Week of May 31, 1998

The Grease Band

Personnel:

Joe Cocker (Vocals)
Frank Myles (Guitar)
Dave Memott (Drums)
Vernon Nash (Piano)
Chris Stainton (Bass)
Tommy Eyre (Keyboards)
Mickey Gee (Guitar)
Tommy Reilly (Drums)
Henry McCullough (Guitar)
Kenny Slade (Drums)
Bruce Rowland (Drums)
Alan Spenner (Bass)
Neil Hubbard (Guitar, Vocals)
Mick Weaver (Organ, Vocals)

Albums:

The Grease Band (Harvest SHVL 790) 1973
Amazing Grease (Goodear Ear 2902) 1976

The self-titled album was issued on Shelter in the US, "Amazing Grease" reissued on Charly (30166) in the UK in 1979 and both albums reissued on Line in Germany on LP in 1981, on CD in 1991 (LICD 9.01101 O).

45s:

Laughed At The Judge/Jesse James/All I Wanna Do (Harvest HAR 5052) 1972
New Morning/Pont Ardawe Hop (Goodear Ear 602) 1975

The Grease Band evolved out of Joe Cocker's Big Blues in Sheffield in 1966. They soon became Joe Cocker's backing band. After they split from Cocker in 1970, Spenner, McCullough and Rowland joined the session band for 'Jesus Christ Superstar' and played on the resulting album. Spenner and McCullough also worked briefly with Spooky Tooth but then, with the addition of Neil Hubbard (ex-Juicy Lucy), they reformed as The Grease Band in the Summer of 1975, recording one critically acclaimed album. They also toured the US a couple of times. After they split up at the end of 1971, Hubbard and Spenner played together in The Chris Stainton Band and were later in Kokomo; Rowland went on to Fairport Convention and McCullough and Weaver played together again in a later Joe Cocker Band line-up.

They reformed briefly in 1975 to record the "Amazing Grease" album and, of course, McCullough was also later in Wings and did a solo album for Dark Horse. "Laughed At The Judge" can also be heard on the "Harvest Bag" compilation.

Source: The Tapestry of Delights - The Comprehensive Guide to British Music of the Beat, R&B, Psychedelic and Progressive Eras 1963-1976, Vernon Joynson ISBN 1 899855 04 1


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