Chris Farlowe
Encyclopedia
Chris Farlowe is an English
rock
, blues
and soul
singer. He is best known for his hit single
"Out of Time
", which rose to #1 in the UK Singles Chart
in 1966, and his association with Colosseum
and the Thunderbirds.
Outside his music career, Farlowe collects war memorabilia.
, Farlowe's musical career began with a skiffle
group, the John Henry Skiffle Group, in 1957, before he joined the Johnny Burns Rhythm and Blues Quartet, in 1958. He met guitarist Bob Taylor in 1959 and, through Taylor, joined the Thunderbirds, who went on to record five singles
for the Columbia
label
. He released a cover version of "Stormy Monday Blues" under the pseudonym of "Little Joe Cook", which perpetuated the myth that he was a black singer.
Farlowe moved to Andrew Loog Oldham
's Immediate
label and recorded eleven singles, five of which were cover version
s of Rolling Stones song
s including "Paint It, Black
", "Think
", "Ride On, Baby
", "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction
" and "Out of Time"). Farlowe's single "Out of Time" reached #1
(1966) in the UK Singles Chart
. He recorded four more singles, the best known of which is Mike d'Abo
's "Handbags and Gladrags
".
He sang vocals for the theme music written by Greenslade
for the BBC Television
series Gangsters
. In 1978 he had a part in a play produced by BBC Birmingham
, Curriculee Curricula, first shown on BBC Two
and shot in its entirety on video at the University of Birmingham
campus, with Magnus Magnusson
as the narrator. Farlowe and Greenslade provided the music. He began an association with the jazz rock group Colosseum
in the 1970s, recording a live album
and three studio
albums including, Daughter of Time
(1970). Later in the next millennium he would appear on two more Colosseum albums. In February 1972 he joined Atomic Rooster
, and is featured on the albums Made in England
(1972) and Nice 'n' Greasy
(1973). He also sang on three tracks from Jimmy Page
's Death Wish II
soundtrack
(1982), as well as the tracks "Hummingbird", "Prison Blues" and "Blues Anthem" on Page's album Outrider
(1988).
In 2009, Farlowe toured as a featured artist with Maggie Bell
and Bobby Tench
as part of the Maximum Rhythm and Blues Tour of thirty two UK theatres.
(1965–70)
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
, blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
and soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
singer. He is best known for his hit single
Hit single
A hit single is a recorded song or instrumental released as a single that has become very popular. Although it is sometimes used to describe any widely-played or big-selling song, the term "hit" is usually reserved for a single that has appeared in an official music chart through repeated radio...
"Out of Time
Out of Time
- Film :* Out of Time , a science fiction film starring Bill Maher* Out of Time , a television film directed by Ernest Thompson* Out of Time , a thriller starring Denzel Washington...
", which rose to #1 in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
in 1966, and his association with Colosseum
Colosseum (band)
Colosseum is a pioneering British progressive jazz-rock band, mixing progressive rock and jazz-based improvisation.-History 1968 - 1971:The band was formed in September 1968 by drummer Jon Hiseman, tenor sax player Dick Heckstall-Smith and bass player Tony Reeves, who had previously worked together...
and the Thunderbirds.
Outside his music career, Farlowe collects war memorabilia.
Career
Inspired by Lonnie DoneganLonnie Donegan
Anthony James "Lonnie" Donegan MBE was a skiffle musician, with more than 20 UK Top 30 hits to his name. He is known as the "King of Skiffle" and is often cited as a large influence on the generation of British musicians who became famous in the 1960s...
, Farlowe's musical career began with a skiffle
Skiffle
Skiffle is a type of popular music with jazz, blues, folk, roots and country influences, usually using homemade or improvised instruments. Originating as a term in the United States in the first half of the twentieth century, it became popular again in the UK in the 1950s, where it was mainly...
group, the John Henry Skiffle Group, in 1957, before he joined the Johnny Burns Rhythm and Blues Quartet, in 1958. He met guitarist Bob Taylor in 1959 and, through Taylor, joined the Thunderbirds, who went on to record five singles
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
for the Columbia
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
. He released a cover version of "Stormy Monday Blues" under the pseudonym of "Little Joe Cook", which perpetuated the myth that he was a black singer.
