Johnny Kidd & The Pirates were a British
rock and rollRock and roll is a genre of popular music that evolved in the United States after World War II in the late 1940s, from a combination of the rhythms of the blues, from the African American culture, and from America's country music and gospel music scenes...
group led by singer/songwriter Johnny Kidd (real name
Frederick HeathFrederick Heath best known as Johnny Kidd, was an English singer and songwriter, who was the front man for the rock band, Johnny Kidd and the Pirates. He was one of the pre-Beatles British rock and rollers to achieve worldwide fame....
).
They scored a few hit songs from the late 1950s to the late 1960s, and are remembered for appearing onstage in pirate costumes, complete with eye-patches. Though sometimes dismissed as a
novelty actA novelty song is a comical or nonsensical song, performed principally for its comical effect. Humorous songs, or those containing humorous elements, are not necessarily novelty songs. The term arose in Tin Pan Alley to describe one of the major divisions of popular music. The other two divisions...
because of this gimmick, critic Bruce Eder describes the band as "underrated."
Early days
The original group was signed to
HMVHis Master's Voice is a famous trademark in the music business, and for many years was the name of a large record label. The name was coined in 1899 as the title of a painting of the dog Nipper listening to a wind-up gramophone...
in 1959 under the auspices of Walter J. Ridley. Their first single was the raw "Please Don't Touch". This became a minor hit reaching number 25 on the UK singles charts in 1959. The song has since been covered many times, most successfully by the team of
MotörheadMotörhead are a British rock band formed in 1975 by bassist, singer and songwriter Lemmy, who has remained the sole constant member. The band was part of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, which re-energized heavy metal in the late '70s and early '80s. Usually a power trio, Motörhead had...
and
GirlschoolGirlschool are a long-running British all-female heavy metal band originating out of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal scene.Though enjoying little commercial success beyond the early 1980s, they maintain a worldwide cult following and were inspirational for many succeeding female...
known as
HeadgirlHeadgirl was a collaboration between Motörhead and Girlschool in 1980, the result being the St. Valentine's Day Massacre EP.The collaboration between Motörhead and Girlschool started in March, 1979, when Motörhead began their first big tour with Overkill and Girlschool were their opening act...
.
After this initial success the band was reorganised to streamline the sound and visual appeal. Kidd would naturally take centre-stage at the front, but with
Clem CattiniClem Cattini was the drummer for the 1960s English band, The Tornados as well as being a session musician. Cattini is one of the most prolific drummers in UK recording history, appearing on hundreds of recordings by artists as diverse as Engelbert Humperdinck and Lou Reed...
(
drumsA drum set is a collection of drums, cymbals and sometimes other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person . The term "drum kit" first became used in the 1700s in Britain...
) directly behind. Flanking Kidd on either side would be
Alan CaddyAlan Caddy was a guitarist, arranger, record producer and session musician.He was born in Chelsea, London and educated at Emanuel School, and the Royal Academy of Music...
(
guitarThe guitar is a musical instrument with ancient roots that adapts readily to a wide variety of musical styles. It typically has six strings, but four-, seven-, eight-, ten-, eleven-, twelve-, thirteen- and eighteen-string guitars also exist. The size and shape of the neck and the base of the guitar...
) and Brian Gregg (born 31 January 1939, in
London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
) (
bassThe electric bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a plectrum....
); and Kidd would high-kick in time to the beat. In an attempt to re-create the feel of his recordings Kidd employed the use of an echo unit on his vocals, one of the first
UKThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
rock acts to attempt this on stage.
Shakin' All Over
Kidd and the Pirates' finest moment might have been the powerful song "
Shakin' All Over"Shakin' All Over" is a rock and roll song originally performed by Johnny Kidd and the Pirates. It was written by frontman Johnny Kidd and reached #1 in the United Kingdom in August 1960. Musicians were: Johnny Kidd , Alan Caddy , Brian Gregg , Clem Cattini , Joe Moretti .The original recording...
