107-479: Aynsley Thomas Dunbar (born 10 January 1946) is an English drummer. He has worked with John Mayall , Frank Zappa , Jeff Beck , Journey , Jefferson Starship , Nils Lofgren , Eric Burdon , Shuggie Otis , Ian Hunter , Lou Reed , David Bowie , Mick Ronson , Whitesnake , Pat Travers , Sammy Hagar , Michael Schenker , UFO , Michael Chapman , Jake E. Lee , Leslie West , Kathi McDonald , Keith Emerson , Mike Onesko, Herbie Mann and Flo & Eddie . Dunbar
214-639: A San Francisco -based rock band. Their self-titled 1975 debut album included the single " White Punks on Dope ", while their 1983 single " She's a Beauty " was a top-10 U.S. hit and its music video was frequently played in the early days of MTV . The band also performed in the 1980 film Xanadu , singing the rock portion of the cross-genre song "Dancin'" opposite a big band . The Tubes formed on March 22, 1972, in San Francisco featuring members from two Phoenix bands who had moved to San Francisco in 1969. One, The Beans (alternately billing themselves as
321-474: A pornography collection dating from the 1800s and his diaries written over 25 years. Mayall was married twice and had six children and six grandchildren. His second wife, Maggie Mayall, is an American blues performer; since the early 1980s, she has taken part in the management of her husband's career. They married in 1982, and divorced in 2011. Mayall died at his home in California on 22 July 2024, at
428-694: A 2004 tour of the UK, the London show was released as a live album and DVD called Wild in London . On June 2, 2006, former keyboardist Vince Welnick died. In September 2007, the remaining members reunited in Phoenix for induction into the Arizona Music and Entertainment Hall Of Fame. On April 17, 2022, Styles died at the age of 72. On December 16, 2022, Rick Anderson died at the age of 75. Michael Cotten began
535-609: A Tubes show at the California Hall and shopped the "video demo" around Los Angeles . George Daly , Columbia Records head of A&R in San Francisco , made some Tubes demos, but CBS' corporate headquarters in New York City would not agree to signing the Tubes to Columbia due to the radical nature of their art. After 18 months, with no success at his own label, Daly, at the suggestion of Rick Wakeman , finally pitched
642-658: A decisive phase. In 1965, with Eric Clapton as their new guitar player, the Bluesbreakers began attracting considerable attention. That summer the band cut a couple of tracks for a single, " I'm Your Witchdoctor " b/w "Telephone Blues" (released in October). In August, however, Clapton left for a jaunt to Greece with a bunch of relative musical amateurs calling themselves the 'Glands'. John Weider, John Slaughter, and Geoff Krivit attempted to fill in as Bluesbreaker guitarist but, finally, Peter Green took charge. John McVie
749-605: A duet with Thompson on "To a Princess". Mayall continued the experiment of formations without drummers on two more albums, although he took on a new electric blues-rock-R&B band in guitarist Harvey Mandel and bassist Larry Taylor , both plucked from Canned Heat , and wailing violinist Don "Sugarcane" Harris , lately of the Johnny Otis Show and formerly with The Mothers of Invention . On USA Union (recorded in Los Angeles, 27–28 July 1970), though, Mandel
856-662: A fan base. The Tubes' second album, Young and Rich (1976) on A&M Records , was produced by Ken Scott . It featured "Don't Touch Me There," a suggestive duet between Waybill and Styles, which was arranged in classic " Wall of Sound " style by Jack Nitzsche . The song was co-written by Ron Nagle and Tubes dancer/vocalist Jane Dornacker . The band toured America with a new stage show including new numbers "Slipped My Disco," "Madam, I'm Adam" and "Pimp." They also played several sold out nights at The Shrine in Los Angeles and Bimbo's in San Francisco. Mingo Lewis joined
963-552: A few tracks. In April 1966, the Bluesbreakers returned to Decca Studios to record a second LP with producer Vernon. The sessions, with horn arrangements for some tracks (John Almond on baritone sax, Alan Skidmore on tenor sax, and Dennis Healey on trumpet), lasted just three days. Blues Breakers with Eric Clapton was released in the UK on 22 July 1966. Several of the 12 tracks were covers of pure Chicago blues (side 1 kicking off with Otis Rush 's " All Your Love " and Freddy King 's hit instrumental " Hide Away " [here spelled without
1070-522: A former Santana roadie and Bill Graham employee. Herbert made a deal with Graham that if the Tubes could sell out three local shows, Graham would give him an opening slot on the show of his choice. Herbert booked shows at a local club called the Village, which sold out thanks to themes inspired by the San Francisco post-hippie underground culture such as "The Streaker's Ball" and "Mondo Bondage." Much to Graham's dismay, Herbert chose an opening slot for
1177-609: A full-time musical career and moved to London. His previous craft would be put to good use in the designing of covers for many of his coming albums. In 1956, with college fellow Peter Ward, Mayall founded the Powerhouse Four, which consisted of the two men and other local musicians with whom they played at local dances. In 1962 Mayall became a member of the Blues Syndicate. The band was formed by trumpeter John Rowlands and alto saxophonist Jack Massarik, who had seen
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#17327825661461284-547: A fundraiser show. This "Unite for UNICEF" concert took place on 19 July 2003 at the Liverpool Arena , and was captured on film for a DVD release. In November 2008, Mayall announced on his website he was disbanding the Bluesbreakers, to cut back on his heavy workload and give himself freedom to work with other musicians. Three months later a solo world tour was announced, with Rocky Athas on guitar, Greg Rzab on bass, and Jay Davenport on drums. Tom Canning, on organ, joined
1391-439: A guitarist). Almond had played with Zoot Money and Alan Price and was no stranger to Mayall's music—he had played baritone sax on four cuts of Blues Breakers with Eric Clapton and some of A Hard Road . This new band was markedly different from previous Mayall projects, and its making is well documented both on the 1999 double CD The Masters and on the 2004 DVD The Godfather of British Blues/The Turning Point . Along with