Farlowe moved to Andrew Loog Oldham
Andrew Loog Oldham
Andrew Loog Oldham is an English producer, talent manager, impresario and author. He was manager and producer of The Rolling Stones from 1963, and was noted for his flamboyant style.-Biography:...
's Immediate
Immediate Records
Immediate Records was a British record label, started in 1965 by The Rolling Stones' manager Andrew Loog Oldham and Tony Calder and concentrating on the London-based blues and R&B scene.-History:...
label and recorded eleven singles, five of which were cover version
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
s of Rolling Stones song
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
s including "Paint It, Black
Paint It, Black
"Paint It, Black" is a song released by The Rolling Stones on 13 May 1966 as the first single from their fourth album Aftermath. It was originally titled "Paint It Black" without a comma. Keith Richards has stated that the comma was added by the record label, Decca.The song was written by Mick...
", "Think
Think (The Rolling Stones song)
"Think" is a Mick Jagger and Keith Richards' composition that first appeared as a Chris Farlowe single which made it to #37 on the British charts in January 1966....
", "Ride On, Baby
Ride On, Baby
"Ride On, Baby" is a song by the British rock 'n' roll band, The Rolling Stones. It was first released as a single by Chris Farlowe in October 1966 and reached #31 on the British charts. It was written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, and the group's own version appeared a few months later on...
", "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction
(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction
" Satisfaction" is a song by the English rock band The Rolling Stones, released in 1965. It was written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards and produced by Andrew Loog Oldham. Richards's throwaway three-note guitar riff — intended to be replaced by horns — opens and drives the song...
" and "Out of Time"). Farlowe's single "Out of Time" reached #1
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
(1966) in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
. He recorded four more singles, the best known of which is Mike d'Abo
Mike d'Abo
Michael David "Mike" d'Abo is an English singer and songwriter, best known as the former lead vocalist of Manfred Mann.-Biography:...
's "Handbags and Gladrags
Handbags and Gladrags
"Handbags and Gladrags" is the name of a song written in 1967 by Mike d'Abo, who was then the lead singer of Manfred Mann. D'Abo describes the song as "saying to a teenage girl that the way to happiness is not through being trendy. There are deeper values."The original demo tape of the original...
".
He sang vocals for the theme music written by Greenslade
Greenslade
Greenslade is an English progressive rock band. It was originally formed in the autumn of 1972 with the following line-up:* Dave Greenslade - keyboards...
for the BBC Television
BBC Television
BBC Television is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation. The corporation, which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927, has produced television programmes from its own studios since 1932, although the start of its regular service of television...
series Gangsters
Gangsters (TV series)
Gangsters is a British television series made by the BBC and shown from 1975 to 1978.Created by Philip Martin, and produced at the BBC's Pebble Mill Studios in Birmingham by David Rose, Gangsters began televisual life as an edition of Play for Today in 1975, followed by two series transmitted in...
. In 1978 he had a part in a play produced by BBC Birmingham
BBC Birmingham
BBC Birmingham is one of the oldest regional arms of the BBC, located in Birmingham, West Midlands. It was the first region outside of London to start broadcasting both the corporation's radio and television transmissions, the latter from the Sutton Coldfield television transmitter...