", which features memorable opening guitars and solo from Joe Moretti, (who also featured on the follow up "Restless"), and reached number one in the UK singles charts in 1960. The song and the group's proto-
power trioA power trio is a rock and roll band format popularized in the 1960s. The traditional power trio has a lineup of guitar, bass and drums, leaving out the rhythm guitar or keyboard that are used in other rock music to fill out the sound with chords...
line-up both made a strong impression on
The WhoThe Who are an English rock band formed in 1964. The primary lineup consisted of guitarist Pete Townshend, vocalist Roger Daltrey, bassist John Entwistle, and drummer Keith Moon. They became known for energetic live performances including the pioneering spectacle of instrument destruction...
, who would cover it in their 1970 album
Live at LeedsLive at Leeds is The Who's first live album, and is their only live album that was released while the group was still recording and performing regularly. Initially released in the United States on 16 May 1970, by Decca and MCA and the United Kingdom on 23 May 1970, by Track and Polydor, the album...
, whose CD liner notes proclaim the original to be the UK's best pre-Beatles rock single. Music critics Roy Carr and Tony Tyler would later write that "Shakin' All Over" was the second-ever genuine British rock classic, following
Cliff RichardSir Cliff Richard OBE is a British singer-songwriter and entrepreneur.With his backing group The Shadows, Richard dominated the British popular music scene in the late 1950s and early 1960s, before and during The Beatles' first year in the charts...
's "Move It".
The distinctive 'Shakin' effect on the track, was created by Joe Moretti sliding Brian Gregg's cigarette lighter very fast up and down the guitar strings.
Despite some interesting cuts the hits tailed away in the shadow of "Shakin'". The
swansongSwansong is the final studio album by the British melodic death metal band Carcass. It was released on June 10, 1996 in the UK for Earache Records. This album was intended to be their major label debut, having been signed by Columbia records following the success of Heartwork, but disputes with...
recording of this line-up in 1961, the b-side of "Please Don't Let Me Down" turned out to be a minor UK rock 'n' roll classic. The follow-up "So What" featured a racy
pianoThe piano is a musical instrument which is played by means of a keyboard. Widely used in Western music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music, and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
solo from Thunderclap Jones. Some of The Pirates, namely (
Clem CattiniClem Cattini was the drummer for the 1960s English band, The Tornados as well as being a session musician. Cattini is one of the most prolific drummers in UK recording history, appearing on hundreds of recordings by artists as diverse as Engelbert Humperdinck and Lou Reed...
, Alan Caddy and later Brian Gregg) decided to jump ship, and went on to join
Joe MeekJoe Meek was a pioneering English record producer and songwriter...
's
The TornadosThe Tornados were an English instrumental group of the 1960s which acted as in-house backing group for many of record producer Joe Meek's productions.-Career:...
. Kidd cut a "solo" single backed by a bigger band sound. "Hurry On Back To Love" was more bluesy than anything Kidd had previously attempted and indicated a possible new path for him.
A new Pirate trio was recruited, Johnny Spence (bass) (born John Spencer Holliday, 26 January 1942, in
BirminghamBirmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands county of England. Birmingham is the second-most populous British city, with a population of 1,006,500 ....
,
WarwickshireWarwickshire is a landlocked non-metropolitan county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, although the largest town is Nuneaton in the far north of the county. The shape of the administrative area Warwickshire differs considerably from that of the historic county...
), Frank Farley (drums) (born Frank William Farley, 18 February 1942, in
BelgaumBelgaum Belgaum Belgaum (Kannada: ಬೆಳಗಾವಿ Belagavi is a city and a municipal corporation in Belgaum district in the state of Karnataka, India.It is the Fourth largest city of the Karnataka state behind Bangalore ,Mangalore and Mysore....
,
IndiaIndia, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the west, and the Bay of Bengal...
) and Johnny Patto (guitar), whom had recently backed Cuddly Dudley. Patto soon left and was replaced by
Mick GreenMick Green is an English rock and roll guitarist.-Career:He began his career playing with Johnny Kidd & The Pirates in the early 1960s, then joined...
(guitar), who had also backed Dudley. The new line-up's first single with Kidd, "A Shot Of Rhythm And Blues" (coupled with "I Can Tell") was way ahead of the game, but only managed to enter the lower reaches of the charts toward the end of 1962.
