| Tenpole Tudor | |
|---|---|
| Origin | England |
| Genres | Punk |
| Years active | 1977 –present |
| Labels | Stiff Records Recall Records |
| Members | |
| Edward Tudor-Pole | |
| Past members | |
| Bob Kingston Dick Crippen Gary Long |
|
Tenpole Tudor are an English punk band fronted by Edward Tudor-Pole. The band has been active intermittently since 1977.
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Tenpole Tudor formed in 1977 when Tudor-Pole (vocals/saxophone) met guitarist Bob Kingston ( see also Robert Miles-Kingston) , bassist Dick Crippen, and drummer Gary Long. They played regularly for several years until Tudor-Pole himself (under the moniker of Eddie Tenpole) came to prominence by appearing in the 1978 film, The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle. He was originally billed as a replacement for Sex Pistols singer Johnny Rotten — performing the songs "Who Killed Bambi?", "The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle" and a cover version of "Rock Around The Clock" for the film and subsequent soundtrack — however, manager Malcolm McLaren and the remaining Sex Pistols instead decided to abandon the group and go their own ways.
Tenpole Tudor recorded a one shot single on WEA records with the A side being "Real Fun" and the B side "What's In A Word". Real Fun is available in live form on two different CDs. The single was never released on CD. Tenpole Tudor returned in 1980 and signed a recording contract with Stiff Records with whom they released the single "3 Bells in a Row" (which is a slightly different version of the one later found on the album Eddie, Old Bob, Dick, and Gary).
The band released their début album, Eddie, Old Bob, Dick and Gary, in 1981. It sold well, and in addition to the popular "3 Bells in a Row", launched two additional hit singles "Wunderbar" and "Swords of a Thousand Men". In the same year, the group released their second album, Let the Four Winds Blow, which also performed well. They further distinguished themselves with their oddball live performances, which had band members often dressing in medieval garb and Tudor-Pole himself in a full suit of chain mail armour. They also added Munch Universe, as he was named, to their lineup.
In 1982, the original Tenpole Tudor broke up. While Tudor-Pole led a cajun-inspired version of Tenpole Tudor, the rest of the band released a single under the name The Tudors, minus Munch Universe. After the non-original incarnation of Tenpole Tudor failed, Tudor-Pole left Stiff Records and began performing in jazz and swing bands, eventually returning to acting. Today, Tudor-Pole concentrates partly on acting, but focuses mainly upon his new one-man-show, performing live shows described as a 'One Man Stadium Show'. He has re-formed Tenpole Tudor from time to time, notably in 2001, with Darrell Bath on guitar, Donagh O'Leary on bass and Ben Standage on drums.
He currently performs his one-man live show throughout Britain and in 2009 released a new Tenpole Tudor album titled Made it this Far.
Folk metal group Skyclad covered Tenpole Tudor's "Swords of a Thousand Men" on their 2001 single.
Canadian Celtic punk group, The Real McKenzies, covered Tenpole Tudor's "Swords of a Thousand Men" on their 2001 album, Loch'd and Loaded.
The Single, "Swords of a Thousand Men" is featured in the TV promotional spots in both Europe and the United States for EA's FIFA 11 soccer video game.