1498-519: A new addition to his band; his first female lead guitarist, Carolyn Wonderland . In 2013, Mayall signed with producer Eric Corne's label, Forty Below Records. The two have produced four studio albums together, A Special Life featuring accordionist C. J. Chenier , Find a Way to Care , Talk About That featuring Joe Walsh and Nobody Told Me . Corne also re-mastered some live recordings from 1967 featuring Peter Green, John McVie and Mick Fleetwood released as Live in 1967 in 3 volumes. In 2016, Mayall
1605-399: A new format with lower volume, acoustic instruments, and no drummer. He recruited acoustic fingerstyle guitarist Jon Mark and flautist-saxophonist Johnny Almond . Mark was best known as Marianne Faithfull 's accompanist for three years and for having been a member of the band Sweet Thursday (which included pianist Nicky Hopkins and future Cat Stevens collaborator Alun Davies , also
1712-469: A new label. Tubes friend Matt Leach compiled the outtakes, B-sides , and oddities collection T.R.A.S.H. (Tubes Rarities and Smash Hits) (1981). The band was signed to Capitol Records by Bruce Garfield and Bobby Colomby , toning down the X-rated sketches for the live shows and redesigning itself as a leaner ensemble with a view to release more accessible hits. The band worked with Bobby Colomby to find
1819-423: A new musical direction and then met with possible producers including Jeff "Skunk" Baxter before deciding on David Foster . The Tubes and David Foster recorded "Gonna Get it Next Time" for the soundtrack of Chevy Chase's " Modern Problems " directed by Ken Shapiro . The Completion Backward Principle (1981) was engineered by Humberto Gatica and produced by David Foster ( Earth, Wind and Fire ). It featured
1926-571: A single day in May 1967, Mayall had assembled a studio album to showcase his own abilities. Former Artwoods drummer Keef Hartley appeared on only half of the tracks, and everything else was played by Mayall. The album was released in November titled The Blues Alone . A six-piece line-up—consisting of Mayall, Mick Taylor as lead guitarist, John McVie still on bass, Hughie Flint or Hartley on drums, and Rip Kant and Chris Mercer on saxophones—recorded
2033-469: A space as "Hideaway"]); Mayall wrote or arranged five (such as "Double Crossing Time", a slow blues with a solo by co-writer Clapton); and Clapton debuted as lead vocalist, and began his practice of paying tribute to Robert Johnson , with " Ramblin' on My Mind ". The album was Mayall's commercial breakthrough, rising to No. 6 on the UK Albums Chart , and has since gained classic status, largely for
2140-432: A two-year world tour from which a live album would emerge a decade later. In 1984, Mayall restored the name Bluesbreakers for a line-up comprising the two lead guitars of Walter Trout and Coco Montoya , bassist Bobby Haynes and drummer Joe Yuele. In the early 1990s, most of the excitement was already spent and Buddy Whittington became the sole lead guitarist in a formation which included then organist Tom Canning. On
2247-460: A year to pay off their financial commitments. The Tubes recorded several songs for movie soundtracks including Hardbodies , My Science Project , and Heavenly Bodies . Bill Spooner also recorded a solo album titled First Chud , released on The Residents ' record label Ralph Records . Spooner's next solo project was Mall to Mars , recorded with coproducer Jim Blake and featuring fellow Tubes member Prairie Prince on drums. The concept album
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#17327825661462354-634: A young bassist named Stephen Thompson. In August 1968 the new quartet recorded Blues from Laurel Canyon . On 13 June 1969, after nearly two years with Mayall, Taylor left and joined the Rolling Stones . Chas Crane filled in briefly on guitar. Drummer Allen departed to join Stone the Crows . This left as the only holdover bassist Thompson who would also eventually join Stone the Crows. Mayall tried
2461-681: The Alexis Korner band at a Manchester club and wanted to try a similar blend of jazz and blues. It also included rhythm guitarist Ray Cummings and drummer Hughie Flint , whom Mayall already knew. In 1962 John and his band were frequent and popular artists at all-night R&B sessions at the Twisted Wheel cellar club in central Manchester. Alexis Korner persuaded Mayall to opt for a full-time musical career and move to London, where Korner introduced him to many other musicians and helped them to find gigs. In late 1963, with his band, which
2568-671: The Celebrity Theatre in Phoenix, as well as a show in Mexico where they were run out of town by the police (it was where Rick Anderson almost drowned after he was washed out to sea while swimming). The group would stick together and play shows at biker bars such as The Inn of The Beginning in Cotati, California . The vocals at the time were shared by Spooner, Steen, and Waybill as different characters. Prairie Prince and Phoenix high school friend Michael Cotten were attending art school at
2675-569: The Hammersmith Odeon , London, England, the band toured America and played a sold-out run at The Pantages Theater in Hollywood, which attracted celebrities such as the cast of Laverne and Shirley , Cher , Kate Jackson , and Gene Simmons . The stage show had reached new levels of lewdness with Quay Lewd's large dildo hanging out of his costume and a fake bomb threat number called "The Terrorists of Rock," which caused Cher to flee
2782-520: The Polydor label. The group featured jazz saxophonist Red Holloway , drummer Soko Richardson , bassist Larry Taylor , and two guitarists, Randy Resnick and Hightide Harris. The band toured Europe and Asia that year. During the next decade Mayall continued shifting musicians and switching labels and released a score of albums. Tom Wilson , Don Nix and Allen Toussaint occasionally served as producers. At this stage of his career most of Mayall's music
