Supercharge (band)
Encyclopedia
Supercharge were a 1970s English
rock
band from Liverpool
, founded by singer/saxophonist Albie Donnelly. They had a number three hit single
in Australia
with "You've Gotta Get Up and Dance" in 1977.
, Liverpool), and drummer Dave Irving (born David Geddes Irving, 18 November 1946, Crosby
, Liverpool) after they had both left the 'In Crowd' cabaret band, Supercharge soon built up a Liverpool following at 'The Sportsman', a popular city-centre pub on Sunday and later Monday nights and also at the 'Dove and Olive' at Speke
.
Original members included Donnelly (bandleader, vocalist, and tenor saxophonist), Ozzie Yue
(guitar/vocals) (born Austin J Yue, 1947, Liverpool), Allen 'Gaz' Gaskell (tenor sax, guitar, harmonica, and vocals), Alan Peters (trumpet), Bob Robertson (baritone sax), Pete Newton (bass guitar
), Tony Dunmore (bass) and Dave Irving (drums).
Supercharge also quickly established themselves as a major player on the UK College/University circuit. Their first, locally produced, album, Between Music and Madness, soon followed.
Around 1975, in an attempt to attract a major record label
offer, Supercharge began to gig regularly on the London live circuit at venues like The Hope & Anchor, Nashville Rooms, and the Marquee Club
. As a result, Supercharge were soon signed by Virgin Records
, and with the company's new record producer
, Robert "Mutt" Lange, they had a number three hit in Australia with their 1976 single "You've Gotta Get Up and Dance". Personnel on these recordings also included organist Ian Bradshaw. It was also in Australia that their first album, Local Lads Make Good went gold
- resulting in a number of successful major tours with a version of the band that included Les Karski on guitar.
Meanwhile, back in the UK, although their record sales were disappointing, Supercharge still managed to achieve a reputation as one of the UK's best live bands. This included Supercharge's opening set for Queen
in the mid 1970s at the Hyde Park Festival. However, it was becoming clear to Donnelly that Virgin did not really know what to do with them, and they eventually parted company sometime during the punk era.
Despite their reputation as a killer band live, Richard Branson decided that after 2 albums without major success that he would only offer Donnelly/Karski a continuous deal. The rest of the band became redundant, and ironically months later the 'Local lads' album went gold in Oz.
However, the deed had been done, and Donnelly resorted to taking a scratch band to do the Oz hit tour much to the chagrin of the original guys who had put all the hard studio and roadwork in to get the band where it was.
The next chapter in Supercharge's history was the invasion of Europe, which began at the end of the 1970s-early 1980s. By now the band also featured Andy Parker on vocals and saxophone. Other members (at one time or another) included Mike Snow - trumpet; Dick Hansen - trumpet; John Burke - trumpet Tony Winders - guitar; Phil Loughran - guitar; Tony Judge - piano; Steve Snow - trombone; Paul Ambrosius-bass/vocals; Dave Dover - bass; Kenny Shearer - bass; Dave 'The Frug' Hormbrey - drums; Tony Lunney - drums. Albums during this early period included, Now Jump, and Kingsize.
In late 1983, the Liverpool band Juke (Allen 'Gaz' Gaskell - tenor saxophone, guitar, harmonica, bass, vocals; Mickey Kearns - baritone sax; guitar; vocals; Bob Hardy - bandleader, keyboards, guitar, vocals; Dave Sheppley - guitar, bass, vocals; Paddy Chambers - guitar, vocals; Steve Grant - drums, vocal) struck a deal with Donnelly and his then manager, "Memo" Rhein, to work together for the next twelve months as Supercharge '84. This version of the band was so successful that at the end of 1984, Donnelly and Rhein persuaded them to stay on for a further five months.
During the time that Juke and Donnelly were together they managed to clock up well over 200 gigs. Many of these were for Europe's 'Jet-Set', and included Tina Onassis' wedding (which resulted in the 1984 album Groovers In Paris - which is still Supercharge's top selling Rhythm and Blues album). Gigs also included parties for Gunter Sachs
at the Dracula' Club in St. Moritz
; and a New Year's Eve party in Marbella
for Adnan Khashoggi
.
