Contents. History Early years Mott the Hoople were formed in 1966 as the Doc Thomas Group with on guitar, Stan Tippins on vocals, and on bass. Ralphs and Tippins had been in a local band the Buddies, and Watts had been in a local band the Soulents with on drums.

• Boogaloo Dudes

While more solid than All The Young Dudes, Mott is merely serviceable rock in a familiar setting. The boys were back on track. Mott The Hoople Mott.

The Doc Thomas Group had a at a nightclub in a resort town in Italy. The group was offered a recording contract with the Italian label Dischi Interrecord, and released an eponymous album in January 1967. By 1968, Griffin and had joined the band. Although the group toured and recorded in Italy as the Doc Thomas Group, their in the UK were played under the names of the Shakedown Sound and later, as Silence. Silence recorded at in, Wales, which were shopped to, and with no success.

The group came to the attention of at, who liked the group but not with Tippins as lead singer. Advertisements were placed ('Singer wanted, must be image-minded and hungry'), and was selected as lead singer and piano player. Tippins assumed the role of. While in prison on a drug offence, Stevens had read the novel about an eccentric who works in a, and decided to use it as a band name.

Silence reluctantly agreed to a name change following their early 1969 audition for Stevens. The band's debut album, Mott the Hoople (1969), in only a week, was a success. Their repertoire included of 'Laugh at Me' and 'At the Crossroads' ('s ), and an cover of '. The second album, Mad Shadows (1970), sold poorly and received generally negative reviews.

Wildlife (1971) fared even worse, and flirted with an overtly country-hippie stance and accordingly (usually) acoustic instrumentation. On 10 October 1970, Mott the Hoople and were showcased on 's Disco 2. Even though the group was building a decent following, Brain Capers (1971) failed to sell well.

The group decided to split following a depressing concert in a disused in Switzerland. When combined with an aborted UK tour with The Lothringers, the band was close to breaking up. Glam years had long been a fan of the band. After learning from Watts that they were about to split, he persuaded them to stay together and offered them ' from his then yet-to-be-released album. They turned it down. Bowie also penned ' for them and it became their biggest hit. Released as a single in July 1972, it was a success in the UK, with the band using Tippins – who by this time was their tour manager – to sing backing vocals during concert.

Bowie produced an album, also called, which included a strings and brass arrangement for 'Sea Diver', sold well but stalled at No. 21 in the. Late in 1972 they were going to record another Bowie song, 'but their intended arrangement did not satisfy him and their professional relationship effectively ended. Another casualty in the wake of All the Young Dudes was Verden Allen, who departed before the release of their next album,. Mott climbed into the of the, and became the band's best seller to date in the US. It yielded two UK hits, ' and ', both featuring of on saxophone. 'All the Way From Memphis' is also featured in the movie,.

Mott the Hoople's new-found popularity ultimately contributed to the band's break-up, likely exacerbated by an in of Tippins' role in singing the chorus of 'All the Young Dudes', from a hidden microphone backstage. In May 1973 following Verden Allen's departure the band was augmented by two keyboard players. Former and member joined as keyboardist and Mick Bolton joined on.

Bolton left at the end of 1973 and was replaced on tour by, while Fisher stayed on to become Allen's official replacement in the band. Ralphs left in August 1973 to form and was replaced by former guitarist. For contractual reasons, he changed his name to Ariel Bender at the suggestion of singer-songwriter for his stint with the band. According to Ian Hunter, interviewed in the documentary Ballad of Mott the Hoople, the band were in Germany with de Paul for a TV show when Mick Ralphs walked down a street bending a succession of car aerials in frustration. De Paul came out with the phrase 'aerial bender' which Hunter later suggested to Grosvenor as a stage name.

In 1974 the band had a chart success in the UK with 'e' recorded before left the band. Ralphs played lead guitar and the provided female vocal backing and a bridge. It reached No.8 on the. In 1974, Mott the Hoople toured America with playing lead guitar.

In one of Bender's earliest performances with the band they played the Masonic Temple in Detroit on 12 October 1973 with a young Aerosmith opening the show. They were primarily supported on the '74 tour by the band. This tour later provided the inspiration for Queen's 1975 single ', which contains the ' Down in the city, just Hoople and me.' The song became a live favourite of Queen fans and reached No. 11 in the. The tour resulted in a lifelong friendship between the two bands, with Ian Hunter, Mick Ronson and David Bowie performing 'All the Young Dudes' at the in 1992.

Morgan Fisher went on to play piano on Queen's 'Hot Space' tour in 1982, and, and performed backing vocals on the Ian Hunter solo song, 'You Nearly Did Me In'. May would later cover Mott's 'All the Way from Memphis' on his solo album, with Hunter making a guest appearance. Mott the Hoople are name-checked on two other hit singles.

's 1974 single, ', ' begins with the, 'B Bumble and the Stingers, Mott the Hoople, Ray Charles Singers.' Whereas 's, ' begins with 'Mott the Hoople and the Game of Life, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.' In the afterglow of (1974), a live album Live was quickly released, after which replaced Bender. The end was near when both Hunter and Ronson left the group to form a, following which the band abbreviated its name to 'Mott'.