2889-796: The San Francisco Art Institute at this time; they attracted local press attention by painting a mural of crashing waves on the side of the Cliff House Restaurant. Cotten was asked by Spooner to buy an ARP synthesizer instead of a film camera and began to perform with the band as well as create props and costumes. One of the first Tubes shows was at the Art Institute cafeteria as part of an art show for classmate and future Hollywood director Kathryn Bigelow . While experimenting with their stage show and art, Prince and Cotten met model Re Styles while painting
2996-510: The classic rock radio staple "Talk to Ya Later," written by Waybill, Foster and Toto guitarist Steve Lukather . The songwriting credits were shared again but included input from all members, including "Attack of the 50 Foot Woman" by Prince, "Think About Me" by Cotten, "Don't Want to Wait Anymore" by Vince Welnick and "Matter of Pride" by Steen. The album was a satire of Reagan's " Morning in America " corporate movement and included pictures of
3103-441: The "Mondo Bondage" dance with Waybill. By 1979, she and Prince were married. After several years of playing biker bars, the band needed help. They had a temporary agreement with producer David Rubinson and played on bills with The Pointer Sisters and Sylvester , but were still trying to find an audience. Prince had been hired by newly formed jazz-rock band Journey to record demos, and approached their manager Herbie Herbert ,
3210-455: The 1960s, he formed John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers , a band that has counted among its members some of the most famous blues and blues rock musicians. A singer, guitarist, harmonica player, and keyboardist, he had a career that spanned nearly seven decades, remaining an active musician until his death aged 90. Mayall has often been referred to as the "godfather of the British blues ", and
3317-411: The 1973 Led Zeppelin show, Herbert wanted to manage the band, but Spooner and the group went with local management team Mort Moriarty and Gary Peterson, also known as "Bag O' Bucks." Moriarty was interested in the use of video in rock music and saw the Tubes' stage show as the future of music videos. Bob McIntosh died of cancer at this time, leaving Prince as the only drummer. In 1974, Bag O' Bucks filmed
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3424-655: The 1982 RCA Capacitance Electronic Disc and Pioneer Laserdisc The Tubes Video , containing versions of twelve of the band's hits, including "White Punks on Dope," "Mondo Bondage," "Talk to Ya Later," and most of The Completion Backward Principle album, in slickly produced music videos based on the group's stage shows. It was directed by Russell Mulcahy and filmed at Shepperton Studios in Shepperton, England . The Tubes put their creativity and art skills mainly into their live performances, in which songs could be full-fledged production numbers with props and costumes built at
3531-636: The Animals . He has been the drummer for the World Classic Rockers since 2003. In 2005, he drummed on Jake E. Lee 's solo Retraced album. In 2008 Dunbar recorded an album of material for Direct Music with Mickey Thomas of Starship , and musicians such as Jake E. Lee, former guitarist for Ozzy Osbourne . The complete recordings of Dunbar's drumming with Frank Zappa at Carnegie Hall in October 1971 were released exactly 40 years after
3638-578: The Beans had been a local favorite in Phoenix, selling out shows with a tongue-in-cheek concept rock show called "The Mother of Ascension" featuring costumes and props. After moving, Bill Spooner worked at the Fillmore West concert hall sweeping floors in between Beans shows at the Longshoremen's Hall and other minor venues. The band's loud, heavy jamming style did not attract much attention, and
3745-607: The Cliff House mural. Styles was born Shirley Marie Macleod on March 30, 1950, in Middelburg, Netherlands . She had appeared in both Alejandro Jodorowsky 's The Holy Mountain and Sun Ra 's Space Is the Place , and posed for Playboy and Penthouse magazines. By 1975 she was credited with clothing design and dance co-ordination for the band. Onstage she played Patty Hearst and dress in wild leather outfits during
3852-567: The Dominos attempted " Layla " follow-up sessions and band disintegration that spring. Back to the Roots did not promote new names, and USA Union and Memories had been recorded with American musicians. Mayall had exhausted his catalytic role on the British blues-rock scene and was living in Los Angeles. Yet, the list of musicians who benefited from association with him, starting with ruling
3959-700: The Jimi Hendrix Experience – losing to Mitch Mitchell on a coin toss. Dunbar then joined John Mayall's Bluesbreakers replacing Hughie Flint . He stayed with Mayall until the spring of 1967 (playing on the A Hard Road album), and was replaced by Mick Fleetwood . After a short stint in the Jeff Beck Group , Dunbar founded 'the Aynsley Dunbar Retaliation', so named to chide Mayall, who had fired him. They issued four albums during their existence. Dunbar co-wrote
4066-463: The London blues scene, remains impressive. By the start of the 1970s, Mayall had relocated to the United States where he spent most of the next 15 years, recording with local musicians for various labels. In August 1971, Mayall produced a jazz-oriented session for bluesman Albert King and a few months later took on tour the musicians present in the studio. A live album Jazz Blues Fusion
4173-519: The Nice with organist Keith Emerson . Through both a "musicians wanted" ad in Melody Maker on 10 June and his own search, Mayall found three other potential guitarists for his Bluesbreakers, a musician named Terry Edmonds, John Moorshead, and 18-year-old Mick Taylor . The last made the band quickly, but Mayall also decided to hire Edmonds as a rhythm guitarist for a few days. In the meantime, on
4280-623: The Radar Men from Uranus), included Bill Spooner , Rick Anderson, Vince Welnick , and Bob McIntosh. The other, the Red White and Blues Band, featured Prairie Prince , Roger Steen, and David Killingsworth. After performing at Expo '70 in Japan, Killingsworth left the Red, White and Blues Band, leaving Steen and Prince to audition new bass players, albeit unsuccessfully. Before moving to San Francisco
