Dave Peverett
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David Peverett or Lonesome Dave (16 April 1943, in Dulwich, South East London — 7 February 2000) was a British musician who was the original singer and guitarist of Foghat.
Peverett also wrote songs that defined rock and roll for an entire generation[citation needed]. His music has become symbolic of the 1970s, as demonstrated by its countless appearances in television, film, commercials, and other media[citation needed].
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[edit] Early years
Peverett was an early fan of the blues and of blues-based rock and roll, and began to master these forms while performing in mid 1960s London. After a brief tour with Swiss blues band, Les Questions, he joined Savoy Brown as a rhythm guitarist, eventually also taking over as lead singer. After five albums with Savoy Brown, he decided to pursue his own vision, taking drummer Roger Earl and bassist Tony Stevens with him.
[edit] The beginning of Foghat
The new project took form with the addition of lead guitarist Rod Price in 1971. Peverett decided to call the new band Foghat, a nonsense word he had made up as a child while playing Scrabble with his brother. He used his new portmanteau word to create Junior Foghat, an imaginary childhood playmate who became an alter ego and therefore the genesis of the "Lonesome Dave" persona that he was to employ as a performer. Foghat soon recorded their first, self-titled album for Bearsville Records, with Todd Rundgren and Dave Edmunds each producing tracks. With the success of an early single, a cover version of Willie Dixon's "I Just Want to Make Love to You", their debut release soon went gold.
[edit] Foghat success
This would be the first of many gold and platinum albums for Peverett. In 1974, Foghat released two gold albums, Energized and Rock & Roll Outlaws. Their first platinum album, Fool for the City, was released in 1975, producing three hit singles: the title track, "My Babe", and "Slow Ride".
In 1976 they began touring even larger venues, and recorded another gold album, Night Shift. But no one could foresee the greater success they would have with their next release, 1977's landmark Foghat Live album. It reached multi-platinum sales status and cemented the band's reputation as the world's foremost purveyors of blues-based rock. Although another gold album was still to follow, 1978's Stone Blue, this was undeniably the band's peak.
[edit] Hiatus
In the early 1980s Peverett decided to spend time in England with his wife, Linda, and three children. Unlike many of his peers, Peverett never subscribed to the wilder aspects of "the rock and roll lifestyle", having become a family man early in his life. The relentless touring and album promotion of the past decade had earned him a well-deserved respite in the countryside, writing songs and raising his family. He was content with his career and had shared the stage with many of his heroes, including his idol John Lee Hooker. Those that met him knew that he was a peaceful quiet man off stage, but one of the most energetic rock performers on stage.
[edit] Reuniting and death
While he was living the family life in England, his songs were appearing in movies and television across the world. His music came to embody a certain spirit of youthful rock and roll, as well as to represent the entire genre of 1970s rock. To meet yet a whole new generation of fans, and at the encouragement of record producer Rick Rubin, Peverett reunited with the original Foghat line-up in 1993, beginning the first of several tours. He continued to write and record songs not only for Foghat, but also for a wide variety of projects, until his death from cancer in February 2000. He even embarked on what would become his final tour after receiving months of intensive chemotherapy and radiation treatments.
Ironically, despite the instant recognition most contemporary listeners have of Peverett's music, he is still widely unknown as the songwriter behind the songs.
