tracks, which can be clearly heard in the stereo mixes of "Gloria" and "One Two Brown Eyes".

The group released its first single "Don't Start Crying Now" b/w "One Two Brown Eyes", in August, which did not prove to be successful. Phil Solomon, the band's manager, and Dick Rowe then hired session musicians Jimmy Page, Peter Bardens and Bobby Graham to back Morrison on a cover of Big Joe Williams's "Baby Please Don't Go"(though Page contributed rhythm guitar, the lead guitar playing was the work of Billy Harrison). It was released in November, and in December, Them made their television debut on Ready Steady Go!, joining The Rolling Stones on the same bill. Solomon used his connections to have "Baby Please Don't Go" played as the weekly signature tune for the television show and within two weeks it was #26 on the charts. The single, which featured the now-legendary "Gloria" as its B-side, turned into a smash hit in the UK, finally peaking in the Top Ten on the UK Singles Chart.

In January 1965, Them toured England for a second time, staying at the Royal Hotel, which disc jockey Jimmy Savile used as his London base. As with many other groups of the time, Savile helped to promote the band with write-ups in his column for The People. At this point, Them needed a dose of positive publicity as they soon had earned a reputation for bad manners and sarcasm in their interviews. Billy Harrison said the attitude problem may have been caused by anti-Irish sentiments on the continent at the time. But, when they were interviewed by a reporter from the Irish Independent, the reporter remarked, "They were the most boorish bunch of youngsters I'd come across in my short career". They even treated an attractive female reporter with arrogance, causing Phil Coulter who witnessed this interview to remark, "They would just sit and mutter monosyllabic grunts to themselves and give her off-the-wall answers". (Van Morrison as a solo artist later raised these tedious and combative interviews to a "negative art form".)

Their record label Decca released an EP with a recording of "Philosophy" from an earlier session. They next released Them's biggest hit in the UK, "Here Comes the Night" b/w "All for Myself". Phil Solomon had brought in Bert Berns, an American, who had co-written the hit "Twist and Shout". Berns hired session musicians Phil Coulter on keyboards and Andy White on drums to play on this song, which was one of his own compositions. Three weeks after it was released it charted at #2 in March 1965 in the UK and it went to #24 in the U.S. that same May. Their management promoted Them by scheduling appearances on Ready Steady Go! and Top Of The Pops where rather than performing live, they were expected to mime and lip snyc. Morrison said of this appearance, "It was ridiculous. We were totally anti that type of thing... and we had to get into suits and have make-up put on and all that...". He also revealed how the band had until that time considered the programme a complete joke, and, then, Them had to appear on it.

On 11 April 1965 Them made a guest appearance at the NME Pollwinners Concert at Wembley Empire Pool. Jimmy Savile was MC for this event and perhaps was responsible for their appearance, as their newfound fame was too recent to have figured into that year's readers' polls. The 1965 concert remains the finest gathering ever of British pop acts, with The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Kinks, The Animals, The Searchers, The Moody Blues, Dusty Springfield et al. The bands had been expected to keep to their current hits but Them audaciously segued from "Here Comes the Night" into a seven minute version of "Turn on Your Lovelight". At the time, Derek Johnson with NME characterized Them's lead singer as generating "more genuine soul than any of his British contemporaries".

Them released their next single, "One More Time", chosen by Phil Solomon, in June 1965. This single bombed according to Billy Harrison because it never constituted single material. The band released two albums: The Angry Young Them released by Decca in June 1965 (UK) and by Parrot Records (US) in July 1965, and Them Again released in January 1966 (UK) and April 1966 (US). Later that year "Mystic Eyes" released as a single in the US reached #33. Them Again had charted in the US, and so they began a tour in May 1966.

From 30 May to 18 June, Them had a residency at the famous Whisky a Go Go in Los Angeles. For the final week, The Doors (with lead singer Jim Morrison) opened for Them (which was the first time the Doors played at the Whisky). On the last night, the two bands and the two Morrisons jammed together on a twenty-minute version of "Gloria" and a twenty-five minute version of "In the Midnight Hour". Them went on to headline at The Fillmore in San Francisco, California, and then in Hawaii where things went awry, with disputes erupting among band members and with management over financial arrangements. The band broke apart, with Van Morrison and Alan Henderson returning to Belfast, while Ray Elliot and David Harvey decided to stay in America.

Van Morrison has placed the Them break-up in context: "There was no motive behind anything you did [back then]. You just did it because you wanted to do it and you enjoyed doing it. That's the way the thing started, but it got twisted somewhere along the way and everybody involved in it got twisted as well, including me." (1967) "You can't take something like that, put it in a box and place a neat little name on it, then try to sell it. That's what they tried to do. That's what killed Them." (1973)

Van Morrison went on to great success and fame as a solo artist, but Them's combination of garage rock and blues proved a major influence on the next generations of rock musicians, and the group's best-known singles have become staples of rock and roll.

Acclaim

The band's 1964 recording of "Gloria" has become a classic and was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999. It was rated at #69 on Dave Marsh's 1989 book, The Heart of Rock and Soul, The 1001 Greatest Singles Ever and "Mystic Eyes" was rated at #458. "Gloria" by Them was listed at #208 on the 2004 Rolling Stone magazine's feature, The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

Post Morrison

After a brief band break-up in late August 1965, Billy Harrison and Pat McAuley (who had both left the group one month previously) formed a rival Them, competing with the Morrison/Henderson line-up and leading to legal action between the two groups. The latter won the rights to the name in March 1966, while the former, now without Harrison but with Pat's brother Jackie McAuley (ex-Them, ex-The Kult), were only allowed to use 'Other Them' in the U.K. The McAuley brothers became, unofficially, The Belfast Gypsies (or Gipsies), who recorded two singles on Island Records (one released under the name Freaks of Nature) and one Swedish-only album, all produced by Kim Fowley. During this time they toured Europe billed as Them, and released a French E.P. under that name; the band never actually performed billed as the Belfast Gypsies. This band broke up in November 1966.

