Climax Blues Band
| Climax Blues Band | |
|---|---|
The band in 1974
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| Background information | |
| Also known as | Climax Chicago Blues Band (1968–1972) |
| Origin | Stafford, England |
| Genres | Blues rock, soft rock |
| Years active | 1968–present |
| Labels |
Harvest/EMI Sire/Warner Bros. Records Virgin Records Major League Productions various others |
| Website | Climax Blues Band |
| Members | George Glover Roy Adams Lester Hunt Neil Simpson Chris Aldridge Graham Dee |
| Past members | Colin Cooper Pete Haycock Derek Holt George Newsome Arthur Wood Richard Jones Anton Farmer Peter Filleul John Cuffley Nicky Hopkins Dave Marquee Henry Spinetti John "Rhino" Edwards Jeff Rich Roger Inniss Johnny Pugh |
The Climax Blues Band (originally known as the Climax Chicago Blues Band) is a British blues rock band. The band was formed in Stafford, England, in 1968 by vocalist and harmonica player Colin Cooper (1939–2008), guitarist and vocalist Pete Haycock (1951–2013), guitarist Derek Holt (b. 1949), bassist and keyboardist Richard Jones (b. 1949), drummer George Newsome (b. 1947), and keyboardist Arthur Wood (1929–2005).
In 1972 the group shortened its name to the Climax Blues Band, under pressure from the American band Chicago. The band has released at least 17 albums and had a Top 10 hit in the UK with "Couldn't Get It Right". That song and "I Love You" were also hits in the United States; "Couldn't Get It Right" reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1977, and "I Love You" peaked at No. 12 in 1981.
Jones left the group in 1969, so Holt switched to bass. They switched to Harvest Records in 1970, and their subsequent records had a more rock-oriented feel. John Cuffley replaced Newsome in 1971. (In 2006 Newsome teamed up with the Wolverhampton blues rock guitarist Tim Jenks. He has since recorded two albums with Jenks, Tear Down the Walls in 2008, a collection of original material by Jenks, followed by Realms of Glory, a collection of original and traditional Christmas songs. Newsome continues to drum regularly with Jenks around the Wolverhampton pub blues rock scene.) Wood quit in 1972, and the group continued as a foursome, dropping "Chicago" from its name.
Albums issued in the 1970s include FM/Live (1973), a double set recorded at a concert in New York, and the studio albums Stamp Album (1975) and Gold Plated (1976), featuring the single "Couldn't Get It Right". In the 1970s, the band's concerts in the U.S. were attended by up to 20,000 people. By 1981 the band was moving towards a pop-rock sound. Holt and Cuffley left in 1983.
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