Greg Ridley was solely 62 when he died, however the bassist packed an entire lot of achievements right into a frontline music profession of little greater than a decade. Earlier than he was 22, he had been a co-founder of two key British bands of the late Sixties, Spooky Tooth, and Humble Pie, labored with musicians comparable to Steve Marriott and Gary Wright and sung on a U.Ok. High 5 hit single.
Greg, born on October 23, 1947 in Aspatria in Cumberland, lower his tooth in northern bands just like the V.I.P.’s and the Ramrods, who transmuted into Spooky Tooth when Wright (later the “Dream Weaver” hitmaker within the US) and Luther Grosvenor (subsequently of Mott The Hoople) joined the line-up.
Island Information had been hip to their blues-rock experimentation and signed them, and two albums quickly adopted, It’s All About (which blended originals with covers of songs by Bob Dylan, Janis Ian and others) and Spooky Too, on which Wright emerged because the band’s chief songwriter.
Then in 1969 got here the invitation from Steve Marriott to be a part of his new journey in Humble Pie. One of many early supergroups, their line-up additionally included drummer Jerry Shirley and, after all, former “Face Of ‘68” Peter Frampton from The Herd.
An Instant success
They signed to Andrew Loog Oldham’s Instant label (“Happy To Be Part Of The Industry Of Human Happiness,” as their slogan ran), and that 12 months introduced not one however two albums, As Protected As Yesterday Is and City and Nation. That summer season, it additionally introduced a considerable hit single, as Marriott’s “Natural Born Bugie” climbed to No.4 on the UK charts.
That actually wasn’t what they had been anticipating, as Ridley had made clear after they introduced their arrival in a Melody Maker article on Might 3, 1969. “I’ve been fooling around with the bass for about four years, trying to find a style that satisfies me,” he advised Chris Welch. “Steve advised the identify Humble Pie. It simply gave the impression of a pleasant identify and exhibits that we’re all going to be equal within the group – not Steve Marriott and Peter Frampton and two backing musicians.
“That’s the way THEY want it,” added Ridley, referring to the business institution. “The pop star bit isn’t relevant to what we are doing.”
Humble Pie’s rock sensibilities went on to search out usually extra favor within the U.S. than on their very own aspect of the Atlantic. Each the Efficiency – Rockin’ The Fillmore stay album and the studio follow-up Smokin’ went gold in America. The band continued to tour there extensively even after Frampton’s departure, earlier than disbanding – the primary time – in 1975. As Spooky Tooth, in the meantime, reformed early in 1973, the band’s Mike Harrison good-naturedly advised Let It Rock journal of Ridley: “l remember ’im when ’e were a farmer in Carlisle, and ’e’s a millionaire with ’Umble Pie now!”
Take heed to the Work From Residence Rock playlist, that includes scores of nice guitar-led anthems.
Ridley made an album with Marriott that wasn’t launched, and aside from some makes an attempt at collaboration with Boxer and Mike Patto, left the business. He resurfaced to be a part of the transferring tribute live performance to Marriott in London in 2001, together with Shirley, Frampton and his substitute within the band, “Clem” Clempson, and toured and recorded for some time with a latter-day Humble Pie approximation earlier than turning into sick. He died in Alicante in 2003 of pneumonia and problems from it, however his key position in two important British bands is fondly remembered.
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