, Curriculee Curricula, first shown on BBC Two
BBC Two
BBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...
and shot in its entirety on video at the University of Birmingham
University of Birmingham
The University of Birmingham is a British Redbrick university located in the city of Birmingham, England. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Birmingham Medical School and Mason Science College . Birmingham was the first Redbrick university to gain a charter and thus...
campus, with Magnus Magnusson
Magnus Magnusson
Magnus Magnusson KBE was a television presenter, journalist, translator and writer. He was born in Iceland but lived in Scotland for almost all of his life, although he never took British citizenship...
as the narrator. Farlowe and Greenslade provided the music. He began an association with the jazz rock group Colosseum
Colosseum (band)
Colosseum is a pioneering British progressive jazz-rock band, mixing progressive rock and jazz-based improvisation.-History 1968 - 1971:The band was formed in September 1968 by drummer Jon Hiseman, tenor sax player Dick Heckstall-Smith and bass player Tony Reeves, who had previously worked together...
in the 1970s, recording a live album
Live album
A live album is a recording consisting of material recorded during stage performances using remote recording techniques, commonly contrasted with a studio album...
and three studio
Recording studio
A recording studio is a facility for sound recording and mixing. Ideally both the recording and monitoring spaces are specially designed by an acoustician to achieve optimum acoustic properties...
albums including, Daughter of Time
Daughter of Time
-Personnel:*Mark Clarke - Bass Guitar *Dave "Clem" Clempson - Guitar, Vocal on 3*Chris Farlowe - Vocals *Louis Cennamo - Bass Guitar *Dave Greenslade - Organ, Piano, Vibes, Vocals...
(1970). Later in the next millennium he would appear on two more Colosseum albums. In February 1972 he joined Atomic Rooster
Atomic Rooster
Atomic Rooster were an English progressive rock band, composed of former members of the The Crazy World of Arthur Brown. Throughout their history, keyboardist Vincent Crane was the only constant member, and wrote the majority of their material. Their history is defined by two periods, in the early...
, and is featured on the albums Made in England
Made in England (Atomic Rooster album)
Made in England is the fourth album by British rock band Atomic Rooster. Although previously known for generally having a progressive rock style, this album saw the band moving in more of a funk/soul direction, largely influenced by new singer Chris Farlowe...
(1972) and Nice 'n' Greasy
Nice 'n' Greasy
Nice 'n' Greasy is the fifth studio album by British rock band Atomic Rooster.In the US, the record was issued on Elektra in a different sleeve to most territories and retitled Atomic Rooster IV, as their first album, Atomic Roooster, failed to secure a US release. The US album also had a somewhat...
(1973). He also sang on three tracks from Jimmy Page
Jimmy Page
James Patrick "Jimmy" Page, OBE is an English multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and record producer. He began his career as a studio session guitarist in London and was subsequently a member of The Yardbirds from 1966 to 1968, after which he founded the English rock band Led Zeppelin.Jimmy Page...
's Death Wish II
Death Wish II (album)
1999 Compact disc editionSame track listing and order as the vinyl release.-Album:-Personnel:*Jimmy Page – acoustic guitars, electric guitars, guitar synthesizer, synthesizer, theremin, bass, producer*Gordon Edwards – vocals, electric piano, piano...
soundtrack
Soundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
(1982), as well as the tracks "Hummingbird", "Prison Blues" and "Blues Anthem" on Page's album Outrider
Outrider (album)
Outrider is an album by Jimmy Page, released by Geffen Records on 19 June 1988. It is his first genuine solo album, and the first time since 1969 he recorded with a record label other than Atlantic Records/Swan Song Records. It was recorded at The Sol, Page's personal studio...
(1988).
In 2009, Farlowe toured as a featured artist with Maggie Bell
Maggie Bell
Maggie Bell is a Scottish rock and blues-rock singer, regarded by some as Britain's answer to Janis Joplin.-Career:...
and Bobby Tench
Bobby Tench
Robert Tench , also known as Bob Tench, Bobby Tench and Bobby Gass is a British vocalist and guitarist. Originally a bass player he began singing with Gass influenced by artists such as Sam Cooke and Ray Charles...
as part of the Maximum Rhythm and Blues Tour of thirty two UK theatres.