4387-555: The Roots features Clapton, Mick Taylor, Gerry McGee and Harvey Mandel on guitar; Sugarcane Harris on violin; Almond on woodwinds; Thompson and Larry Taylor on bass; and Hartley on drums. Paul Lagos was with Sugarcane and ended up drumming on five. Mayall wrote all the songs and sang all the vocals, as usual by now, plus played harmonica, guitar, keyboards, drums, and percussion. The London sessions took place in January 1971 and as such represent some of Clapton's last work before Derek and
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4494-646: The Sixth National Jazz and Blues Festival, Windsor . Mayall had to replace Clapton, and he succeeded in persuading Peter Green to come back. During the following year, with Green on guitar and various other sidemen, some 40 tracks were recorded. The album A Hard Road was released in February 1967. In early 1967, Mayall released an EP recorded with American blues harpist Paul Butterfield . But Peter Green gave notice and soon started his own project, Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac , which eventually
4601-580: The Snakes," and event support/video pioneer T.J. McHose to run a live video feed with films for each song. The show was critically acclaimed and broke them into show business in Los Angeles during sold-out runs at the Roxy Theater , David Allen's Boarding House and Bimbo's in San Francisco, as well as The Bottom Line in New York City . Compared at the time to The Rocky Horror Picture Show ,
4708-681: The Tubes Project in 2005, to save and digitize the band's reel to reel and video tape archive. The collection had been kept in the closet of Tubes fan club president Marilyn Wood's son after being discarded in the late 1980s. Included in the vault are full color shows taped for TV at Bimbo's in San Francisco, 1975 and Dutch VARA TV from the 1977 European tour. Over 70 interviews were conducted with band members, crew, managers, cast and colleagues such as Styles, Todd Rundgren, Al Kooper , Devo , and David Foster. Hundreds of photos were scanned and compiled from band members and fan collections for use in
4815-651: The Tubes Warehouse by the band, crew and friends. Everything was satirized, from a beach movie parody for "Sushi Girl," to leather clad S&M hijinks in "Mondo Bondage," to the game show antics of "What Do You Want from Life?" At their peak, their live act featured dozens of other performers, including tap dancers and acrobats . The Tubes' stage productions were choreographed by Kenny Ortega and featured cast members Jane Dornacker , LeRoy Jones, Michael Holman , Michael Springer, Cindi Osborn, Heline Gouax, and Mary Niland from 1975 to 1977. From 1978 to 1979,
4922-465: The Tubes were released; however that occurred just as they were going on tour in support of the album. The band found it necessary to self-finance the tour as a matter of respect to honor their commitment to their fans. Between this tour's self-financing and the band's continued self-financing of their San Francisco recording studio built in 1980, the tour left the band a half million dollars in debt, obliging them to play less expensive and smaller venues for
5029-441: The Tubes' stage show was closer to Saturday Night Live with its mix of topical satire and subversive postmodern Andy Kaufman -like routines such as Waybill beating up a couple in the front row (who were planted) during the "Crime Medley," then taking off his disguise as the band launched into "Mondo Bondage" and a huge stack of "Kill Amplifiers" (cardboard) falling on Quay Lewd during the finale of "White Punks on Dope." The band
5136-617: The United States, mostly playing theme parks like Six Flags Magic Mountain and colleges for a new generation of fans. The band filmed an hour-long concert special at the Kabuki Theatre in San Francisco which played on MTV and was directed by Jim Yukich. "She's a Beauty" won song of the year and The Tubes performed live at the BAM music awards. In 1984, the band teamed up with Todd Rundgren again for their eighth album, Love Bomb (1985). Tired of spending money at other recording studios,
5243-594: The Viking program), television ( Let's Make a Deal , Fernwood 2Nite , the anime Raideen ), and literature ( Nelson Algren 's A Walk on the Wild Side ). The shows were expensive to produce, however, and although they earned the band a reputation for being one of the most entertaining live acts of the time, by the early 1980s, they'd left the band in debt to A&M Records, even after they'd sold their song rights for tour support. The band's fifth studio album,
5350-669: The age of 90. Mayall was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2005 Birthday Honours . Mayall was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the musical influence category in 2024. He is often referred to as the "godfather of the British blues ". As of 2020 : To verify the recordings and releases, please see the ISRC database •Turning Point (1969) The Tubes The Tubes are
5457-530: The album Crusade on 11 and 12 July 1967. These Bluesbreakers spent most of the year touring abroad, and Mayall taped the shows on a portable recorder. At the end of the tour, he had over sixty hours of tapes, which he edited into an album in two volumes: Diary of a Band, Vols. 1 & 2 , released in February 1968. Meanwhile, a few line-up changes had occurred: McVie had departed and was replaced by Paul Williams, who himself soon quit to join Alan Price and
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#17327825661465564-424: The audacious aggressiveness and molten fluidity of Clapton's guitar playing. "It's Eric Clapton who steals the limelight," reported music mag Beat Instrumental , adding with unintended understatement, "and no doubt several copies of the album will be sold on the strength of his name." In the meantime, on 11 June, the formation of Cream —Clapton, bassist Jack Bruce , and drummer Ginger Baker —had been revealed in