Over time, a very visual show had developed. The group would deck out in 19th century Pirate costume in front of a huge backcloth of a pirate galleon, Kidd toying with a
cutlassA cutlass is a short, broad sabre or slashing sword, with a straight or slightly curved blade sharpened on the cutting edge, and a hilt often featuring a solid cupped or basket shaped guard.-History and Use:...
to great effect. Many a wooden stage received scarring from this prop until insurance cover could not be obtained for it. The group's
GermanGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium,...
tours tightened their sound, as it did with many Liverpool combos who also made the trip. A projected single in keeping with the new sound, "Some Other Guy" was left unreleased in early 1963, allowing
The Big ThreeThe Big Three were a Merseybeat group from Liverpool. They are best known for their 1963 recording of "Some Other Guy".-Career:They evolved from a group called Cass & The Cassanovas which were formed in the late 1950s by Brian Casser...
to score their first chart entry.
The explosive rise of the 'beat groups' outshone the slow-burning R&B scene, and Kidd opted for the safety of Merseybeat with "I'll Never Get Over You", which reached number 4 on the charts in the summer of 1963. The recording session for the follow-up, "Hungry For Love", which also broke into the top twenty saw the Pirates record their own
singleIn music, a single is a short recording of one or more separate tracks. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats.-History:...
. Both sides "My Babe", and "I Can Tell", were powerhouse R&B that put many of the Liverpool bands in the shade, with both tracks being recorded in one take. Green left to join Billy J. Kramer & The Dakotas in 1964, and was replaced by
John WeiderJohn Weider is a rock musician who is equally proficient on guitar, bass, and violin. He is best known as the bass player for the British band, Family from 1969 to 1971.-Early years:...
. They also added organist Vic Cooper (born Victor Cooper, 13 December 1942, in
OxfordOxford is a city, and the county town of Oxfordshire, in South East England. The city has a population of just under 165,000, with 151,000 living within the district boundary. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through Oxford and meet south of the city centre...
,
OxfordshireOxfordshire is a county in the South East England region, bordering on Northamptonshire, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, Wiltshire, Gloucestershire, and Warwickshire....
).
The later days
The hits again tailed away and the long-awaited debut album, featuring the expanded line-up with Vic Cooper on organ/piano duties, was never mastered for release. One step behind
The BeatlesThe Beatles were an English rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960 who became one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed bands in the history of popular music...
and losing ground, Kidd abandoned dual-tracking his voice and switched back to R&B, with mixed results. Green left to join
Billy J. KramerBilly J. Kramer is a former British Invasion/Merseybeat singer. In sharing Brian Epstein as a manager with The Beatles he enjoyed access to the songwriting of Lennon and McCartney, recording several of their original compositions.-Early life and career:He grew up as the youngest of seven siblings...
with
The DakotasThe Dakotas is a group of British musicians, which initially convened as a backing band in Manchester, England. However, they are most closely associated with the singer Billy J. Kramer, a Liverpudlian who was the lead vocalist for the group during the 1960s...
to form a twin lead guitar line-up, alongside Mike Maxfield. Eventually the group and singer parted company. The Pirates recorded one single, "Shades Of Blue" for
PolydorPolydor Records is a record label currently headquartered in the UK, and is a subsidiary of Universal Music Group.-Beginnings:Polydor was originally an independent branch of the Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft. Its name was first used, as an export label, in 1924, the British and German branches...
before calling it a day.
Kidd kept recording. His single "It's Got To Be You", and an unreleased version of
Otis ReddingOtis Ray Redding, Jr. was an American soul singer. Often called the "King of Soul", he is renowned for an ability to convey strong emotion through his voice...
's "Can't Turn You Loose", showed that a mix of
R&BRhythm and blues is the name given to a wide-ranging genre of popular music created by African Americans in the late 1940s and early 1950s...
and
soulSoul 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...
may have been where Kidd's future lay.
With Kidd on the verge of a comeback with a promising 'New Pirates' group - Mick Stewart (Guitar),
Nick SimperNicholas John Simper is a bass guitarist, best known as a founding member of Deep Purple.-Biography:...
(bass), Ray Soaper (organ) and Roger Truth (Drums), his luck ran out. On returning from a cancelled gig, Nick Simper was injured and Johnny Kidd was killed in a motor car accident in Lancashire on 7 October 1966.