Albums
- Chris Farlowe and the Thunderbirds (February 1966)
- 14 Things to Think About (June 1966) (UKUK Albums ChartThe UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
#19) - The Art of Chris FarloweThe Art of Chris FarloweThe Art of Chris Farlowe is the third 1966 album by British Singer Chris Farlowe, featuring his band, "The Thunderbirds", but only credited to him....
(November 1966) (UK #37) - Tonite Let's All Make Love In LondonTonite Let's All Make Love in LondonTonite Lets All Make Love in London. is a soundtrack album released on LP in 1968, for the 1967 semi-documentary film made by Peter Whitehead about the "swinging London" scene of the sixties...
(Soundtrack) (July 1968) - The Last Goodbye (August 1969)
- From Here to Mama Rosa (September 1970)
- Chris Farlowe Band Live (November 1975)
- Out of the Blue (July 1985)
- The Live EP: Live in Hamburg (March 1986)
- Born Again (June 1986)
- Chris Farlowe & Roy Herrington Live in Berlin (17/18 October 1991)
- SuperbluesSuperbluesSuperblues is an album by the drummer, Pete York. Recorded live on tour in Germany in 1991, it was not released until 1994.It contains a version of John Lee Hooker's hit "Dimples" which was also the first single released by The Spencer Davis Group in 1964; and a cover of Ashton, Gardner and...
(Recorded live 1991, released 1994) - Waiting in the Wings (May 1992)
- Swinging HollywoodSwinging HollywoodSwinging Hollywood is a 1994 album by drummer Pete York featuring jazz and pop standards and music from film soundtracks.- Track listing :#"When You Wish Upon A Star" #"Lullaby of Broadway"...
(1994) - Lonesome Road (September 1995)
- BBC in Concert (January 1996)
- As Time Go By (October 1996)
- The Voice (April 1998)
- Glory Bound (March 2001)
- Farlowe That! (May 2003)
- Hungary for the BluesHungary for the BluesHungary for the Blues is the third live album by blues singer Chris Farlowe, released in 2006 .This album is a recording of two performances by Farlowe...
(November 2005) - At Rockpalast (October 2006)
- Hotel Eingang (2008)
Singles
Singles & EPs on Immediate RecordsImmediate Records
Immediate Records was a British record label, started in 1965 by The Rolling Stones' manager Andrew Loog Oldham and Tony Calder and concentrating on the London-based blues and R&B scene.-History:...
(1965–70)
- IM016 "The Fool" / "Treat Her Good"
- IM023 "Think" / "Don't Just Look At Me" (UKUK Singles ChartThe UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
#37) - IM035 "Out of Time" / "Baby Make It Soon" (UK #1)
- IM038 "Ride On Baby" / "Headlines" (UK #31)
- IM041 "My Way of Giving" / "You're So Good To Me" (UK #48)
- IM049 "Yesterday's PapersYesterday's PapersYesterday's Papers is a song by The Rolling Stones from their 1967 album, Between the Buttons. It was the opening track on the UK version of that album, and was included on the US version. It is an example of the Stones' interest in psychedelic rock at the time...
" / "Life is But Nothing" - IM056 "Moanin'" / "What Have I Been Doing" (UK #46)
- IM065 "Handbags and GladragsHandbags and Gladrags"Handbags and Gladrags" is the name of a song written in 1967 by Mike d'Abo, who was then the lead singer of Manfred Mann. D'Abo describes the song as "saying to a teenage girl that the way to happiness is not through being trendy. There are deeper values."The original demo tape of the original...
" / "Everyone Makes a Mistake" (UK #33) - IM066 "The Last Goodbye" / "Paperman Fly in the Sky" (B-sideA-side and B-sideA-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
with the Thunderbirds) - IM071 "Paint It Black" / "I Just Need Your Loving"
- IM074 "Dawn" / "April was the Month" (with the Thunderbirds)
- IM078 "Out of Time" / "Ride On Baby"
- IMEP001 "Farlowe in the Midnight Hour" (EPExtended playAn EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
) - IMEP004 "Chris Farlowe Hits" (EP)