In mid-1966, after Van Morrison left Them, he pursued a highly-successful solo career. The rest of the band regrouped back in Belfast and recruited Kenny McDowell (ex-Mad Lads) as singer. They continued touring and recording steadily after relocating to the USA in early 1967 at the invitation of producer Ray Ruff. Two of these post-Morrison albums, Now and Them and Time Out! Time In for Them, found the band experimenting with psychedelia. This line-up then disbanded with Jim Armstrong and Kenny McDowell returning to Belfast and performing as Sk'boo, after which Armstrong, McDowell and Ray Elliot reunited in Chicago in 1969 as Truth and recorded a number of demos and soundtrack songs later released as Of Them And Other Tales. Henderson meanwhile hired session musicians for two later, and much more considered efforts for Ray Ruff's Happy Tiger Records, where Them settled into a hard rock vein, but not without country-rock and folk elements: Them (1970) featured guitarist Jerry Cole; Them In Reality (1971) featured lead guitarist Jim Parker and drummer John Stark (both ex-Kitchen Cinq). Henderson also co-wrote the Truth Of Truths rock opera, produced by Ray Ruff in 1971. These efforts were met with consumer indifference and in 1972 Them dissolved. Them reunited briefly in 1979, without Morrison, recording another album, Shut Your Mouth, and undertaking a tour of Germany.

Discography

With Van Morrison as vocalist

Albums

The Angry Young Them - (1965), Decca (U.K.), Parrot (U.S.); CD reissue 1990, Deram

Them Again - (1966), Decca (U.K.), Parrot (U.S.); CD reissue 1990, Polygram

Singles

Don't Start Crying Now / One Two Brown Eyes - (1964)

Baby, Please Don't Go / Gloria - (1965) UK #10

Here Comes the Night / All For Myself - (1965) UK #2, IRE #2

One More Time / How Long Baby - (1965)

(It Won't Hurt) Half As Much / I'm Gonna Dress In Black - (1965)

Mystic Eyes / If You And I Could Be As Two - (1966) US #33

Call My Name / Bring 'em On In - (1966)

I Can Only Give You Everything / Don't Start Crying Now - (1966)

It's All Over Now, Baby Blue / I'm Gonna Dress In Black (The Netherlands) - (1966)

Richard Cory / Don't You Know - (1966)

Friday's Child / Gloria - (1967)

The Story Of Them, Part 1 / The Story Of Them, Part 2 - (1967)

It's All Over Now, Baby Blue / Bad Or Good - (1973) GER #13

EP

Them - (1965) - Don't Start Crying Now/Philosophy/One Two Brown Eyes/Baby, Please Don't Go

Them - (1984) UK #5

Compilations

The World of Them - (1970) (UK Decca- PA/SPA-86)

Them featuring Van Morrison - (1972) - A double LP consisting of 20 cuts from first two US albums

Rock Roots - 1976 (Decca)

The Story of Them - (1977)

Them featuring Van Morrison - (1985)

The Story of Them Featuring Van Morrison - (1997), Deram; To be remastered and reissued in January, 2009.

Gold - (2005), Deram; 2006 release Universal International; 2008 release Universal Japan. Contains 49 tracks, all from the Van Morrison period.

Post Van Morrison

Albums

Them Belfast Gypsies - (August 1967, Scandinavia only) Sonet; CD reissue 2003, with bonus tracks, Rev-Ola (by spin-off band, The Belfast Gypsies)

Now And Them - (January 1968), Tower; CD reissue with bonus tracks 2003, Rev-Ola

Time Out! Time In For Them - (November 1968), Tower; CD reissue 2003 with eight bonus tracks, Rev-Ola

Them - (1970), Happy Tiger; CD reissue 2008, Fallout

Them In Reality - (1971), Happy Tiger; CD reissue 2008, Fallout

Shut Your Mouth - (1979), Teldec, CD reissue 2000 as Reunion Concert, Spalax

Singles

Gloria's Dream / Secret Police - (July 1966, USA), Loma 2051 ('Belfast Gipsies')

Gloria's Dream / Secret Police - (October 1966, UK), Island WI 3007 ('Belfast Gipsies')

People Let's Freak Out / Portland Town - (October 1966, USA), Loma 2060 ('Belfast Gipsies')

People Let's Freak Out / The Shadow Chasers ('Secret Police') - (December 1966, UK), Island WI 3017 (Belfast Gypsies credited as 'Freaks Of Nature')

Portland Town / Boom Boom - (1967, Sweden only), Sonet T 7672 (Belfast Gypsies credited as 'Them')

Dirty Old Man (At The Age Of Sixteen) / Square Room - (August 1967), Sully Records 1021

Walking In The Queen's Garden / I Happen To Love You - (November 1967), Ruff Records 1088

Dirty Old Man (At The Age Of Sixteen) / Square Room - (December 1967) Tower (newly-recorded versions of both tracks)

Walking In The Queen's Garden / I Happen To Love You - (December 1967), Tower 384 (re-issue of Ruff Records 1088)

But It's Alright / Square Room - (April 1968), Tower 407

Waltz Of The Flies / We've All Agreed To Help - (1969), Tower 461

Corina / Dark Are The Shadows - (March 1969), Tower 493

I Am Waiting / Lonely Weekends - (1969), Happy Tiger 525

Memphis Lady / Nobody Cares - (1970), Happy Tiger 534

EP

Gloria's Dream - Gloria's Dream / Secret Police / Aria Of The Fallen Angels / The Crazy World Inside Me - (1967, France only), Disques Vogue INT18079 ('Belfast Gypsies')

Portland Town - Portland Town / It's All Over Now, Baby Blue / Midnight Train / The Gorilla - (1967, France only), Disques Vogue INT18135 (Belfast Gypsies credited as 'Them')

Personnel

No band from the British Invasion era had more line-up changes than Them. Over 30 musicians can claim to have once played with the fabled group.

