The Groundhogs тобының тарихы

British blues and rock band

The Groundhogs were an English blues and rock band founded in late 1963 in London. Named after John Lee Hooker's song "Ground Hog Blues", they were part of the burgeoning British rhythm and blues scene, backing Hooker on his album And Seven Nights. They were predominantly a power trio of Tony McPhee (singer, guitarist, song writer), Peter Cruickshank (bass) and Ken Pustelnik (drums), with Clive Brooks replacing Pustelnik in 1972 until the band split in 1974. They issued seven albums via Liberty/UA, including the UK Top 10 Thank Christ for the Bomb (1970, #9), Split (1971, #5) and Who Will Save the World? (1972, #8). McPhee resurrected the name with a different rhythm section in 1975 for two more studio albums, and again in 1982 to 2003 for a further two studio albums. A re union of the early 1970s trio in 2003 ended Mcphee's run, with Cruickshank and Pustelnik continuing as The Groundhogs Rhythm Section. McPhee resurrected the name again in 2007 through to 2014, although only for live performances.

McPhee resurrected the name in 1975 with a new line up of Martin Kent and Mick Cook on bass and drums respectively, and a second guitarist of either Dave Wellbelove or Rick Adams. Two albums, Crosscut Saw and Black Diamond, were released in 1976 by UA. and this trio also issued the live album Hogs On The Road recorded during a tour of Germany in December 1987. The group's personnel continued to be changed; a live album Who Said Cherry Red? was recorded with Pete Chymon (bass) and Dale Iviss (drums) at a "secret location" in 1996, and two studio albums with Eric Chipulina and Pete Correa, Hogs in Wolf's Clothing (1998) in tribute of Howlin' Wolf and The Muddy Waters Song Book (1999) in tribute of Muddy Waters were released, being the last studio recordings issued as The Groundhogs. In 2003, original manager Roy Fisher put together a short lived 'original line up' to celebrate their fortieth anniversary. McPhee left the band to pursue an acoustic career, embarking on a major tour in 2004 with Edgar Winter and Alvin Lee and issued an acoustic blues album Blues at Ten.

After McPhee's dparture from the 2003 re union, Cruickshank and Pustelnik continued forming The Groundhogs Rhythm Section with invited frontmen, latterly with Eddie Martin. The Groundhogs Rhythm Section's last recruits, Bob Bowles (guitar, vocals) and Jon Buckett (guitars, keyboards, vocals), joined Pustelnik and Cruickshank in February 2011.

McPhee put together a new band in 2007, with long time Groundhogs bassist Dave Anderson (ex Hawkwind) and Marco Anderson on drums. This trio toured the UK in 2008 with Focus and Martin Turner's Wishbone Ash. The 2009 line up of Tony McPhee's Groundhogs comprised McPhee, Anderson and previous long term drummer Mick Jones. As of 2011, the new Groundhogs' line up consisted of McPhee, Anderson, Joanna Deacon (vocals), and Carl Stokes (drums) from the death rock band Cancer. Due to McPhee's ongoing health issues relating to a stroke in 2009, Tony McPhee & Groundhogs retired in January 2014, although McPhee and Stokes have since worked with David Tibet's Current 93. McPhee died on 6 June 2023.