Hunter's book about the day-to-day life on the band's 1972 winter tour of the US, covering the ups and downs of life on the road, was published in June 1974. It was out of print for many years but was reissued in 1996. Post-Hunter years The new line-up consisted of Watts, Griffin, and Fisher along with lead guitarist Ray Major (formerly of Opal Butterfly, Hackensack, and a brief stint with Andy Fraser and Frankie Miller) and frontman Nigel Benjamin. This line-up released two more albums, (1975) and (1976), both of which sold poorly. After Benjamin quit in 1976, Mott briefly replaced him with Steve Hyams, before joining forces with John Fiddler (formerly of ), and became, recording two albums, (1977) and Trouble With Women (posthumously released on Cherry Red Records 1980) before finally splitting up without any success. Hunter and Ronson worked and toured together sporadically until Ronson's death in 1993. Hunter has continued his solo career.

In 1990, after a brief reunion in 1989, the former members of The Silence reunited in the studio to record a mix of new songs and staples from their days performing together. The resultant album, Shotgun Eyes, was released in 1998 as 'The Italian Job' combined with the re-release of the Doc Thomas Group's self-titled album. In 1996 released a CD called The Best of Mott the Hoople purporting to be re-recordings of the band's and new songs by Hunter and Ronson.

In actuality, the recording was by, former bass player with and Gerry Chapman, usually going under the band name of The Trybe. The album consisted of versions of Mott's hits and original songs, and had nothing at all to do with the original Mott the Hoople. K-tel were subsequently fined for supplying goods with a false description, but the tracks and album continued to circulate under the name Mott the Hoople, often appearing on. In 2002, the tracks were released again as I Can't Believe It's Not Mott the Hoople!, though this time it was credited to The Trybe. On 16 and 17 April 1999, the first and only 'Mott the Hoople Convention' was held at the Robin Hood Pub in, England. Hunter and his band performed both evenings of the convention.

During the encore of the Ian Hunter Band's performance of 17 April, Hunter was joined onstage by Bender and Allen for a version of 'Walkin' With A Mountain'; Allen performed on the original studio version of the song, whilst Bender performed an extended solo during performances of the song on Mott the Hoople's 1973–74 tours. In 2002 and 2004, Ralphs toured with Hunter, as part of the latter's backing band. No Mott the Hoople reunion occurred prior to 2009, although negotiations for one were attempted in 1985; all parties have shown some interest at various times in the idea over the last 30 years. In 2005 it was reported in the publication Classic Rock, that Hunter had received the offer of a seven-figure number to re-form the band. In October 2007 at Hunter's concert at the, he was joined by Ralphs and Allen for the encore.

2009 reunion. Mott the Hoople reunion, 2009 On 16 January 2009, it was announced that the band would be re-uniting for two concerts at the in London, in October 2009. According to Hunter's web site, all five of the original members would participate in the reunion. Hunter wrote, 'Why are we doing it? I can't speak for the others, but I'm doing it just to see what it's like.

Short of war, death, famine etc.it's ON.' Tickets for the two original dates sold out, and a third date at the same venue was added for 3 October 2009.

After that one sold out as well another two dates were added on 5 and 6 October. The special limited 3 CD-set recorded during the first show at Hammersmith Apollo was sold directly after the concerts. Mott the Hoople also held a warmup gig prior to their five-night stand at the HMV Hammersmith Apollo in October. The show was held at the Blake Theatre in, Wales on 26 September 2009. Prior to this it was announced that because of the poor health of, his place for the concerts would be taken by, drummer of, though Griffin did appear at encores.

The reunion was favourably reviewed by major British broadsheet newspapers, with, and awarding 4/5 stars and awarding 5/5. On 27 November 2009, Mott the Hoople played The Tartan Clefs charity night in. 2013 dates Mott the Hoople (featuring Allen, Hunter, Ralphs and Watts with Martin Chambers on drums) played the in London on 18 November 2013, preceded by dates in Birmingham, Glasgow, Newcastle and Manchester (the latter of which was recorded for a limited edition CD/DVD). One critic described the concert at the O2 Arena as 'a bit of a slog' and Hunter's voice as 'now little more than a guttural rasp'. These shows were still very much a 'greatest hits' tour, although they did switch in about 5 deeper cuts that weren't played in 2009.

A recording of the 17 November 2013 show at the was released in June 2014 as a double album/DVD, Live 2013. Several years after the 2013 reunion, Mott the Hoople lost two of its founding members: Dale Griffin died on 17 January 2016 at the age of 67, and Overend Watts died on 22 January 2017 at the age of 69. 2018 dates In February 2018 it was accounced that Mott the Hoople would be playing several European dates in the summer of 2018. Ian Hunter will be joined by former bandmates Morgan Fisher on keyboards and Ariel Bender on guitar.

