Spooky Tooth
| Spooky Tooth | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Carlisle, England |
| Genres | Hard rock, psychedelic rock, roots rock |
| Years active | 1967–1970, 1972-1974, 1998–1999, 2004, 2008–2009 |
| Labels | Island, CBS, A&M (U.S./Canada) |
| Associated acts | The V.I.P.s/Art, Humble Pie |
| Past members |
Mike Harrison Mike Kellie Luther Grosvenor Gary Wright Greg Ridley Andy Leigh Chris Stainton Henry McCullough Alan Spenner John Hawken Steve Thompson Mick Jones Bryson Graham Ian Herbert Chris Stewart Mike Patto Val Burke Joey Albrecht Michael Becker Steve Farris Shem von Shroeck Tom Brechtlein Donald Ortiz |
Spooky Tooth was an English rock band principally active, with intermittent breakups, between 1967 and 1974. In recent years, the band has been reconstituted at various points, and continues to perform occasionally.
Spooky Tooth formed in October 1967, when Gary Wright joined the band Art and the band name was changed (Art only existing from April to October 1967). Art had been renamed from The V.I.P.s, as the name fitted better to the new musical direction taken on the band's next album (Supernatural Fairy Tales, released before the band was renamed as Spooky Tooth). Gary Wright held a significant role from the start. He wrote the majority of the first Spooky Tooth album It's All About, some songs being co-written with record producer Jimmy Miller instead of band members. Crucial to Spooky Tooth's sound was their instrumentation; they were one of the relatively few rock acts of the time to adopt the twin keyboard approach (both an organ and a piano player).
The line-up changed several times, but typically was:
Gary Wright was introduced to the members of Art by Chris Blackwell, founder of Island Records.
1969's Spooky Two LP was the last album release by the original lineup. It included the song "Better by You, Better than Me", which was covered by Judas Priest on their 1978 release Stained Class.
Ridley joined Humble Pie in 1969 and was replaced by Andy Leigh (in time for 1969's album Ceremony) who went on to Matthews Southern Comfort with ex-Fairport Convention vocalist Ian Matthews. The experimental nature of Ceremony received mixed reviews and following its release Wright also bowed out. The core of Harrison, Grosvenor and Kellie struggled on for one more album, The Last Puff, completed with friends from Joe Cocker's Grease Band.
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