{| class="toccolours" border=1 cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0 style="width: 500px; margin: 0 0 1em 1em; border-collapse: collapse; border: 1px solid #E2E2E2;" |- ! bgcolor="#E7EBEE" | (April 1964 - January 1965) |

Van Morrison - lead vocals, saxophone

Alan Henderson - bass

Billy Harrison - guitar

Ronnie Millings - drums (until 12/64)

Eric Wrixon - keyboards (except 6/64-12/64)

Pat McAuley - keyboards (after 6/64), then drums (after 12/64)

|- ! bgcolor="#E7EBEE" | (January 1965 - April 1965) |

Van Morrison - lead vocals

Alan Henderson - bass

Billy Harrison - guitar

Jackie McAuley - keyboards

Pat McAuley - drums

|- ! bgcolor="#E7EBEE" | (May 1965 - July 1965) 'The Angry Young Them / Here Comes The Night' |

Van Morrison - lead vocals

Alan Henderson - bass

Billy Harrison - guitar

Pat McAuley - drums

Peter Bardens - keyboards

|- ! bgcolor="#E7EBEE" | (July 1965 - August 1965) |

Van Morrison - lead vocals

Alan Henderson - bass

Joe Baldi - guitar

Peter Bardens - keyboards

Terry Noon - drums

|- ! bgcolor="#E7EBEE" | (about September 1965 - November 1966, as 'THEM', 'OTHER THEM', or 'BELFAST GYPSIES') 'Belfast Gypsies' |

Pat McAuley - organ (until January 1966), then drums

Billy Harrison - guitar (until November 1965)

Mark Scott - bass

Skip Alan - drums (until November 1965)

Nick Wymer - lead vocals (until January 1966)

* 'Don' - guitar (about November 1965 to January 1966)

* Viv Prince - drums (about November 1965)

* Ken McLeod - drums (November 1965 until January 1966), then guitar

* Jackie McAuley - lead vocals, organ, harmonica (from January 1966)

* Peter Bardens - keyboards (for a few shows in 1966)

|- ! bgcolor="#E7EBEE" | (September 1965 - April 1966) 'Them Again' |

Van Morrison - lead vocals

Alan Henderson - bass

Jim Armstrong - guitar

Ray Elliot - keyboards, saxophone, flute

John Wilson - drums (until December 1965)

Dave Harvey - drums (after December 1965)

* Eric Wrixon - keyboards (for a few shows in September 1965)

* Billy Harrison - guitar (subbing for Armstrong, November 1965)

* Terry Noone - drums (subbing for Wilson, November 1965)

|- ! bgcolor="#E7EBEE" | (April 1966 - September 1966) |

Van Morrison - lead vocals

Alan Henderson - bass

Jim Armstrong - guitar

Ray Elliot - keyboards, saxophone, flute

Dave Harvey (David Tufrey) - drums

* Steve Reush - drums (briefly in August 1966)

* Sammy Stitt - drums (briefly in September 1966)

|- ! bgcolor="#E7EBEE" | (September 1966 - October 1966, as 'THEM AGAIN') |

Van Morrison - lead vocals

Eric Bell - guitar

Joe Hanratty - drums

Mike Brown - bass

* Alan Henderson - second bass for a couple shows

|- ! bgcolor="#E7EBEE" | (1966–1967) 'Now And Them' |

Kenny McDowell - lead vocals

Alan Henderson - bass

Jim Armstrong - guitar, sitar

Ray Elliot - keyboards, saxophone, flute

Dave Harvey - drums

|- ! bgcolor="#E7EBEE" | (1967–1968) 'Time Out! Time In For Them' 'Corina / Dark Are The Shadows' |

Kenny McDowell - lead vocals

Alan Henderson - bass

Jim Armstrong - guitar, sitar

Dave Harvey - drums

* Johnny Guerin - drums (studio sessions)

|- ! bgcolor="#E7EBEE" | (1969–1970) 'Them' |

Alan Henderson - bass

Jerry Cole - vocals, guitar, percussion

* Ry Cooder - guitar (studio sessions in 1969)

* Jack Nitzsche - keyboards (studio sessions in 1969)

* John Stark - drums, vocals (uncredited album sessions in 1969)

* Mark Creamer - guitar, vocals (uncredited sessions on two album cuts in 1969)

|- ! bgcolor="#E7EBEE" | (1971, as 'THEM featuring Alan Henderson') 'Them In Reality' |

Alan Henderson - bass

John Stark - drums, lead vocals

Jim Parker - guitar, vocals

|- ! bgcolor="#E7EBEE" | (mid 1969 - early 1971, as 'TRUTH') 'Of Them And Other Tales' |

Jim Armstrong - guitar

Kenny McDowell - lead vocals

Curtis Bachman - bass

Reno Smith - drums

* Ray Elliot - keyboards, flute (briefly, 1970)

