| Humble Pie (Aka "The Pie") | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Essex, England |
| Genres | Hard rock, blues rock, boogie rock |
| Years active | 1968–1975, 1979–1983, 1988–2000, 2001–2002 |
| Labels | Immediate, A&M, Sanctuary |
| Website | www.humble-pie.net |
| Past members | |
| Steve Marriott Peter Frampton Greg Ridley Rick Craig Clem Clempson Anthony "Sooty" Jones Dave Walker Jerry Shirley Bobby Tench |
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Humble Pie was a rock band from England, finding success both in the UK and the US. They are remembered for songs such as "Black Coffee" "30 Days in the Hole", "I Don't Need No Doctor", and "Natural Born Bugie". The original band lineup featured Steve Marriott from Small Faces, vocalist and guitarist Peter Frampton from The Herd, Greg Ridley former bassist from Spooky Tooth and seventeen-year-old drummer Jerry Shirley.
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In late 1968 Steve Marriott formed Humble Pie with Greg Ridley, Peter Frampton and Jerry Shirley who had been the drummer for the mod band Apostolic Intervention. They were signed to Andrew Loog Oldham's record label Immediate Records. Their debut single "Natural Born Bugie" was released in July 1969 becoming a #4 hit in the UK Singles Chart and was quickly followed by the album As Safe As Yesterday Is, which peaked at #16 in the UK album charts. As Safe As Yesterday Is was one of the first albums to be described by the term "heavy metal" in a 1970 review in Rolling Stone magazine.[1] Their second album, Town and Country released in the UK during 1969 while the band was away on its first tour of the US. This album featured a more acoustic sound and songs written by all four members. Humble Pie concerts at this time featured an acoustic set, with a radical re-working of Graham Gouldman's "For Your Love" as its centerpiece followed by an electric set. Recent tape archives show that the band recorded around 30 songs in its first nine months of existence, many of which remained unreleased for decades, including a cover of Henry Glover's "Drown in My Own Tears".
During 1970 Humble Pie switched to A&M Records and Dee Anthony became their manager. Anthony was focused on the US market and discarded the acoustic set, instigating a more raucous sound with Marriott as the front man. The group's first album for A&M Humble Pie was released later that year and alternated between progressive rock and hard rock. A single "Big Black Dog" was released to coincide with the album and failed to chart, however the band was becoming known for popular live rock shows in the US. In 1971 Humble Pie released their most successful record to date Rock On as well as a live album recorded at the Fillmore East in New York entitled Performance Rockin' the Fillmore. The live album reached #21 on the US Billboard 200 and was certified gold by the RIAA. "I Don't Need No Doctor" was an FM radio hit in the US peaking at #73 on the Billboard Hot 100, propelling the album up the charts. Frampton left the band by the time the album was released and went on to enjoy success as a solo artist.
Frampton was replaced by Clem Clempson and Humble Pie moved towards a harder sound emphasizing Marriott's blues and soul roots. Their first record with Clempson, Smokin', was released in 1972, along with two singles "Hot 'n' Nasty" and "30 Days in the Hole." It was the band's most commercially successful record, and reached #6 on the US charts, helped by a busy touring schedule. After the success of Smokin' the band's record label A&M released Humble Pie's first two Immediate albums in one double album, as Lost and Found. The marketing ploy was a success and the album charted at #37 on the Billboard 200. Looking for a more authentic R&B sound, Marriott hired three female backing vocalists, 'The Blackberries'. The trio consisted of Venetta Fields, Clydie King and Sherlie Matthews who was later replaced by Billie Barnum. They had performed with Tina Turner as The Ikettes and with Ray Charles as The Raelettes.[2] This new line-up included Sidney George on saxophone for the recording of Eat It, a double album released in 1973 made up of Marriott originals (some acoustic), R&B covers, and a Humble Pie concert recorded in Glasgow . The album peaked at #13 in the US charts. Thunderbox was released in 1974, and Street Rats a year later. In 1975, joined by keyboardist Tim Hinkley, Humble Pie conducted their 'Goodbye Pie Tour' before disbanding.
