The hole between the primary break for Rod Stewart, when Lengthy John Baldry heard him enjoying harmonica on Twickenham railway station and the singer’s first British chart-topper, was simply three months shy of eight years. Rod’s rocky highway to No.1 was accomplished, when the chart for October 9, 1971 confirmed “Maggie May” climbing to the highest. Not unhealthy for what was initially a B-side.
Stewart’s lengthy apprenticeship included his days with Baldry within the Hoochie Coochie Males after which Steampacket, Shotgun Categorical after which as lead vocalist with the Jeff Beck Group. Then he grew to become frontman with the retooled Faces, shaped after Steve Marriott’s departure from the Small Faces, and signed a solo cope with Mercury on the identical time. Album acclaim adopted for An Previous Raincoat Received’t Ever Let You Down and Gasoline Alley, however nonetheless that singles success eluded Rod.
A flip facet turns over
In August 1971, Mercury launched Stewart’s new single, together with his model of Tim Hardin’s “Reason To Believe” because the official A-side. That was the tune that was listed when the only made its High 40 debut, at No.31, and because it climbed to No.19.
However public demand was quickly transferring to the flip facet, written by Rod with Martin Quittenton, as they labored on Stewart’s third album, Each Image Tells A Story. Stewart developed a melody to his collaborator’s preliminary chords, and Rod’s lyrics had been based mostly on his actual life liaison as a younger man with an older lady. She was named on disc as Maggie, however by no means in full through the tune as Maggie Might.
The studio line-up for the observe was a captivating one, together with the partial Faces gathering of Ian McLagan on organ and Ronnie Wooden on each electrical guitar and bass, in addition to 12-string. Micky Waller was on drums and Quittenton on acoustic guitar, whereas the opposite essential characteristic of the tune’s success, the mandolin, was performed by Ray Jackson, joint lead singer with one other band rising quick on the time, Lindisfarne.
Stewart first appeared on High Of The Pops performing “Maggie May” on August 19, on an version offered by BBC Radio 1 DJ Tony Blackburn. The next month, dance troupe Pan’s Folks danced to it. By the point the only climbed to No.11, “Maggie May” was listed as the highest facet, and it by no means regarded again.
A ‘Top Of The Pops’ basic
It was the well-known efficiency on the September 30 present, because the tune stood at No.2, behind the Tams’ “Hey Girl Don’t Bother Me,” that helped propel “Maggie May” to the highest. Jackson, sadly, would miss out on a bit of pop historical past as he was unavailable for the High Of The Pops recording, so DJ John Peel stepped in to mime the half. One other Face, Ronnie Lane, additionally joined the antics.
On the subsequent chart, “Maggie May” made it to No.1, with Each Image Tells A Story already in its second week atop the album survey. “Maggie” spent 5 weeks on the summit, and the glory years of Rod Stewart had begun.
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