* Buddy Clark - drums (briefly when the group reformed in Chicago, under the management of Circle Productions. Clark is now an attorney in Westminster, CA and a judge pro-tem in LA County, and has a band in CA called Highway)

|- ! bgcolor="#E7EBEE" | (1979) 'Shut Your Mouth' |

Alan Henderson - bass

Billy Harrison - guitar (studio sessions)

Eric Wrixon - keyboards (studio sessions)

Mel Austin - lead vocals

Billy Bell - drums

* Jim Armstrong - guitar (tour)

* Brian Scott - keyboards, flute (tour)

|- ! bgcolor="#E7EBEE" | (from 1993 - as 'THEM - THE BELFAST BLUES BAND') | Eric Wrixon - keyboards, lead vocals

* Jim Armstrong - guitar

* John Wilson - drums

* Siggi Heilek - drums

* Billy McCoy - guitar

* Luca Nardi - bass

* Tom Wagener - drums

|}

Notes

References

Heylin, Clinton (2003). Can You Feel the Silence? Van Morrison: A New Biography, Chicago Review Press ISBN 1-55652-542-7

Hinton, Brian (1997). Celtic Crossroads: The Art of Van Morrison, Sanctuary, ISBN 1-86074169X

Rogan, Johnny (2006). , London:Vintage Books ISBN 9780099431831

Turner, Steve (1993). , Viking Penguin, ISBN 0-670-85147-7

External links

The Music Collector's Guide - full chronology of Them/Van Morrison

[ allmusic Biography: Them]

Them the Band tripod.com

Detailed biography Them and band member's later careers by John Berg

Month-by-month biography of Them at Garagehangover.com

Category:Blues-rock groups Category:British blues (genre) musicians Category:British Invasion artists Category:Rock music groups from Northern Ireland Category:Musical groups from Northern Ireland Category:1960s music groups Category:Garage rock groups Category:Van Morrison Category:Musical groups established in 1964 Category:Pre-punk groups Category:British blues music groups

Name	Stealers Wheel
Background	group_or_band
Origin	Paisley, Renfrewshire, Scotland
Genre	Folk, Rock
Years active	1972–1975, 2008–present
Label	A&M;
Current members	Tony Williams Rod Coombes Paul Pilnick Tony Mitchell
Past members	Gerry Rafferty Joe Egan Ian Campbell Joe Jammer Andrew Steele Gerry Taylor Benie Holland Dave Wintour Luther Grosvenor Rab Noakes Roger Brown DeLisle Harper Brad G.

Stealers Wheel are a Scottish folk rock/rock band formed in Paisley, Renfrewshire in 1972 by former school friends Joe Egan and Gerry Rafferty.

The band broke up in 1975 and re-formed without Rafferty and Egan in 2008.

Biography

Rafferty and Egan first met when they were teenagers in Paisley and they became the core of Stealers Wheel. In the early 1970s, the band was considered to be the British version of American folk/rock supergroup Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. They were initially joined by Roger Brown, Rab Noakes and Ian Campbell in 1972. However, that line-up only lasted a few months and by the time the band were signed to A&M; Records later that same year, Brown, Noakes and Campbell had been replaced by Paul Pilnick, Tony Williams and Rod Coombes. This line-up recorded their self-titled debut album, Stealers Wheel and was produced by the influential American songwriters and producers Leiber & Stoller. The album was a critical and commercial success reaching number fifty in the US album charts, with their million selling hit single "Stuck in the Middle With You", coming from the album. The album, named after an area of Paisley, only just reached the top 200 in the USA and was a commercial failure. With increasing tension between Rafferty and Egan they could not agree on which studio musicians to use on the third album, and with Leiber & Stoller also having business problems, Stealers Wheel disappeared for eighteen months. By the time the album Right Or Wrong was released in 1975, Stealers Wheel had ceased to exist. Luther Grosvenor has expressed his interest in joining the band should they tour.

Gerry Rafferty died on January 4, 2011 after suffering liver failure.

Band members

Gerry Rafferty: vocals, lead guitar (1972–1975) (born Gerald Rafferty, 16 April 1947 in Paisley, Scotland; died 4 January 2011)

Joe Egan: lead vocals, keyboard (1972–1975)

Paul Pilnick: lead guitar (1972) and (2008–present) (born 17 March 1944, in Liverpool, Lancashire, England)

Tony Williams: bass guitar (1972) and (2008–present)

Ian Campbell: bass guitar (1972) (born Ian Campbell, 17 July 1941, in Glasgow, Scotland).

Rod Coombes: drums (1972) and (2008–present)

Joe Jammer: guitar (1973–1975)

Andrew Steele: drums (1973–1975) (born Andrew Roy Malcolm Steele, 2 August 1941, in Hendon, London; died 18 April 2005, in Alaska, United States).

Gerry Taylor: bass guitar (1973–1975)

Benie Holland: guitar (1975)

Dave Wintour: bass guitar (1975)

Luther Grosvenor (Ariel Bender): vocals, guitar (November 1972 - July 1973)

Tony Mitchell: guitar (2008–present)

Further members, who did not participate in any recordings

Rab Noakes: guitar, vocals (1972)

Roger Brown: vocals (1972)

DeLisle Harper: bass guitar (1973) (born Delisle McKenzie Harper, 20 November 1942).