The single "Send For That Girl" was released posthumously in November but failed to chart. This line-up of The Pirates (with John Kerrison replacing Truth) carried on in tribute until mid 1967, although there were no further recordings.
Post Kidd
The best-known line-up of The Pirates,
Mick GreenMick Green is an English rock and roll guitarist.-Career:He began his career playing with Johnny Kidd & The Pirates in the early 1960s, then joined...
, Johnny Spence and Frank Farley, reformed in 1976, surprising everyone with their powerful brand of R&B. They played at 'Front Row Festival', a three-week event at the
Hope and Anchor, IslingtonThe Hope and Anchor is a public house on Upper Street, in the London Borough of Islington. During the mid-1970s it was one of the first pubs to embrace the emergent, but brief, phenomenon of pub rock...
in late November and early December 1977. This resulted in the band's inclusion, alongside the likes of
Wilko JohnsonWilko Johnson is a English guitarist and songwriter, particularly associated with the 1970s UK rhythm and blues band, Dr. Feelgood.-Career:...
,
The Only OnesThe Only Ones are an English rock and roll band. They were initially active in the late 1970s and were associated with punk rock, yet straddled the musical territory in between punk, power pop and hard rock, with noticeable influences from psychedelia. The band reformed in 2007 after the band's...
,
the SaintsThe Saints are an Australian rock band, formed in Brisbane in 1974. They are considered to be one of the first and most influential punk groups. By 1975, contemporaneous with the Ramones, The Saints were employing the fast tempos, raucous vocals and "buzzsaw" guitar that characterised early punk rock...
,
The StranglersThe Stranglers are an English rock music group.Scoring some 23 UK top 40 singles and 17 UK top 40 albums to date in a career spanning four decades, the Stranglers are the longest-surviving and most continuously successful band to have originated in the UK punk scene of the mid to late 1970s...
,
X-Ray SpexX-Ray Spex are an English punk band from London that formed in 1976.During their first incarnation , X-Ray Spex were “deliberate underachievers” and only managed to release five singles plus one album...
, and
XTCXTC were a New Wave/Alternative rock band from Swindon, England, active between 1976 and 2005. Though the band enjoyed some significant chart success, including the UK hits "Making Plans For Nigel" and "Senses Working Overtime" , they are better known for their long-standing critical success than...
, on a hit
double albumA double album is an audio album which spans two units of the primary medium in which it is sold . A double album is typically, though not always, released because the recording is longer than the capacity of the medium...
of recordings from the
festivalA music festival is a festival oriented towards music that is sometimes presented with a theme such as musical genre, nationality or locality of musicians, or holiday. They are commonly held outdoors, and are often inclusive of other attractions such as food and merchandise vending machines,...
. The
Hope & Anchor Front Row FestivalHope & Anchor Front Row Festival is a hit double-LP of live recordings taken from various bands – mainly Power pop, Pub rock, Punk, and New wave groups - that played the Front Row Festival at Hope and Anchor, Islington between Tuesday 22 November and Thursday 15 December 1977...
compilation LP (March 1978) reached number 28 in the
UK Albums ChartThe UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled by The Official UK Charts Company and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website ; the full Top 200 is published exclusively in ChartsPlus.To qualify for the UK albums...
.
Although officially quitting in the mid 1980s the band still perform occasionally today, although due to ill-health Frank Farley was sometimes deputised for and has now been replaced by Mike Roberts (former drummer for indie band Minifish). They have also recorded a number of reunion albums since 1978's well-received
Out of Our Skulls and still perform "Shakin' All Over" in their set.
Another set of Pirates - with Joe Moretti (guitar), and re-uniting original Pirates, Brian Gregg (bass) and Clem Cattini (drums) have also started playing occasional gigs in recent years. A little-known fact is that Joe Moretti actually played on "Shakin' All Over" and it's follow-up "Restless", and went on to play on countless hit records as a
session musicianSession musicians are instrumental performers or vocalists who are available for hire for live performances or recording sessions, as opposed to musicians who are either permanent members of a musical ensemble or who have acquired fame in their own right as bandleaders...
