Spooky Tooth

Infobox musical artist
Name = Spooky Tooth


Img_capt =
Img_size =
Landscape =
Background = group_or_band
Alias = Art
Origin = England
Instrument =
Voice_type =
Genre = Progressive rock
Hard rock
Occupation =
Years_active = 1967-1970
1972-74
1998
2004
Label = Island Records
CBS
Associated_acts = The V.I.P.'s
Foreigner
URL = [http://www.spookytooth.co.uk/ spookytooth.co.uk]
Current_members = Mike Harrison
Greg Ridley
Luther Grosvenor
Mick Jones
Mike Kellie
Gary Wright
Alan Spenner
Henry McCullough
Past_members =
Notable_instruments =

Spooky Tooth were an English progressive rock band from the late 1960s. They faded into obscurity afterwards.

Career

Crucial to their sound was their instrumentation; they were one of the few acts within the rock forum of the time to adopt the twin keyboard approach (both an organ and a piano player) alongside The Band (whose "The Weight" was recorded by Spooky Tooth as a single in 1968) and Procol Harum.

They formed in October 1967, out of a combination of The Ramrods (1960 - late 1963), The V.I.P.'s (late 1963 - April 1967) and Art (April — October 1967). The line-up changed several times, but typically was -
* Mike Harrison (born Michael Harrison, 3 September 1942, Carlisle, Cumbria) (keyboards/vocals)
* Greg Ridley (born Alfred Gregory Ridley, 23 October 1942, Aspatria, Cumbria — died 19 November 2003, in Java, Spain) (bass guitar/vocals)
* Luther (Luke) Grosvenor (born Luther James Grosvenor, 23 December 1946, Evesham, Worcestershire) (guitar/vocals)
* Mike Kellie, (born Michael Kellie, 24 March 1945, Birmingham, Warwickshire) (drums)
* Gary Wright, (born 26 April 1943, Cresskill, New Jersey, U.S.) (organ/vocals)

It was the latter's addition (after one album - see Discography) that signalled the name change from Art to Spooky Tooth.

1969's "Spooky Two" LP is generally considered to be the best effort by the group and was the last album release by the original lineup. It included the song "Better By You, Better Than Me", which was covered by Judas Priest on their 1978 release "Stained Class". The track later gained some attention in the media as subject of a court trial in 1990. It was claimed that the subliminal messages in the song's recording by Judas Priest caused two youngsters to commit mutual suicide. The court finally judged in favor of the accused.

Ridley joined Humble Pie in 1969 and was replaced by Andy Leigh (in time for 1970's album "Ceremony") who went on to Matthews Southern Comfort with ex-Fairport Convention vocalist Ian Matthews. The experimental nature of "Ceremony" received mixed reviews and following its release Wright also bowed out. The core of Harrison, Grosvenor and Kellie struggled on for one more album, aptly titled "The Last Puff", completed with friends from Joe Cocker's Grease Band.

They broke up in the autumn of 1970, however after solo efforts Harrison and Wright reformed Spooky Tooth in September 1972 with a different (and frequently changing) line-up. The best known member of these line-ups (from March 1973 to September 1974) was Mick Jones (guitar / vocals), later in Foreigner and, from February — May 1974, Mike Patto (vocals) replaced Harrison for the 1974 release "The Mirror". The group then split again in September 1974.

Post Spooky

Grosvenor later played with Stealers Wheel and Mott the Hoople; while Wright had an enduring hit with the radio-friendly "Dream Weaver".Harrison, Grosvenor, Ridley and Kellie briefly reunited in 1998 for an album ("Cross Purpose") before Ridley died in November 2003. Harrison, Wright and Kellie reunited in 2004 with two concerts in Germany, resulting in a DVD release, "Nomad Poets" (2007).

Band members

Discography

as Art (Mike Harrison (voc), Greg Ridley (b), Luther Grosvenor (guitar), Mike Kellie (drums))
*1967 - "Supernatural Fairy Tales"as Spooky Tooth
*1968 - "It's All About"
*1969 - "Spooky Two"
*1970 - "Ceremony" (with Pierre Henry)
*1970 - "The Last Puff"
*1971 - "Tobacco Road" (="It's All About")
*1973 - "You Broke My Heart So I Busted Your Jaw"
*1973 - "Witness"
*1974 - "The Mirror"
*1999 - "Cross Purpose"
*1999 - ""
*2000 - "Comic Violence"
*2001 - "BBC Sessions"
*2007 - "Nomad Poets" (DVD)Singles
*1969 - "Feelin' Bad" US Bubbling Under #132

External links

*http://www.spookytooth.co.uk/ Official Site