5671-439: The band after performing several shows with them at Bimbo's. The Tubes' third album Now (1977) was an attempt to write less satirical songs with the band sharing song writing duties with Bill Spooner. It was recorded while the band was playing a special engagement on weekends at The Whisky in Los Angeles. They played a small American tour of the west coast and a month-long run at San Francisco's Palace of Fine Arts featuring
5778-466: The band built their own studio with Rundgren called "Cavum Soni" and XTC recorded several tracks there with Todd for Skylarking on which also Prince played drums. Glen Tilbrook of Squeeze sings back up on "Night People." The entire recording process was video taped by a camera crew on Betamax . Bruce Garfield and Bobby Colomby were dropped by Capitol in the company-wide layoffs that took place pre-reorganization, and like many of their label mates,
5885-527: The band for the tour which started in March 2009. An album was released in September 2009. Since then, Mayall has continued to tour with the same backing band, minus Canning, who left due to other priorities. In 2015, Dinu Logos published John Mayall: The Blues Crusader , the first biography of Mayall to include exhaustive details of every band he put together and every recording he made. In 2018, Mayall made
5992-478: The band members cleaned up and wearing suits. The band also had their first Top 40 hit in the United States in 1981, "Don't Want to Wait Anymore," with vocals by Spooner. The band returned to the road in America and Europe with a new stage show designed by Cotten, Prince, and Ortega, featuring new dancers including Cynthia Rhodes , who would leave soon after to star in Flashdance and Staying Alive . Styles
6099-438: The band needed to go back home to Phoenix. There they would sell out shows, which provided enough money to pay their rent. The Beans' manager and former Alice Cooper Group drummer, John Speer, suggested they add Prince and Steen along with their roadie John Waybill to one of these shows. Waybill's nickname among the band was "Fee," short for " Fiji ," thanks to his copious head of hippie hair. "The Radar Men from Uranus" played
6206-413: The band to be able to play several songs in a row to show off how tight their transitions were; both shows declined, and without major network TV appearances, the Tubes missed out on huge TV exposure, cementing their "cult" status until the early 1980s. The band's touring crew was up to 24 people at this point, making it hard to tour for the standard weeks on end most bands of the era were committing to build
6313-862: The band's most elaborate stage show to date. The band had met manager Rikki Farr at a show opening for Alice Cooper. Farr fell in love with the band's stage show and agreed to manage them after they sued Bag O' Bucks to get out of their contract. Farr used his fame in England to promote them as "America's Answer to Punk ." The band created a new "best of" stage show and finally played a tour of Europe. They were banned in several towns and attracted front page press attention for their dark satirical stage show that spoofed America's consumer culture with dancers, video and sketches. They appeared on The Old Grey Whistle Test and played "God-Bird-Change" and "White Punks on Dope." After their live record What Do You Want from Live (1978), recorded during their record-breaking run at
6420-418: The band. The lineup toured Europe and released two albums, a compilation and the 1996 album Genius of America . David Medd joined in 1996 to play keyboards alongside Cambra. In 2001, the band released a live CD, The Tubes World Tour 2001 , and continued to tour. The band has toured the United States each year with a lineup of Waybill, Steen, Anderson, Medd, Gary Cambra and Prince. Cambra left in 2006. After
6527-577: The big change in sound, Mayall decided on a big change in scenery: a move to Los Angeles. The new band made its US debut at the Newport Jazz Festival on 5 July, whilst the performance of 12 July at the Fillmore East provided the tracks for the live album The Turning Point . A studio album, Empty Rooms , was recorded with the same personnel, with Mayall's next bassist, former Canned Heat member Larry Taylor , playing bass in
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#17327825661466634-471: The cast included Sharon Collins, Caty Bevan, and Loryanna Catalano. The Completion Backward tour featured Shelly Pang, Cheryl Hangland, Joey Richards, and Cynthia Rhodes . From 1983 to 1985, Michele Gray (who later married Todd Rundgren) and Cheryl Hangland were principal dancers. Several crew members—including Tour Manager Steve "Chopper" Borges, Lee Collins, and Gail Lowe — made frequent appearances on stage in various roles as well. The Tubes' live shows in
6741-567: The drummer for Frank Zappa , playing on the solo albums Apostrophe (') and Waka/Jawaka , and the Mothers ' albums The Grand Wazoo , Fillmore East – June 1971 , and Just Another Band from L.A. , as well as the film 200 Motels . He filled in for Flo and Eddie when they left the Zappa group after an irate British "fan" pushed Zappa off the Rainbow stage in 1971. In 1974 he played on
6848-408: The event in a four-CD set. In 2009 the blues album The Bluesmasters featuring Mickey Thomas was released, featuring Dunbar on drums along with Tim Tucker on guitar and Danny Miranda on bass as well as guest stars such as Magic Slim on guitar and vocals. Drummerworld recognized Dunbar as the only drummer to have played with such a robust variety of successful bands and musicians. In 2017 Aynsley
6955-462: The fall of 1988, Bill Spooner traveled his final tour with the band and left in early 1989. Vince Welnick departed as well to take to the road with Todd Rundgren in 1989 and then joined the Grateful Dead in 1990. Gary Cambra joined on keyboards and guitar in 1989. He and Roger Steen took over most of the lead vocal duties after Killingsworth left in early 1990. In 1993, Fee Waybill rejoined
7062-514: The group to competitor A&M Records , where his former Columbia East Coast A&R colleague and friend, Kip Cohen , had recently headed the A&;R division. Daly personally flew managers Moriarity and Petersen to Los Angeles and Cohen signed the Tubes to A&M, a rare example of cross-company support by major label executives. Working with lawyer Greg Fischbach , the band signed with A&M Records. The Tubes' first album, The Tubes (1975),
