Greg Ridley

Infobox Musical artist
Name = Greg Ridley

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Background = non_vocal_instrumentalist
Birth_name = Alfred Gregory Ridley
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Born = birth date|1947|10|23
Died = death date and age|2003|11|19|1947|10|23
Origin = Carlisle, Cumbria, England
Instrument = Bass guitar
Genre = Rock, R&B, Hard rock
Occupation = Guitarist
Associated_acts = Humble Pie Spooky Tooth

Greg Ridley (1947-10-23 in Carlisle, Cumbria, England – 2003-11-19 in Alicante, Spain) was one of the more visible rock bassists in England, and a founding member of the successful rock band Humble Pie.cite web |url=http://www.gregridley.com/html/bio2.html |work=Greg Ridley Official Website |title=Biography (page 2)] He became part of British rock & roll's third wave, reaching his teens just as the music's first wave was cresting.cite web |url=http://www.gregridley.com/html/bio.html |work=Greg Ridley Official Website |title=Biography (page 1)]

Career

Greg Ridley first entered music using the name Dino, part of a local band called "Dino & the Danubes", and then moved through some other outfits such as the "Ramrods", playing guitar and bass, before he and his longtime school friend Mike Harrison formed the V.I.P.s, an American blues-based band, in 1964. They actually got to record, and subsequently went through several membership and name changes, adding guitarist Luther Grosvenor and American keyboard player Gary Wright, before settling on Spooky Tooth in 1968. He was on the group's debut album, "It's All About Spooky Tooth" and "Spooky Two", the follow-up, recorded for Island Records, and the band and Ridley had a strong underground following coming off of that debut.

Ridley seemed headed for big things when fate intervened in the early hours of 1969. He was approached by Steve Marriott, late of the band the Small Faces - who had quit that group in the waning hours of 1968 -- and recruited into the lineup of the latter's new band, called Humble Pie. Co-founded with Peter Frampton, late a teen idol and flashy guitarist as a member of The Herd, with former Apostolic Intervention acolyte Jerry Shirley on drums, the bands first album " As Safe As Yesterday Is" and their hastily released second album " Town and Country" in 1969 immediately commanded attention in England, their original sound, an eccentric but energetic mix of folk, rock, and blues, though a little bit softer than what they came to specialize in, coupled with the names of those involved, made them instant stars in England. A contract with A&M Records, and a retooling of their sound into a harder brand of music, coupled with some extensive touring of the United States, soon led them to become a top concert attraction, embraced by millions of American teenagers. A&M helped matters by issuing the double album Performance: "Performance Rockin' the Fillmore", which caused their popularity to balloon. The latter, ironically, was Frampton's swan song -- he preferred a slightly more melodic platform -- but the band's fortunes only rose with the addition of Dave "Clem" Clempson on guitar.

Ridley was at the centre of the Pie's sound as their bassist, generating a powerful sound and also anchoring their music, fulfilling a role similar to that of John Entwistle in The Who, and he and drummer Jerry Shirley comprised one of the better rhythm sections in hard rock during this period.

The band continued until 1975, playing out its string until the remaining members all decided to pursue other interests. Ridley left music for a decade after the breakup of the band, after finishing a never-released album with Marriott and a few abortive attempts at finding new gigs with Mike Patto and Ollie Halsall's group, Boxer, among others.

Ridley participated in a concert 2001, organized in memory of Steve Marriott following the latter's death in a house fire in 1991, and participated in some of the latter-day Humble Pie activity generated by Shirley's reactivation of the group.cite web |url=http://www.gregridley.com/html/bio4.html |work=Greg Ridley Official Website |title=Biography (page 4)]

Death

Ridley died on the 19 November 2003 in Alicante, Spain of pneumonia and resulting complications aged 56.cite web |url=http://www.gregridley.com/html/bio5.html |work=Greg Ridley Official Website |title=Biography (page 5)]

Notes

External links

* [http://www.gregridley.com Official Website]
* [http://www.humble-pie.net/ more information on Humble Pie / Greg Ridley]
* [http://humble-pie.net/rockon/pie2/html/greg_ridley_intv.html Greg Ridley interview]
* [http://www.humble-pie.net/ Humble Pie Unofficial Site]
* [http://news.independent.co.uk/people/obituaries/article37586.ece Greg Ridley Obituary]
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