Jim Cregan
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Jim Cregan (born 9 March 1946 in Yeovil, Somerset, England) is a rock guitarist and bassist who has played with Family, Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel, and Rod Stewart. He was with Stewart from 1977 to 1995. Although Family, Harley's Cockney Rebel group, and Stewart are his most famous associations, Cregan has played with numerous bands and solo artists.
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[edit] Early years
Cregan first joined with future Traffic frontman Dave Mason, in Julian Covay and the Machine in 1967. Shortly thereafter, Cregan joined a hippie-rock band called the Blossom Toes. But while their debut album, We Are Ever So Clean, was regarded as a pure "flower-power" record, their second LP, If Only For a Moment from 1969, went more in a heavy metal direction Cregan sang many lead vocals and played guitar for the band, often in twin leads, which became a Blossom Toes trademark.
After working on the 1971 self-titled album from Julie Driscoll, Cregan joined Stud, a humorously misnomered band that was more folk than heavy rock. The group began as a trio featuring Cregan and the bassist and drummer from the original line-up of Rory Gallagher's band Taste, and soon they were joined by former Family bassist John Weider. Stud broke up after recording two albums with Weider on board; they were only released in Germany, where Stud had their largest audiences.
[edit] Family and Linda Lewis
Cregan joined Family in September 1972, replacing John Wetton on bass guitar. Cregan had in fact never played bass before, but as a rhythm guitarist, he could adapt to bass easily. (He has not played bass, however, since Family broke up). Right after Cregan joined Family, the band toured North America as the warm-up act for Elton John in the autumn of 1972. In 1973, Family would record two singles and an album, It's Only A Movie, which would be their last. Family leaders Roger Chapman and Charlie Whitney felt the group had run its course, and a final tour of the United Kingdom that autumn brought the group to an end. Cregan would briefly reunite with Chapman and Whitney by contributing to the first album of their new group, Streetwalkers, and he would rejoin Chapman for a few concerts in the early 2000s.
Cregan had already undertaken a few projects by the time Family broke up. He mostly worked with his girlfriend, British soul singer Linda Lewis, whom he was later married to. Cregan appears on four of her albums, including Not A Little Girl Anymore from 1975. That album gave Cregan the opportunity to work with the Tower of Power horn section, which he considered a privilege.
[edit] Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel
Cregan got a more permanent gig when British glam rocker Steve Harley's Cockney Rebel backing group resigned en masse on him, forcing Harley to form a new Cockney Rebel; Cregan was enlisted as a guitarist. Ironically, after suffering what must have seemed a fatal blow to his career, Harley and his "new" Cockney Rebel group recorded a single that would become Harley's biggest hit ever. "Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me)", a catchy pop tune recorded at the famous Abbey Road Studios, topped the UK Singles Chart in 1975.
[edit] Rod Stewart
Cregan, however, did not stay with Harley for long. In 1977, he joined Rod Stewart's backing group and became Stewart's right-hand man as a bandleader, co-producer and co-writer. Among guitarists, only Jeff Beck and Ron Wood have been more important to Stewart's career.[citation needed]
Cregan co-wrote many of Stewart's hits from the late 1970s and 1980s, including "Passion" and "Tonight I'm Yours," winning an award from the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) for outstanding songwriting for each. Critics, however, faulted Stewart for his complacent, calculated sound of the time, a far cry from his raw, honest recordings of the early 1970s, and Cregan was thus unable to get much respect for his contributions. Cregan's own reputation was compromised, in fact, when Stewart released his single "Forever Young" in 1988. The song shared much of its melody line and many of its lyrics with the 1974 Bob Dylan song of the same name, yet the song's authorship was co-credited to Stewart, Cregan, and fellow band member Kevin Savigar. Cregan was thus involved in a potential plagiarism case, but no such suit was ever filed against his boss; apparently there were not enough similarities between the two songs to warrant one. ASCAP seemed unconcerned as well, for Cregan picked up a third ASCAP "outstanding songwriting" award for his efforts in co-writing the Stewart song.
[edit] Later years
Cregan stayed with Stewart until 1995; during the early nineties, Stewart had appeared to recoup his artistic abilities, as his albums from this time were considered his best work in two decades. Cregan quit after eighteen years, and he soon formed Farm Dogs with Elton John's lyricist Bernie Taupin, which released two albums. He joined Katie Melua's backing band, and is credited with guitar playing on her Piece by Piece album.[1]
Cregan married Hollywood fashion figure Jane Booke, and they and their daughter lived in Los Angeles for many years. Recently, though, Cregan has spent more time in London; on Steve Harley's BBC Radio 2 show in January 2004, he explained that he had grown tired of "the B.S." in Los Angeles culture.
[edit] Discography
(Recordings Jim Cregan has appeared on, or contributed to, between 1967 and 1998.)
- We Are Ever So Clean (1967)
- If Only For a Moment (1969)
- Julie Driscoll (1971)
- Second Contribution (1971)
- September (1972)
- Goodbye Live at Command (1973)
- It's Only a Movie (1973)
- Lark (1972)
- Fathoms Deep (1973)
- Not a Little Girl Anymore (1975)
- Woman Overboard (1977)
- Chapman/Whitney - Streetwalkers (1974)
- Say It Ain't So (1976)
Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel
- "Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me)" (1975)
- Timeless Flight (1976)
- Love Is a Prima Donna (1976)
- Closer Work (1976)
- Face to Face (1977)
- Hobo with a Grin (1978)
- Foot Loose & Fancy Free (1977)
- Blondes Have More Fun (1978)
- Foolish Behaviour (1980)
- Hot Rods (1980)
- Tonight I'm Yours (1981)
- Body Wishes (1983)
- Camouflage (1984)
- Every Beat of My Heart (1986)
- Rod Stewart (1986)
- Out of Order (1988) (also producer)
- Storyteller: The Complete Anthology, 1964-1990 (1989)
- Vagabond Heart (1991)
- Unplugged... and Seated (1993)
- Spanner in the Works (1995)
Bruce Roberts
- Bruce Roberts (1978)
- Tarot Suite (1979)
- Waves (1980)
- Love Lessons (1992)
- Air Time: The Best of Glass Tiger (as producer) (1993)
Various artists
- Tribute to Curtis Mayfield (1994) (with Rod Stewart)
Farm Dogs
- Last Stand in Open Country (1996)
- Immigrant Sons (1998)
[edit] References
- Interview with Steve Harley, BBC Radio 2, January 27, 2004.
| Family |
|---|
| Roger Chapman | John "Charlie" Whitney | Jim King | Ric Grech | Rob Townsend |
| Harry Ovenall | John Weider | John "Poli" Palmer | John Wetton | Jim Cregan | Tony Ashton |
| Discography |
| Studio albums: Music in a Doll's House | Family Entertainment | A Song For Me | Anyway | Fearless | Bandstand | It's Only a Movie |