Discography

Stealers Wheel (1972)

Ferguslie Park (1973)

Right Or Wrong (1975)

The Best of Stealers Wheel (1990)

References

Further reading

External links

Category:Scottish musical groups Category:1970s music groups Category:Musical groups established in 1972

Name	The David Crowder Band
Background	group_or_band
Origin	Waco, Texas, United States
Genre	Christian rockElectronic rockWorship
Years active	1996–present
Label	sixstepsrecords
Url	www.DavidCrowderBand.com
Current members	David CrowderJack ParkerMike Dodson aka "Mike D"Jeremy Bush aka "B-wack"Mike Hogan aka "Hogan"Mark Waldrop aka "The Shark"
Past members	Jason SolleyTaylor Johnson
Notable instruments	BanjoTurntableElectric violinKeytarGuitar Hero ControllerThereminUkuleleiPhone (specifically Smule's I Am T-Pain app)Steve 3P0 (drumming robot)

The David Crowder Band (marketed as David Crowder*Band) is a six-piece Christian Modern Worship band from Waco, Texas.

Band history

The band began when David Crowder, from Texarkana, Texas, realized that almost half of the students at Baylor University were not attending church, which he found surprising since it is a Christian university. He and Chris Seay started University Baptist Church (Waco, Texas) in 1995 while he was still a student. Crowder led worship there and continued to do so throughout the year. The church's grew, as did the band's lineup.

Crowder began writing songs to incorporate into the worship times at the church and eventually the church released an independent CD, Pour Over Me, followed by All I Can Say in 1999. These CDs brought the band to a wider audience and invitations to festivals and events followed. The band was signed to sixstepsrecords/Sparrow Records and has released six more albums to date (see discography). The band tours the United States continuously, but make it back to their home church in Waco, Texas relatively often. It has been said that Kyle Lake, University Baptist Church's former pastor and also longtime friend of the band, had a strong influence on the band's music in terms of content and inspiration both during his life and after his death.

With their September 2005 release, A Collision, David Crowder Band explored a new realm of musical diversity. The album houses a mix of bluegrass, folk, alternative, and worship, woven together with a touch of electronic ambience. This release landed them the #2 spot on the iTunes Music Store and the #39 spot on Billboard 200 only one day after its release.

On the same day as the release of A Collision, their song "Turkish Delight" was released on the compilation CD. This song, which is a reference to the magical Turkish Delight in C. S. Lewis's book The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, has an old-school disco feel.

On March 19, 2007, the band officially started recording its album titled Remedy; the band also revealed the album's website, http://www.remedyiscoming.com/, which allows fans to follow the band via live webcams, and discover more about the album. Famously controversial rock musician Ted Nugent made a special guest appearance on the album, on the song "We Won't Be Quiet". Remedy was released on September 25, 2007. The day after its release, it reached #4 on the iTunes Music Store.

On July 16, 2008, the band announced via its website that it would be releasing a brand new live album and DVD set on August 19, 2008. The title was announced as being Remedy Club Tour - Live, and the cover art was released along with a trailer for the DVD.

On David Crowder's Xanga entry from January 31, 2009, he mentioned the preproduction of the band's next studio album. On Mike Hogan's MySpace entry from March 4, 2009, he confirmed that actual recording and production had commenced and provided directions for getting to the live webcam feed, which is in a page simply titled "Church Music". This is the name of the new album, released on September 22, 2009. The first single off the album is a cover of John Mark McMillan's song "How He Loves".

The band hosted Crowder's Fantastical Church Music Conference September 30 through October 2, 2010 at Baylor University in Waco, TX. Other presenters at the conference included Louie Giglio, Rob Bell, Israel Houghton, Hillsong London, Matt Redman, Jars of Clay, Matt Maher, Leeland, David Dark, Gungor, Derek Webb and others.

Members

Current members

David Crowder – Lead vocals, acoustic guitar, piano, programming, theremin, keytar ("Foreverandever Etc..."), electric guitar ("We Won't Be Quiet", "Can You Feel It")

Jack Parker – electric guitar, vocals, Rhodes piano, mandolin, noise box ("Can You Feel It"), and banjo ("I Saw the Light") (1996 - present)

Mike Dodson – bass guitar, keyboards, cello ("Surely We Can Change"), clarinet

Mike Hogan – violin/strings, turntables (wicky-wack), guitar, keyboard

Jeremy Bush (Bwack) - drums, percussion, bells, programming

Mark Waldrop – electric guitar, thingamagoop ("Can You Feel It")

Former members

Jason Solley – electric guitar, background vocals and mandolin (1996 – 2006)

Taylor Johnson – electric guitar, mandolin (December 2006 – March 2007)

Discography

;Albums # Pour Over Me (1998) # All I Can Say (1999) # Can You Hear Us? (2002) # Illuminate (2003) U.S. #84 # A Collision (2005) U.S. #39 # Remedy (2007) U.S. #22 # Remedy Limited Edition (2008) # Remedy Club Tour - Live (2008) U.S. #88 # Church Music (2009) U.S. #11

;EPs # The Lime CD (2004) # Sunsets & Sushi (2005) # B Collision (2006) U.S. #118 # Summer Happiness (2010)

Collaboration

Thoughts of You - Robbie Seay (2000)

- Passion Worship Band (2000)

Our Love is Loud - Passion Worship Band (live, 2002)

Sacred Revolution - Passion Worship Band (live, 2003)

- Passion Worship Band (2004)

How Great Is Our God - Passion Worship Band (live, 2005)

Live from Austin Music Hall - Chris Tomlin (live, 2005)

Everything Glorious - Passion Worship Band (live, 2006)

Music Inspired by the Chronicles of Narnia (compilation, 2005, Sparrow Records/EMD)

Ultimate Music Makeover: Michael W. Smith (compilation, 2005)

X Worship 2006 (compilation, 2005)

X Worship 2007 (compilation, 2006)

(compilation, Christmas)

Music Inspired By the Motion Picture Amazing Grace (compilation, 2007, Sparrow Records)

Glory Revealed (compilation by Mac Powell, 2007)

- Passion Worship Band (2007)

"Here Is Our King" can be heard on WOW Hits 2006

"Wholly Yours" can be heard on WOW Hits 2007

"Everything Glorious" can be heard on WOW Hits 1 and WOW Hits 2009

God of This City - Passion Worship Band (2008)

"How He Loves" can be heard on WOW Hits 2010

Lay It Down - Jars of Clay (2010)

The band also created the theme music for Dr. James MacDonald's radio program Walk in the Word.