In a press release, Hunter said 'Fisher and Bender toured extensively with Mott and both were featured heavily on The Hoople album after Mick Ralphs and Verden Allen left the band. I know many people were disappointed when neither appeared on the 2009 and 2013 get-togethers. Hope this makes up for it!' The line-up will also include James Mastro and Mark Bosch on guitars, Dennis DiBrizzi on keyboards, Paul Page on bass, and on drums. Holley - a member of from 1978 to 1981 - has been a member of Hunter's 'Rant Band' since 2001. Personnel.

^ Roberts, David (1998). Guinness Rockopedia (1st ed.). London: Guinness Publishing Ltd. ^ Strong, Martin C. The Great Rock Discography (5th ed.). Edinburgh: Mojo Books. Tobler, John (1992).

Boogaloo Dudes

NME Rock 'N' Roll Years (1st ed.). London: Reed International Books Ltd.

^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. Ballad of Mott the Hoople documentary, c. 39:30. Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19 ed.).

London: Guinness World Records Limited. Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited.

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Dave Thompson. Retrieved 16 November 2013. Mott the Hoople (a novel by Willard Manus) External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to. Harris, John., The Guardian, 3 September 2009.

The story behind Mott’s classic hit, this originally ran in Uncut’s January 2008 issue (Take 128). One of glam’s stellar moments – a joyous, mood-defining, lighter-waving anthem – 1972’s “All The Young Dudes” was both the making and breaking of Mott The Hoople. Since 1969, the band had stuggled under the aegis of producer/svengali Guy Srevens, who put Mott together from the ashes of Hereford blues-rockers The Shakedown Sound. He re-christened them (taking their name from a Willard Manus novel) and brought Ian Hunter on board as lead singer. But over three years and three albums, Stevens had failed to translate Mott’s passionate live following into record sales and, in March 1972, following a fight onstage in Zurich, the band called it quits.

Just days later, when bassist Pete “Overend” Watts turned up for an audition for David Bowie’s band, the hottest property in rock (and something of a fan) was moved to resuscitate Mott’s fortunes. He gifted them the brilliant “ Dudes” and even hooked them up with his Mainman management and a new deal with CBS. Bowie’s intervention did the trick.

“ Dudes” was a monster hit, peaking at No 3 in the UK that autumn and breaking the band in the States. But with new-found success, old tensions returned. Follow-up singles like “All The Way From Memphis” (and tracks like “Hymn For The Dudes”) mined the themes of Mott’s long struggle for a breakthrough and established Hunter as Mott’s main songwriter – which prompted keyboard player Verden Allen and guitarist Mick Ralphs to quit. By late 1974 it was all over: Hunter published his tell-all memoir, Diary Of A Rock’n’Roll Star, and although Mick Ronson bolstered Mott briefly, soon both had quit to form the Hunter Ronson Band. The remaining members soldiered on, but Mott’s moment had passed – rock’s textbook case of a slow rise and rapid fall. IAN HUNTER vocals We did split up in 1972, in Switzerland. We were at the bottom of the ladder playing in a converted gas tank and we didn’t see the point any more.

Coming back from Switzerland, we were all great mates again because the pressure was off. Pete Watts went to audition for Bowie and David’s like: “What are you doing here? Looking for a gig? You can’t do that, you’re Mott The Hoople, you’re great.” I’d never met Bowie; I’d seen him once doing the performance art thing, in about 1965.

I knew he was great but I didn’t like what he was doing. But the women lined up after his show, it was obvious the guy had something. Bowie offered us “Suffragette City” first, which I liked but I knew it wouldn’t get on radio. Radio was closed to us, so I knew we needed something special.

I thought it would be something like “You Really Got Me” Mott had previously covered The Kinks classic that was more how we were. But when he played “ Dudes”, I could see how we could go to town and really do a number on it. I’m a peculiar singer but I knew that I could nail it. I wondered why he was giving it to us. Ronson told me later that he’d done it himself and he wasn’t too happy with it. At the time, he told us that he’d written it specially for us, but that turned out not to be the case. David was saying, it’s a bit boring at the end, it needs something else.

We’d done a gig at the Rainbow the night before and I emptied a bottle of beer over a heckler and did the rap that I put on the end of the song. Now when Bowie does it he puts the rap on, I don’t do it anymore. The song made us instant gays; we were tranny magnets when we played the US. Touring with Bette Midler probably helped add to that reputation. At first I was scared to go into gay bars but it was fabulous, people loved us there, we had some great hilarious times. A lot of the old fans didn’t like it when we had the hit – it was like their secret was out of the bag. The thing in the press was that couldn’t do it have hits without Bowie.

We hadn’t anticipated that. We learned a lot from Bowie but I knew after that we had to write we just worked our asses off. We knew there was a backlash from “ Dudes”, we kind of jumped on the Glam bandwagon too, dressing up and all that. Some of the old fans and even some of the band didn’t like it, but it was something we had to do. Later, when I wrote “Hymn For The Dudes”, it was a way of saying its all going to be alright. Though, of course, it wasn’t.