| The Steampacket | |
|---|---|
| Origin | London |
| Genres | Blues, Soul |
| Years active | 1965-1966 |
| Labels | Charly Records |
| Members | |
| Long John Baldry - vocals Rod Stewart - vocals Julie Driscoll - vocals Brian Auger - Organ Vic Briggs - guitar Richard Brown - bass guitar Micky Waller -drums |
|
The Steampacket was a British blues band[1] of the 1960s, notable mainly for the fact that so many of its members already were, or subsequently became, famous as individual musicians. It was, arguably, the UK's first "supergroup".
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The group was formed in 1965 by Long John Baldry after the break-up of his previous group the Hoochie Coochie Men. It included Hoochie Coochie Men vocalist Rod Stewart, female vocalist Julie Driscoll, organist Brian Auger and guitarist Vic Briggs. They were managed by Giorgio Gomelsky, who had previously been involved with The Rolling Stones and The Yardbirds.
Steampacket played at various clubs, theatres and student unions around the country, including supporting the Rolling Stones on their 1965 British tour. Because of contractual difficulties, however, they never formally recorded a studio or live album. Tracks from tapes made at a rehearsal in the Marquee Club in London were released after the band split as an album, The First Supergroup, and some were later released by Charley Records as The Steampacket - Featuring Rod Stewart.
Stewart left in 1966, and the group disbanded soon after. Long John Baldry pursued a solo career and had a number 1 hit record in the UK Singles Chart in 1967 with "Let the Heartaches Begin". Julie Driscoll, Brian Auger and Vic Briggs formed Trinity, and had a UK hit in 1968 with This Wheel's on Fire; Briggs was also a member of The Animals. Rod Stewart later sang with the Jeff Beck Group, the Faces and as a solo artist. There is an urban legend that Peter Green and Mick Fleetwood, later of Fleetwood Mac, played with the Steampacket. In fact the Steampacket, with the exception of Rod Stewart's departure, had the same personnel from its inception to its disintegration. The group that Green and Fleetwood played in alongside Rod Stewart was Shotgun Express.