Awards

2011

David Crowder Band is currently nominated for a Grammy Award at the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards: Best Rock Or Rap Gospel Album - Church Music

2010

David Crowder Band received a Dove Award at the 41st Annual Gospel Music Awards:

Praise and Worship Album of the Year - Church Music

2009

David Crowder Band was nominated for three Dove Awards at the 40th Annual Gospel Music Awards:

Group of the Year

Recorded Music Packaging - Remedy Club Tour Edition

Special Event Album of the Year - Passion: God of This City

The band received the award for:

Special Event Album of the Year - Passion: God of This City

2007

David Crowder Band received another Dove Award for their participation in Special Event Album of the Year - Passion: Everything Glorious

2006

David Crowder Band received their first Dove Awards at the 37th Annual Gospel Music Awards:

Rock/Contemporary Album of the Year - A Collision

Rock/Contemporary Recorded Song of the Year - "Here is Our King"

Special Event Album of the Year - Music Inspired by the Chronicles of Narnia

Books

David Crowder has authored two books:

David Crowder, Praise Habit: Finding God in Sunsets and Sushi, NavPress, 2005.

David Crowder with Mike Hogan, Everybody Wants to Go to Heaven, but Nobody Wants to Die or (The Eschatology of Bluegrass), Relevant Books, 2006.

Name

Previous to the name change announced with the release of the album Church Music, Crowder himself stated that it was improper to refer to the band as "The David Crowder Band". The group preferred to omit the article, as they did not want to make the band appear so definitive and concrete as "The David Crowder Band". The group once stated that they "may revisit this issue if other groups named 'David Crowder Band' begin performing," and may in fact, should that eventuality occur, insert "The Original" in front of the band's present appellation.

The addition of the asterisk (*) to the name (rendering David Crowder*Band) is a common occurrence evoking much mystery; however, the band uses this convention only in some logos. In text on their website and other media, the asterisk is omitted, which only adds to the lore. It is uncertain what the asterisk denotes reference to, or what metaphorical annotation is intended. The asterisk, however, can be seen on the David Crowder*Band music video "Foreverandever Etc...". No opinions on the asterisk's purpose are reliable at this point and time, although theories arise from time to time.

Astute observers concerned with the asterisk have pointed out the similarity of the band's name to Dave Matthews Band, and along with Crowder's Matthews-influenced acoustic guitar riffs, have suggested the asterisk alludes to a long-standing joke about the band's creativity. This is consistent with the band's writings, which have long employed witty, subtle, and self-effacing humor. And while somewhat conjectural, yet the most convincing piece of evidence to surface pointing to the truth in this is the fact that the DCB Band's All I Can Say has thirty-four tracks, with tracks twelve through thirty-three serving as silent filler tracks leading up to an acoustic rendition of "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing", an often-overlooked mimicry of Dave Matthews Band's album Under the Table and Dreaming, which also has a total of thirty-four tracks, with tracks twelve through thirty-three serving as silent filler tracks leading up to the song known as "#34". Also, the total running time of the record is exactly 68:00, which is 34 doubled. This was completely coincidental."

On a faux-documentary while recording their upcoming album, Church Music, Crowder mentioned that the asterisk meant, "David Crowder [is about to go insane because Jack Parker continually tries to sabotage the work of the rest of the] band."

References

External links

David Crowder Band official website

University Baptist Church

Christian Music Today interview - 11/07

Christian Music Today interview - 04/06

Christian Music Today interview - 10/02

Home.FM Radio Interview with David Crowder by Adam & Ben on Mornings at Home

Gospel Music Channel Interview with David Crowder by Alicia Carson

Category:American Christian musical groups Crowder, David Category:Musical groups from Texas Category:Contemporary worship music

Name	Dave Matthews
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	David John Matthews
Born	January 09, 1967Johannesburg, Transvaal Province, South Africa
Origin	Charlottesville, Virginia,United States
Instrument	Vocals, guitar, piano, accordion
Genre	Rock, pop, alternative rock
Occupation	Singer-songwriter, musician, actor
Years active	1989–present
Label	RCA, Sony BMG
Associated acts	Tribe of Heaven, Dave Matthews Band, Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds, Dave Matthews & Friends
Religion	Agnostic
Url	www.DaveMatthewsBand.com

David John "Dave" Matthews (born January 9, 1967) is a South African-born American musician and actor, best known as the lead vocalist, songwriter, and guitarist for the Dave Matthews Band. He performs with acoustic guitar and favors rhythm rather than solos in his playing.

Early life

Matthews was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, the third of four children born to Americans John and Valerie Matthews. At two years old, Matthews' family moved to Yorktown Heights in Westchester County, New York, where his father, a physicist, started working for IBM.