7169-583: The guitar from Bernie Watson. This line-up backed John Lee Hooker on his British tour in 1964. Mayall was offered a recording contract by Decca records and, on 7 December 1964, a live performance of the band was recorded at the Klooks Kleek . A later studio-recorded single, "Crocodile Walk", was released along with the album, but both failed to achieve any success and the contract was terminated. In April 1965, former Yardbirds guitarist Eric Clapton replaced Roger Dean and John Mayall's career entered
7276-476: The hour and half documentary. After leaving the band, Jane Dornacker performed as stand-up comedian and later worked as a traffic reporter with the team which replaced Howard Stern at WNBC. She was killed in a helicopter crash in 1986, while giving a live report. A benefit show was held for her daughter at the Warfield in San Francisco with the Tubes and Todd Rundgren. On November 10, 2009, Mondo Birthmark,
7383-399: The late 1970s and early 1980s were rife with allusions to mainstream film: Dr. Strangelove (1964), Rollerball (1975), Saturday Night Fever (1977), Grease (1978)] then-forgotten B-movies [ Wild Women of Wongo (1958), Attack of the 50 Foot Woman (1958)], music ( Tom Jones , punk rock , a medley of Nelson Riddle television themes), contemporary pop culture ( Patty Hearst ,
7490-592: The music press, much to the embarrassment of Clapton, who had not said anything about this to Mayall. (After a May Bluesbreakers gig at which Baker had sat in, he and Clapton had first discussed forming their own band, and surreptitious rehearsal jams with Bruce soon commenced.) Clapton's last scheduled gig with the Bluesbreakers was 17 July in Bexley, south-east of London; Cream made a warmup club debut 29 July in Manchester and its "official" live debut two days later at
7597-554: The new music was rewritten by Rundgren and the band in studio, including "Turn Me On" (formerly "Get Over It"); "The Terrorists of Rock" number was cannibalized to become "Telecide." Waybill and Styles shared vocals on "Prime Time," although Rundgren had tried to record a version with just Styles. When Waybill found out, he demanded to sing as well. The band performed the song on Top of the Pops and on tour in Europe before cutting it from
7704-614: The occasion of the 40th year of his career, Mayall invited fellow musicians for the recording of a celebratory album. Along for the Ride appeared in 2001, credited to John Mayall and Friends with twenty names listed on the cover, including some Bluesbreakers, old and new, and also Gary Moore , Jonny Lang , Steve Cropper , Steve Miller , Otis Rush , Billy Gibbons , Greg Rzab, Chris Rea , Jeff Healey and Shannon Curfman . To celebrate his 70th birthday, Mayall reunited with special guests Eric Clapton , Mick Taylor and Chris Barber during
7811-416: The opening track of her own debut album Nina Hagen Band (1978). The album track "What Do You Want from Life?," which became another of the Tubes' signature songs, satirizes consumerism and celebrity culture and climaxes in a monolog by Waybill who, in a rapid game show announcer's patter, name-checks celebrities such as Bob Dylan , Paul Williams and Randolph Mantooth , as well as well-known products of
7918-404: The original lineup of King Crimson , Dunbar unsuccessfully tried to recruit Robert Fripp as Blue Whale's guitarist. Fripp, in turn, unsuccessfully tried to recruit Dunbar as King Crimson's new drummer. Blue Whale recorded one album, which featured Paul Williams (vocals), Ivan Zagni (guitar), Roger Sutton (guitar), Tommy Eyre (from Retaliation, keys) and Peter Friedberg (bass). Dunbar was later
8025-566: The others (although some sources give this as occurring back in the summer): "Lonely Years" b/w "Bernard Jenkins" was released as a single the next August on producer Mike Vernon 's Purdah Records label (both tracks appeared again two decades later in Clapton's Crossroads box set). In a November 1965 session, blues pianist-singer Champion Jack Dupree (originally from New Orleans but in the 1960s living in Europe) got Mayall and Clapton to play on
8132-507: The period, including the Dynagym exercise machine and a host of American vehicles such as "a herd of Winnebagos " and a " Mercury Montclair ..." as part of a list of things that, "if you're an American citizen, you are entitled to" culminating in " a baby's arm holding an apple ." By late 1975, the band created a stage show unlike any other after hiring Kenny Ortega to direct and choreograph, comedian Jane Dornacker and her band "Leila and
8239-426: The piano, guitar, and harmonica . Mayall was sent to Korea as part of his national service , and during a period of leave bought his first electric guitar in Japan. Back in England, he enrolled at Manchester College of Art and started playing with a semi-professional band, the Powerhouse Four. After graduation, he obtained a job as an art designer, but continued to play with local musicians. In 1963, he opted for
8346-526: The poor visibility of the small TV screens, and synchronization problems with the film projections. The show was scrapped after Steen, Waybill and the group's management reportedly complained about the cost, and the show overtaking the music. This led to a stripped-down tour in the U.S., Japan, and Europe with Squeeze as the support act. The band also played two shows at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles, with Yellow Magic Orchestra as support; that show
8453-527: The promoter's money after he failed to deliver professional shows. The single "Sports Fans" was recorded live during halftime of the legendary San Francisco 49ers " The Catch " game; Tubes crew members can be seen on the side lines in the slow motion replay. As the band gained more mainstream popularity, Waybill auditioned for roles in Night Shift and Streets of Fire and appeared on Late Night with David Letterman twice. Outside Inside (1983)
