Chicory Tip

Chicory Tip are an English pop group, formed in 1967 in Maidstone, Kent.

The band originally comprised; vocalist Peter Hewson (born 1 September 1945, in Gillingham); guitarist Richard "Rick" Foster (born 7 July 1946); bass guitarist Barry Mayger (born 1 June 1946, Maidstone); drummer Brian Shearer (born 4 May 1951, Lewisham, South East London); and guitarist and keyboard player Rod Cloutt (born Roderick Cloutt, 26 January 1949, Gillingham).

Chicory Tip released only a few records in the US. Their name was shortened to just Chicory for the US market for their first two releases there, before they reverted to the fuller name.

The band formed in 1967, their name having been chosen by Barry Mayger who saw a coffee bottle (probably Camp Coffee) which contained chicory and this was shown on the label. He offered up the name Chicory Tip and it was accepted by the rest of the band. They were signed to CBS Records. They were originally known as The Sonics. The first few singles flopped, although "Excuse Me Baby" (a remake of a minor UK hit for The Magic Lanterns in 1971) secured the band its first appearance on the BBC Television pop music programme, Top of the Pops.

The group's finest moment came after their producer and manager Roger Easterby came across an advance copy of "Son of My Father", a song written by Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte—Bellotte wrote English lyrics for Michael Holm's self-penned hit "Nachts Scheint Die Sonne" (which he sang) but Moroder wrote the music on the original as confirmed on the sheet music for the song. Convinced of its potential, he secured the option to rush record the group's own cover version in competition with the original. The result was a number one hit in the UK Singles Chart for three weeks in February 1972. It was one of the first hit singles to feature a Moog synthesizer, which in this case was programmed and played by studio engineer and record producer Chris Thomas. A different account was given by Chicory Tip's Rick Foster, who stated in an interview with TV and radio broadcaster Stuart Cameron in 2012 that the Moog was played by the musician who joined them on Top Of The Pops, whose name he could not remember. The single sold over one million copies by July 1972, and was awarded a gold disc.

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