In 1974, the family moved to Cambridge, England, for a year before returning to New York, where his father died from lung cancer in 1977. Biographer Nevin Martell argues that Dave's father's death may be an impetus for his "carpe diem" lyrics. At some point while residing in New York, Matthews attended his first concert when his mother took him to a performance by Pete Seeger. The family moved back to Johannesburg, South Africa, in 1977. A Quaker (and consequently pacifist), Matthews left South Africa to avoid service.

Matthews moved to New York in 1986 where he worked for IBM for a short time, then joined his mother in Charlottesville, Virginia, the same year, a town Matthews' family had lived in before he was born. This eventually led to his first professional musical gig at a modern dance performance by the Miki Liszt Dance Company'', based at McGuffey Art Center in Charlottesville, singing "Meaningful Love", composed by John D'earth and Dawn Thompson. In 1991 he hatched the idea to form his own band.

In 1994, Matthews' older sister, Anne, who lived in South Africa, was murdered by her husband, who subsequently committed suicide, on or around January 27 of that year. The event had a drastic effect on Matthews' outlook on life and was referenced in a few of his songs (such as "Shotgun.") On January 29, 1994, he performed with Tim Reynolds at The Wetlands in New York where he dedicated that performance "to her memory". Dave Matthews Band's Under the Table and Dreaming, released later that year, was dedicated to her. Later that year he released a solo album, "Some Devil", which went platinum; its single, "Gravedigger", won a Grammy Award in 2004. To support the album, Matthews toured with a group of musicians (most of whom performed on "Some Devil") under the name Dave Matthews & Friends.

Matthews is also a close friend of Béla Fleck. Matthews appears as a guest vocalist on Béla Fleck and the Flecktones' 1998 release Left of Cool and both Fleck and Flecktones bassist Victor Wooten have made numerous appearances both live and studio with DMB (e.g. Wooten soloed in the second part of The Maker, and also in #41 on the 1998 live album Live in Chicago). The Flecktones also opened for DMB on several tours. Matthews performed a duet with Emmylou Harris on "My Antonia" on her 2000 album, Red Dirt Girl. They also appeared together on the musical television show CMT Crossroads, where the two performed Matthews' "Gravedigger" and the folk song "Long Black Veil".

Dave performed a cover of Neil Young's "The Needle and the Damage Done" at the 2010 MusiCares Person of the Year tribute honoring recording artist Neil Young on January 29, 2010

Acting

Before he was known as a musician, Matthews was an amateur actor, appearing onstage in several productions at Charlottesville's Offstage Theatre and Live Arts theater in the early 1990s; the role for which he is best remembered is as a used car salesman in Offstage Theatre's "Just Say No," directed by John Quinn, co-starring Kylie Sicher . Dave Matthews has also acted in four feature films. He played Will Coleman in the 2003 adaptation of the novel Where the Red Fern Grows. In 2005 he played in Because of Winn-Dixie as Otis, a man who works at a pet store and plays guitar. In 2007, Matthews appeared briefly in the movie I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, where he plays a homosexual salesman. In 2008, he appeared in another Adam Sandler movie, You Don't Mess with the Zohan, as a racist redneck character named James. He also had a significant role in Lake City with Sissy Spacek and Troy Garity, in which he portrays the character "Red." He is also in three upcoming movies, The Other Side with Giovanni Ribisi and Jason Lee, In The Woods, starring Debra Winger and Terrence Howard and the Adam Sandler comedy Just Go With It.

In 2007, Matthews guest starred in the Fox drama series House in the episode "Half-Wit". He played a piano-playing musical savant who ended up having half of his brain removed in order to recover from his epilepsy, but at the expense of his musical abilities. Matthews had a piano double for the complex pieces, but played the simpler pieces himself. In the Season One episode of "House" -"Love Hurts"- the song "Some Devil" can be heard playing at the end. In another episode, one of the tracks from Stand Up, "You Might Die Trying" was played ("House M.D", Season Five -"Not Cancer"-) .

The fifth time Matthews appeared as musical guest on Saturday Night Live in November 2009 (which was also the fourth time the Dave Matthews Band appeared on the show), he made an appearance as Ozzy Osbourne in a skit called "The Mellow Show." Bill Hader impersonated Matthews in the same skit. With 5 official guest appearances on SNL, Matthews is officially a member of the "Five-Timers Club".

Matthews was also a cast member and performer in the popular music documentary Before the Music Dies.

Personal life

Matthews married longtime partner Jennifer Ashley Harper in 2000. The couple has twin daughters, Stella Busina and Grace Anne, born on August 15, 2001 and a son, August Oliver, born on June 19, 2007. As of the late 2000s, they reside in Seattle, Washington In a 2001 interview, Matthews stated that he was agnostic.

Charity

Matthews has been active in charity work, both on his own and with his bandmates. He has performed benefit concerts for music education, Hurricane Katrina victims, farmers, and victims of the Virginia Tech shooting. The band's charitable organization, the Bama Works Fund is administered by the Charlottesville Area Community Foundation, benefiting charitable programs in the region.

In 2008 he participated in a music album called Songs for Tibet, together with a number of other celebrities as an initiative to support Tibet and Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso. Dave Matthews Band also donated to the Piedmont Park Conservancy, giving a portion of the profits to the park.

Matthews also participated in a special program for the victims of the earthquake in Haiti. He performed a duet with Neil Young.

Also, On February 12, 2010, a short five-track album was released by the Dave Matthews Band entitled The Haiti Relief Project, with all proceeds benefitting the relief funds for the earthquake victims.

Matthews is on the board of directors of FarmAid, an organization created by Willie Nelson to help family farmers. Joining Matthews on the board are Neil Young, John Mellencamp, and Willie Nelson.