During 1979 Marriott revived Humble Pie with Jerry Shirley, adding Bobby Tench,[3] vocalist and guitarist from The Jeff Beck Group and bassist Anthony "Sooty" Jones, from New York. They submitted "Fool for a Pretty Face", a song Marriott and Shirley had just written, to record labels. They secured a recording contract with Atlantic Records subsidiary Atco and in the UK their material was released by Jet Records, owned by former Small Faces manager Don Arden. They recorded the album On to Victory (1980) and the single "Fool for a Pretty Face" reached #52 on the US Billboard Hot 100. On to Victory reached #60 on the Billboard 200. Humble Pie toured the US as part of the 'Rock 'N' Roll Marathon Bill' with Ted Nugent and Aerosmith and also recorded the album Go for the Throat (1981).[3] This album was originally recorded by the band as a raw edged Rhythm and Blues album, but their record company chose to create a more produced album .[3] At the beginning of the promotional tour for the Go for the Throat album, Marriott crushed his hand, delaying earlier scheduled appearances by the band and he later developed a duodenal ulcer forcing the cancellation of all further tour dates. Soon afterwards this line up disbanded,[4] due to contractual differences.[3]
Jerry Shirley obtained the rights to the name Humble Pie in 1988 and reformed the group with different musicians. This project was called 'Humble Pie featuring Jerry Shirley', where Shirley was the only original performing member. The band began performing concerts and was based in Cleveland, Ohio. The line-up included vocalist Charlie Huhn, who also played lead and rhythm guitar. Huhn had previously worked with Ted Nugent and Victory. While Huhn and Shirley were the only permanent members of the group, several other musicians appeared, including "Rick Craig" Lead Guitarist formerly of Halloween MC5 and formerly of "NOON" with Lynyrd Skynyrd bassist Ean Evans Also Wally Stocker formerly of Rod Stewart's band, bassist Sean Beavan (who was engineering their 1989 independent single release "Still Rockin'", and went on to engineer, produce, and mix Nine Inch Nails, Marilyn Manson, Slayer, System of a Down, No Doubt, Thrice and others) and Cleveland guitarist Alan Greene. "Humble Pie featuring Jerry Shirley" developed a reputation as a live act and independently released "Still Rockin'" "Live at the agora Ballroom". They were featured on several live radio broadcasts and appeared in the line-up at the Woodstock Festival's 20th Anniversary Celebration which was broadcast live on television in the United States and other countries.
Frampton and Marriott started collaborating again in 1990. Two songs from this collaboration, "The Bigger They Come" and "I Won't Let You Down", with Steve Marriott's vocals, appeared on Frampton's album Shine On: A Collection. On 20 April 1991, Marriott died in a house fire, aged 44 years old.[5] After Marriott's death Shirley revived "Humble Pie Featuring Jerry Shirley", which dissolved in 2000 when Shirley returned home to England.
Shirley re-formed Humble Pie again in 2001, with a line-up including the original bassist Greg Ridley, former Humble Pie vocalist and guitarist Bobby Tench and new rhythm guitarist Dave Colwell. They recorded Humble Pie's thirteenth studio album, Back on Track (2002), which comprised new songs and was released by Sanctuary Records.[6] Keyboard players Zoot Money and Victor Martin are brought in for recording sessions. A brief tour of UK and Germany with Company of Snakes followed, but Ridley fell ill late in 2002 and the band split up. Shirley appeared at the Steve Marriott Tribute Concert held at the London Astoria in 2001 to commemorate the 10th anniversary of Marriott's death. The concert featured an early Humble Pie line up of Frampton, Clempson, Ridley and Shirley.[7] Former Humble Pie guitarist Bobby Tench also appeared as the frontman for the house band, which included Zak Starkey from The Who and Oasis, keyboard player Rabbit Bundrick of The Who and bassist Rick Wills from Foreigner. This concert was released as a DVD by Chrome Dreams in 2005 entitled The Steve Marriott Astoria Memorial Concert 2001,[8] and as an album with the title One More for the Ol' Tosser (2006).[9]
Ridley died on 19 November 2003 in Alicante, Spain of pneumonia and resulting complications. He was 56.[10]
| Year | Album | UK | US | Label |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1969 | As Safe as Yesterday Is | 16 | - | Immediate |
| 1969 | Town and Country | - | - | Immediate |
| 1970 | Humble Pie | - | - | A&M |
| 1971 | Rock On | - | 118 | A&M |
| 1972 | Smokin' | 28 | 6 | A&M |
| 1973 | Eat It | 34 | 13 | A&M |
| 1974 | Thunderbox | - | 52 | A&M |
| 1975 | Street Rats | - | 100 | A&M |
| 1980 | On to Victory | - | 60 | ATCO |
| 1981 | Go for the Throat | - | 154 | ATCO |
| 2002 | Back on Track | - | - | Sanctuary |
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