, including "
It's Not Unusual"It's Not Unusual" is a song recorded by Tom Jones and written by Les Reed and Gordon Mills. It was the second Decca-single Jones released, and reached number one in the UK charts in 1965. It was also the first hit for Jones in the US, peaking at #10 in May of that year. The single was released in...
", "
Don't Sleep in the Subway"Don't Sleep in the Subway" was a 1967 song written by Tony Hatch and Jackie Trent and recorded by Petula Clark. In it, the narrator advises her sweetheart against storming out after an argument due to his over-active ego...
" etc. However in this Pirates line-up it is Joe Moretti's son - also called Joe Moretti - on guitar.
Legacy
The
b-sideA-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of 7 inch vinyl 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...
to Johnny Kidd & The Pirates' 1964 single "Always and Ever" was a cover of "Dr Feel-Good", by the
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
bluesBlues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre created within the African-American communities in 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...
pianist and singer
Willie PerrymanWilliam "Willie" Lee Perryman , who was usually known professionally as Piano Red and later in life as Dr. Feelgood, was an American blues musician, the first to hit the pop music charts. He was a self-taught pianist who played in the barrelhouse blues style...
(also known as "Piano Red") who recorded the song as "Dr Feelgood & The Interns". The name of the song is
slangSlang is the use of highly informal words and expressions that are not considered standard in the speaker's dialect or language. It is often used as a way to say words that are not appropriate, and is not often found in the standard dictionary for the language...
for
heroinHeroin, or diacetylmorphine , also known as diamorphine , is a semi-synthetic opioid drug synthesized from morphine, a derivative of the opium poppy. It is the 3,6-diacetyl ester of morphine...
. The band
Dr. FeelgoodDr. Feelgood are a British pub rock band formed in mid 1971. The name of the band, Dr. Feelgood, is slang for heroin, or for doctors who are prepared to overprescribe drugs. In 1962 the name was originally adopted by the American blues pianist and singer Willie Perryman who recorded his song "Dr...
took their name from the Johnny Kidd & The Pirates recording.
Singles
- "Please Don't Touch
Please Don't Touch is the debut single by English rock and roll group Johnny Kidd & The Pirates, released in 1959 reaching number 25 on the UK singles charts.-Personnel:*Johnny Kidd – vocals*Mike West, Tom Brown – backing vocals*Alan Caddy – lead guitar...
"/"Growl" (May 1959)
- "If You Were the Only Girl in the World"/"Feelin'" (1959)
- "You Got What It Takes"/"Longin' Lips" (1960)
- "Shakin' All Over
"Shakin' All Over" is a rock and roll song originally performed by Johnny Kidd and the Pirates. It was written by frontman Johnny Kidd and reached #1 in the United Kingdom in August 1960. Musicians were: Johnny Kidd , Alan Caddy , Brian Gregg , Clem Cattini , Joe Moretti .The original recording...
"/"Yes Sir, That's My Baby" (June 1960)
- "Restless"/"Magic of Love" (September 1960)
- "Linda Lu"/"Let's Talk About Us" (March 1961)
- "Please Don't Bring Me Down"/"So What" (September 1961)
- "Hurry On Back To Love"/"I Want That" (January 1962)
- "A Shot of Rhythm and Blues
"A Shot of Rhythm and Blues" is a song written by Terry Thompson and first recorded by US soul singer Arthur Alexander. It was originally released in the USA in 1961, and in the United Kingdom the following year, as the b-side of You Better Move On....
" b/w "I Can Tell" (November 1962)
- "I'll Never Get Over You"/"Then I Got Everything" (June 1963)
- "Hungry For Love"/"Ecstasy" (November 1963)
- "Always and Ever"/"Dr. Feelgood" (April 1964)
- "Jealous Girl"/"Shop Around" (June 1964)
- "Whole Lotta Woman"/"Your Cheatin' Heart" (October 1964)
- "The Birds and the Bees"/"Don't Make the Same Mistake I Did" (February 1965)
- "Shakin' All Over '65"/"I Gotta Travel On" (May 1965)
- "It's Gotta Be You"/"I Hate To Get Up In The Morning" (April 1966)
- "The Fool"/"Send For That Girl" (posthumously) (November 1966)
External links