8560-406: The self-produced Suffer for Sound , was meant to complete the group's contract with A&M. The recession had affected the music industry, and many other bands were cut from A&M at the end of the 1970s. The band owed A&M a large amount of money and after playing the new record for Jerry Moss , Rikki Farr insulted Moss' taste in music to ensure that the band was let go and able to sign with
8667-447: The set, due to tensions between Waybill and Styles. Synth player and visual stylist Michael Cotten designed an innovative multimedia stage show for the "Remote Control" tour, which employed multiple TV monitors and a 35 mm film projector, which according to Cotten, cost US$ 12,000 (equivalent to around $ 50,000 in 2022). They tested it (with no dress rehearsal) at UCLA's Royce Hall , but there were multiple technical problems, including
8774-430: The singer in the Red and White Blues Band with Prince and Steen. The band appeared on The Late Show Starring Joan Rivers on Fox in 1987 and played "Talk to Ya Later," a new song called "No Baby's Gonna Break My Heart," and were also interviewed. Michael Cotten moved to New York City to pursue a career based on his artwork, stage design and production, and is considered one of the country's top production designers. In
8881-472: The song "Warning" (later recorded by Black Sabbath on their first album ). The Dunbar single version was recorded in 1967 for the Blue Horizon label, prior to his band's first album release The Aynsley Dunbar Retaliation (1968). Subsequently, Dunbar founded a short-lived progressive rock band called Blue Whale, which debuted with a tour of Scandinavia in January 1970. Following the recent collapse of
8988-544: The soundtrack of Dirty Duck , an adult animated film directed by Charles Swenson . In the mid-1970s Dunbar played drums for former Grin leader, Nils Lofgren , before joining Journey for their first four albums. He joined Jefferson Starship for three albums. On 28 December 1978, he played at Winterland in San Francisco with the Tubes . Dunbar joined Whitesnake in 1985 and performed on their 1987 album, Whitesnake . He also spent some time working with Pat Travers , Eric Burdon , UFO , Michael Schenker , Mogg/Way and
9095-535: The theater, believing the threat was real. She later asked the band to appear in her next TV special Cher...Special . The band went back to Europe to follow up their big splash but it was canceled after Waybill fell off stage and broke his leg. The band returned and played the dates in the fall before headlining the Knebworth Rock Festival with Frank Zappa , Peter Gabriel and Boomtown Rats . The fourth album for A&M, Remote Control (1979)
9202-471: The upcoming Led Zeppelin show at Kezar Stadium . The band pulled out the stops, including Waybill dressed as an early version of "Quay Lewd" throwing " Cocaine " (flour) and "Pills" (candy) at the crowd, who threw it back. Graham threatened Herbert saying that the band would never play in San Francisco again but calmed down and eventually fell in love with the band, booking them at Winterland and other California venues for New Year's shows and Halloween. After
9309-471: Was a concept album produced by Todd Rundgren , about a television-addicted idiot-savant, inspired by the Jerzy Kosinski novel Being There (which was later made into a movie starring Peter Sellers ). The cover of Remote Control (1979) shows a baby (Rikki Farr's son) in a specially made "Vidi-Trainer" (a car seat/TV with a baby bottle nipple) created by Michael Cotten and Dave Mellot. Much of
9416-413: Was compelled to make do without his remarkable sustain and usage of feedback as musical, even melodic, technique; and on Memories the band was stripped down to a trio with Taylor and Ventures guitarist Gerry McGee . In November 1970, Mayall launched a recording project involving many of the most notable musicians with whom he had played during the previous several years. The double album Back to
9523-670: Was dismissed, and during the next few months Jack Bruce , from the Graham Bond Organisation , played bass. In November 1965, Clapton returned, and Green departed as Mayall had guaranteed Clapton his spot back in the Bluesbreakers whenever he tired of the Glands. McVie was allowed back, and Bruce left to join Manfred Mann , but not before a live date by the Mayall-Clapton-Bruce-Flint line-up
9630-815: Was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Journey in 2017. Aynsley Thomas Dunbar was born in Liverpool , England. He started his professional career in Derry Wilkie and the Pressmen in 1963. In December 1964 he joined Merseybeat group The Mojos , who were renamed Stu James & the Mojos, with original members vocalist Stu James and guitarist Nick Crouch and bass player Lewis Collins (later an actor in The Professionals ). This line-up continued until 1966. Dunbar then auditioned for
9737-483: Was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Journey. Dunbar was ranked by Rolling Stone as 27th greatest drummer of all time. Dunbar's youngest son Dash was diagnosed with cancer in June 1999 and died on 9 May 2000. He was married four times. John Mayall John Brumwell Mayall OBE (29 November 1933 – 22 July 2024) was an English blues and rock musician, songwriter and producer. In
9844-575: Was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the musical influence category in 2024. Born in Macclesfield , Cheshire , on 29 November 1933, John Brumwell Mayall grew up in Cheadle Hulme . He was the son of Murray Mayall, a guitarist who played in local pubs . From an early age he was drawn to the sounds of American blues players such as Lead Belly , Albert Ammons , Pinetop Smith , and Eddie Lang , and taught himself to play
9951-618: Was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame. Mayall's autobiography, Blues From Laurel Canyon: My Life As A Bluesman , co-written with author Joel McIver , was published by Omnibus Press in August 2019. Mayall began living in the U.S. part time in the late 1960s, living there full time by the early 1970s. A brush fire destroyed his house in Laurel Canyon in 1979. Mayall lost 2,000 hours of video-taped movies, 16th century antiques,
