Bluesology
| Bluesology | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Pinner, Middlesex, England |
| Genres | British blues, Blue-eyed soul, R&B |
| Years active | 1962–1968 |
| Labels | Fontana, Polydor |
| Associated acts | Elton John, Long John Baldry, Major Lance, Cochise, Little Richard |
| Past members |
Reggie Dwight Stewart "Stu" Brown Rex Bishop Mick Inkpen Pat Higgs Dave Murphy Paul Gale Fred Gandy [AKA Freddie Creasey] Pete Gavin Neil Hubbard Elton Dean Marc Charig Alan Walker Long John Baldry Marsha Hunt Caleb Quaye Bernie Holland Jimmy Horowitz Big Jim Sullivan |
Bluesology was a 1960s English R&B group, best remembered as being the first professional band of which Reggie Dwight – later known as Elton John – was a member.
From about 1960, organist Reggie Dwight – then aged 13 – and his neighbour, singer and guitarist Stewart "Stu" Brown, performed with a local group, the Corvettes, in Pinner, Middlesex, a suburb of London. After that group split up, the pair formed a new group, Bluesology, with Rex Bishop (bass), and Mick Inkpen (drums). According to Dwight the band's name was in homage to the Django Reinhardt album Djangology. There had also been a 1956 piece named Bluesology by John Lewis of the Modern Jazz Quartet. By 1962 they had begun playing local pubs, and in 1963 they won a regular weekly slot at the Establishment Club in London, playing tunes by Muddy Waters, Jimmy Witherspoon and Memphis Slim, among others. In 1965, they turned professional, and signed a contract with an agency which began hiring them out as a backing band for visiting American performers, including The Isley Brothers, Doris Troy, Billy Stewart and Patti LaBelle.
After recording a demo they were signed by Fontana Records, and recorded their first single, Dwight's song "Come Back Baby", in July 1965. In November 1965 they released a second single, "Mr. Frantic", again written and sung by Dwight, and again unsuccessful. After a tour of Germany the band returned to England to work as the backing band for Major Lance with an expanded line-up of Dwight, Brown, Pat Higgs (trumpet), Dave Murphy (saxophone), Fred Gandy (bass) and Paul Gale (drums).
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