Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular Music

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HUMBLE PIE

UK rock band formed '69 by refugees Peter Frampton and Steve Marriott from the Herd and Small Faces respectively, singer/songwriters, guitarists, bandleaders looking for credibility instead of pop idol status. Recruited Greg Ridley (b 23 Oct. '47) on bass, drummer Jerry Shirley (b 4 Feb. '52) to complete supergroup. First single 'Natural Born Bugie' augured well (no. 4 UK '69), but neither As Safe As Yesterday Is nor Town And Country (both '69) pulled up any trees: the contrast between hard-rockin' Marriott and acoustic- based Frampton pulled band in two directions, while the liquidation of the Immediate label nearly broke up the band. Resurfaced on A&M and with Dee Anthony as manager laid down foundation of US success with road work (Anthony later did the same for solo Frampton mid-'70s). After Humble Pie '70 and Rock On '71, Performance -- Rockin' The Fillmore '71 revealed a band now dominated by Marriott; Frampton left soon after to be replaced by Colosseum's Dave 'Clem' Clempson. A move in heavy metal direction with Smokin' '72 brought few rewards, so Marriott moved towards soul with a black female vocal trio: Clydie King, Venetta Fields and Billie Barnum, collectively the Blackberries, were show- cased on live/studio two-disc Eat It '73. But his own attempts to 'sing black' were embarrassing; the band folded after Thunderbox and Street Rats '74--5. Clempson sessioned before forming Strange Brew with Ridley and drummer Cozy Powell (ex-Jeff Beck); Shirley formed Natural Gas with Badfinger guitarist Joey Molland; Marriott cut appalling eponymous LP full of clich,-ridden heavy metal. He re-formed Pie with Shirley and Bobby Tench (ex-Beck, Streetwalkers) on vocals and guitar and bassist Anthony Jones; but neither On To Victory '80 nor Go For The Throat '81 went for the throat. Marriott reverted to pub-rock mid-'80s, playing R&B with crudely named Packet of Three, a great waste of a pop talent that worked better sparking off an equal talent (Ron Lane in Small Faces; Frampton in early Pie).