The next version of Supercharge began performing live in in mid-1985, and moved away from the successful horn driven 'Rhythm and Blues-Maximum Show' format of Supercharge '84, and instead featured material written mainly by guitarist/vocalist Colin Frost and pianist Tony Judge. This version of the band also included bassist Brendan O'Connor.
In 1986/7, guitarist Dave Shepley (who had been a member of Juke and had switched to bass in Supercharge '84) and guitarist/vocalist John "Fat Ted" Lewis, helped Donnelly to once again convert Supercharge into a major player on the late 1980s and early 1990s European Jazz and Rhythm and Blues live-scene.
This powerhouse rhythm and blues version of Supercharge (which at various times included: Andy Parker - vocal and tenor saxophone; Steve Snow - trombone; Dick Hansen - trumpet Tony Peers - trumpet; Paul Latham - trombone; Graham Price - bass; John "Fat Ted" Lewis - guitar and vocal; Roy "The Boy" Herrington - guitar; Dave Sheppley- guitar; Lenni Zaksen
- tenor saxophone; Terry Kennaugh - guitar; Mal Bowers - keyboards; Paul Hetherington - bass; Tony Lunney - drums) quickly began to pick up a number of major tours with artists such as Chuck Berry
and B.B. King, and this soon took the band back to stadiums and bigger concert hall gigs, where they still perform.
Nashville keyboard-player and vocalist Greg Barrett joined in the late 1980s and demonstrated a more soulful side of Supercharge. This version of the band usually included Greg Barrett - keyboards, vocal; Albie Donnelly - tenor saxophone; Paul Owens - baritone saxophone; Dick Hansen - trumpet; Roy "The Boy" Herrington - guitar; Wolfgang "Bolle" Diekmann - bass; Tony Lunney - drums.
Donnelly also began experimenting with smaller outfits around this time, the most popular being Albie Donnelly's Big Three which included Gregory Gaynair on piano and Wolfgang Diekmann on bass.
From 2000 to date, Donnelly is still fronting a R&B band - with a version of Supercharge that now consists mainly of a number of top German R&B musicians, including Juergen Wieching on saxophone, and Mike Rafalczyk on trombone and Wolfgang Diekmann on bass..
Donnelly also featured on a CD, Return Cargo. In addition to Supercharge regulars, the recording also features the original Supercharge drummer, Dave Irving.
Over the years Donnelly has been an official endorser for a number of saxophone companies, including Keilwerth and Yamaha
; he has also provided a great deal of regular work for a number of Liverpool's top musicians.
Since 2010 the band line-up has been Albie Donnelly - alto and tenor saxophones, lead vocals; Roy Herrington - guitar, vocals; Jürgen Wieching - baritone and alto saxophones; Mike Rafalcyk - trombone, harmonica; Sascha Kühn - keyboards; Wolfgang Diekmann - bass; Uwe Petersen - drums.
NB: All Virgin albums were produced by Robert John "Mutt" Lange
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
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...
band from Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, founded by singer/saxophonist Albie Donnelly. They had a number three 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...
in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
with "You've Gotta Get Up and Dance" in 1977.
History
Founded in early 1974, by Liverpool tenor-saxophonist, Albie Donnelly (born Albert Edward Donnelly, 12 August 1947, HuytonHuyton
Huyton is a suburb of Liverpool within the Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley, with some parts belonging to the borough of Liverpool in Merseyside, England. It is part of the Liverpool Urban Area and has close associations with its neighbour, Roby, having both formerly been part of the Huyton with...
, Liverpool), and drummer Dave Irving (born David Geddes Irving, 18 November 1946, Crosby
Crosby, Merseyside
Crosby is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton, in Merseyside, England. Historically part of Lancashire it is situated north of Bootle, south of Southport, Formby and west of Netherton-History:...