10058-631: Was now called the Bluesbreakers, Mayall started playing at the Marquee Club . The line-up was Mayall, Ward, John McVie on bass and guitarist Bernie Watson, formerly of Cyril Davies and the R&;B All-Stars . The next spring Mayall obtained his first recording date with producer Ian Samwell . The band, with Martin Hart at the drums, recorded two tracks: " Crawling Up a Hill " and "Mr. James". Shortly after, Hughie Flint replaced Hart and Roger Dean took
10165-455: Was on-camera talent for the 1985 MTV Video Awards . He also enjoyed a fruitful writing partnership with Capitol Records label mate Richard Marx , their most popular and well known collaboration being " Edge of a Broken Heart ," recorded by the female band Vixen . Waybill left the Tubes in 1986. Later in the year, the remaining members of the band hired David Killingsworth, a longtime friend from Phoenix, as lead vocalist. Killingsworth had been
10272-478: Was part of the mid-'70s underground comedy scene which included The Credibility Gap , Firesign Theatre , Ace Trucking Company , Kentucky Fried Theater , Groundlings , Ken Shapiro 's Channel One Video Theatre and National Lampoon . The L.A. Connection Comedy Theatre performed during the Tubes show intermission many times. In 1975, the Tubes were offered a spot on Saturday Night Live with Howard Cosell and NBC's Saturday Night , but manager Mort Moriarty wanted
10379-494: Was produced by Al Kooper . The track " White Punks on Dope " was an "absurd anthem of wretched excess" and ridiculed the Hollywood kids of the rich and famous. Since then the song has been covered by Mötley Crüe , P.O.L. (Parade of Losers) and the German rock musician Nina Hagen took the tune and set new lyrics to it (not a translation of the original lyrics), titled her work " TV-Glotzer " (" Couch Potato "), using this song as
10486-409: Was produced by David Foster and included the number 10 US hit " She's a Beauty ." The album was recorded with several studio musicians, including members of Chicago and Toto . The slicker sound added to the tension between the "art" oriented members of the group (Cotten, Spooner and Prince) and the pop-music fans (Steen and Waybill). The band performed " The Monkey Time " on Solid Gold , and toured
10593-532: Was rather different from electric blues played by rock musicians, incorporating jazz, funk or pop elements and even adding female vocals. A notable exception is The Last of the British Blues (1978), a live album excused apparently by its title for the brief return to this type of music. In 1982, Mayall was reunited with Mick Taylor , John McVie and Colin Allen , three musicians of his 1960s line-ups, for
10700-451: Was recorded on Mayall's two-track tape recorder at London's The Flamingo Club in November. The rough recording provided tracks that later appeared on the 1969 compilation Looking Back and the 1977 Primal Solos . The same line-up also entered the studio to record a planned single, "On Top of the World", which was not released at that time. Mayall and Clapton cut a couple of tracks without
10807-411: Was released in the following year, with Mayall on harmonica, guitar and piano, Blue Mitchell on trumpet, Clifford Solomon and Ernie Watts on saxophones, Larry Taylor on bass, Ron Selico on drums and Freddy Robinson on guitar. A few personnel changes are noted at the release of a similar album in 1973, the live Moving On . In 1974, Mayall recorded The Latest Edition , produced by Tom Wilson for
10914-599: Was released on Visible Records, a label owned by long-time Tubes music publishing associate/copyright administrator Richard Kaye, and contains several cover versions including the " Theme from Star Trek ", " Dimming of the Day ", and "They Kicked Me Out of the Band" (that Bill claims is not true... he says, he actually quit the Tubes). Waybill released a solo album produced by David Foster ( Read My Lips , Capitol Records ) in 1984 and
11021-545: Was released on home video in 1982. The band held an auction of Tubes stage props and costumes in 1980 at the Boarding House before the band attempted to play as a straight rock act for several sold-out shows at The Roxy in Los Angeles. John Tobler said that with their media savvy and theatrical skills, the Tubes were born to create rock video but arrived several years too early. However, the band did produce at least one collection of music videos, which were issued on
11128-539: Was replaced by Keith Tillman; Dick Heckstall-Smith had taken the sax spot. Following a US tour, there were more line-up changes, starting with the troublesome bass position. First Mayall replaced bassist Tillman with 15-year-old Andy Fraser . Within six weeks, though, Fraser left to join Free and was replaced by Tony Reeves, previously a member of the New Jazz Orchestra. Hartley was required to leave, and he
11235-622: Was replaced by New Jazz Orchestra drummer Jon Hiseman (who had also played with the Graham Bond Organisation). Henry Lowther, who played violin and cornet, joined in February 1968. Two months later the Bluesbreakers recorded Bare Wires , co-produced by Mayall and Mike Vernon, which came up to UK No. 6. Hiseman, Reeves, and Heckstall-Smith then moved on to form Colosseum . The Mayall line-up retained Mick Taylor and added drummer Colin Allen (formerly of Zoot Money's Big Roll Band / Dantalian's Chariot , and Georgie Fame ) and
11342-516: Was said to have left the band: Waybill said at the time that she was "going on to a Hollywood movie career or something". Styles, Cotten and Prince played as the Boring Squares in San Francisco in 1980. The trio were also said to have played a show on Bora Bora in 1984. While on tour in Italy the Tubes were forced off stage by local police with machine guns and they escaped the country with
11449-431: Was to include all three of Mayall's Bluesbreakers at this time: Green, McVie, and drummer Mick Fleetwood , who was a Bluesbreaker for only a few weeks. Two live albums, Live in 1967 Volumes I and II, featuring this line-up were released on Forty Below Records in 2015 and 2016. Mayall's first choice to replace Green was 18-year-old David O'List , guitarist from The Attack . O'List declined, however, and went on to form
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