In 2000 Reuters reported that a cancer hoax chain letter was being circulated online that promised that anyone who forwarded the chain letter would be rewarded by being sent Matthews AOL screen name.

Politics

Although his music has often explored political and social issues, Matthews refrained from public campaigning for Presidential candidates until 2004. He cast his support strongly with Democratic nominee John Kerry, performing at political events including the Vote for Change tour.

Matthews also supported Barack Obama for President in 2008, both in the primaries and in the general election. On April 6, 2008, he and Tim Reynolds played a concert titled "Change Rocks" at Indiana University to encourage students to register to vote. The tickets were distributed by the Obama campaign. Questions regarding his citizenship were answered by advertisements and videos on YouTube, where he says he is a "real American" and a "real Virginian," stating that "real Virginians get out and vote." Even though he was recently bereaved by the loss of band co-founder and saxophonist, LeRoi Moore on August 19, 2008, he and Tim Reynolds played for DNC delegates on Sunday, August 24 at Red Rocks, and again with Reynolds at the Virginia Commonwealth University, on October 26, 2008, among other places. Matthews has often supported environmental initiatives, such as biofuel availability and the fight against global climate change. On September 21, 2009, Matthews stated that some of President Barack Obama's harsher critics were motivated by his race, and stated that he "sees it [racism] everywhere" in the United States.

Lawsuit

On August 25, 2004, Dave Matthews Band was sued by the state of Illinois for dumping raw sewage from the band's tour bus over a bridge into the Chicago River on August 8, 2004, though the band was not on the bus at the time of the incident. The dumping of up to 800 pounds of human waste into the river, in addition to violating water pollution laws, also descended upon more than 100 people in a boat on a tour of Chicago architecture. The band settled the suit by paying $200,000 to an environmental fund. As a part of the settlement, for five years, the band was required to log every location, date, and time their tour buses' septic tanks were emptied. The bus driver, Stefan Wohl, was sentenced to probation and community service, and was fired by the band.

Past and present equipment

Past Equipment

Martin DM3MD Steel 6-String Acoustic Guitar serial numbers 1, 2 and 3

Martin HD-28V Steel 6-String Acoustic Guitar

Martin D-35 Steel 6-String Acoustic Guitar

Martin D12-28 Steel 12-String Acoustic Guitar

Taylor 714 Steel 6-String Acoustic Guitar Taylor 914c 6-String Acoustic Guitar w/Florentine Cutaway (Drop D Tuning) (Don't Drink The Water, Crush, Shake Me Like A Monkey, Seven, Break Free)

Discography

Studio albums

Some Devil (2003)

Imagine We Were (2005) – as Tribe of Heaven; originally recorded in 1989

Live albums

Live at Luther College (1999) – with Tim Reynolds

Live at Radio City (2007) – with Tim Reynolds

Live in Las Vegas (2010) – with Tim Reynolds

Singles

Other charted songs

Guest singles

^A "I'm Alive" charted as an album cut in 2008 before being released as a single in 2009

Collaborations

"Tomorrow Never Knows" (2010), off the Herbie Hancock album "The Imagine Project''

"You Should Know Me", "Oh, Bangladesh" & "And He Slayed Her" (2010) off the Liz Phair album Funstyle

"Caveman" & "Road" (2009) off the Danny Barnes album "Pizza Box"

"Fat Man In The Bathtub" (2008) off the Little Feat album "Little Feat & Friends: Join The Band"

"I'm Alive" (2008) off the Kenny Chesney album Lucky Old Sun

"Mamma Boulet" (2008) off the Dave Grant album "Bubbalon by Bass"

"Tremendous Brunettes" (2007) off the Mike Doughty album Haughty Melodic

"Work It Out" (2006) off the Jurassic 5 album Feedback

"Sing Along" (2003) off the Blue Man Group album The Complex with music video

"Love Is The Only Way" (2006) off the Robert Randolph and the Family Band album Colorblind

"Joyful girl"(2002) off the Soulive album - Next

"Iwoya" (2002) off the Angelique Kidjo album Black Ivory Soul

"For You"(2002) off the We Were Soldiers soundtrack with Johnny Cash

"My Antonia", (2000), off the (Emmylou Harris studio album) Red Dirt Girl, where Dave duets with Emmylou on her composition

"Love of My Life" (1999) & "Rain Down On Me" (2010), off the Santana album Supernatural

"Communication" & "Trouble and Strife" (1998), off the Béla Fleck and the Flecktones album Left of Cool

"Eleanor" (1994), off the Shannon Worrell album Three Wishes

Awards

Grammys

1997: Best Rock Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group – "So Much to Say", Dave Matthews Band

2004: Best Male Rock Vocal Performance – "Gravedigger", Dave Matthews

ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards

Most Performed Song from a Motion Picture – "Where Are You Going" (for Mr. Deeds)

Honorary degrees

Dave Matthews was awarded D.M.A. honoris causa by Haverford College on May 15, 2005; see here for his commencement speech.

Guitar

2002: Orville Gibson Award for Best Acoustic Guitarist

See also

List of celebrities who own wineries and vineyards

References

External links

The Warehouse: The Official Dave Matthews Band Fan Association

Charlie Rose Interview

Interview

Category:1967 births Category:American agnostics Category:American humanitarians Category:American male singers Category:American Quakers Category:American rock guitarists Category:American rock singers Category:American people of British descent Category:Dave Matthews Band members Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Living people Category:Naturalized citizens of the United States Category:Old Stithians Category:People from Charlottesville, Virginia Category:People from Johannesburg Category:People from Yorktown, New York Category:South African immigrants to the United States Category:South African people of British descent Category:Musicians from Virginia