, Liverpool) after they had both left the 'In Crowd' cabaret band, Supercharge soon built up a Liverpool following at 'The Sportsman', a popular city-centre pub on Sunday and later Monday nights and also at the 'Dove and Olive' at Speke
Speke
Speke is an area of Liverpool, Merseyside, England, close to the boundaries of the Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley. It is south east of the city centre and to the west of the town of Widnes....
.
Original members included Donnelly (bandleader, vocalist, and tenor saxophonist), Ozzie Yue
Ozzie Yue
Ozzie Yue is an English actor, guitarist and singer. He is most noted for his roles in television programmes such as Father Ted, All Quiet on the Preston Front and Coronation Street as well as for roles in films such as Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, Syriana and Nuns on the Run...
(guitar/vocals) (born Austin J Yue, 1947, Liverpool), Allen 'Gaz' Gaskell (tenor sax, guitar, harmonica, and vocals), Alan Peters (trumpet), Bob Robertson (baritone sax), Pete Newton (bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
), Tony Dunmore (bass) and Dave Irving (drums).
Supercharge also quickly established themselves as a major player on the UK College/University circuit. Their first, locally produced, album, Between Music and Madness, soon followed.
Around 1975, in an attempt to attract a major record 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,...
offer, Supercharge began to gig regularly on the London live circuit at venues like The Hope & Anchor, Nashville Rooms, and the Marquee Club
Marquee Club
The Marquee was a music club first located at 165 Oxford Street, London, England when it opened in 1958 with a range of jazz and skiffle acts.It was also the location of the first ever live performance by The Rolling Stones on 12 July 1962....
. As a result, Supercharge were soon signed by Virgin Records
Virgin Records
Virgin Records is a British record label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, Simon Draper, and Nik Powell in 1972. The company grew to be a worldwide music phenomenon, with platinum performers such as Roy Orbison, Devo, Genesis, Keith Richards, Janet Jackson, Culture Club, Lenny...
, and with the company's new record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
, Robert "Mutt" Lange, they had a number three hit in Australia with their 1976 single "You've Gotta Get Up and Dance". Personnel on these recordings also included organist Ian Bradshaw. It was also in Australia that their first album, Local Lads Make Good went gold
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
- resulting in a number of successful major tours with a version of the band that included Les Karski on guitar.
Meanwhile, back in the UK, although their record sales were disappointing, Supercharge still managed to achieve a reputation as one of the UK's best live bands. This included Supercharge's opening set for Queen
Queen (band)
Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor...
in the mid 1970s at the Hyde Park Festival. However, it was becoming clear to Donnelly that Virgin did not really know what to do with them, and they eventually parted company sometime during the punk era.
Despite their reputation as a killer band live, Richard Branson decided that after 2 albums without major success that he would only offer Donnelly/Karski a continuous deal. The rest of the band became redundant, and ironically months later the 'Local lads' album went gold in Oz.
However, the deed had been done, and Donnelly resorted to taking a scratch band to do the Oz hit tour much to the chagrin of the original guys who had put all the hard studio and roadwork in to get the band where it was.
The next chapter in Supercharge's history was the invasion of Europe, which began at the end of the 1970s-early 1980s. By now the band also featured Andy Parker on vocals and saxophone. Other members (at one time or another) included Mike Snow - trumpet; Dick Hansen - trumpet; John Burke - trumpet Tony Winders - guitar; Phil Loughran - guitar; Tony Judge - piano; Steve Snow - trombone; Paul Ambrosius-bass/vocals; Dave Dover - bass; Kenny Shearer - bass; Dave 'The Frug' Hormbrey - drums; Tony Lunney - drums. Albums during this early period included, Now Jump, and Kingsize.
In late 1983, the Liverpool band Juke (Allen 'Gaz' Gaskell - tenor saxophone, guitar, harmonica, bass, vocals; Mickey Kearns - baritone sax; guitar; vocals; Bob Hardy - bandleader, keyboards, guitar, vocals; Dave Sheppley - guitar, bass, vocals; Paddy Chambers - guitar, vocals; Steve Grant - drums, vocal) struck a deal with Donnelly and his then manager, "Memo" Rhein, to work together for the next twelve months as Supercharge '84. This version of the band was so successful that at the end of 1984, Donnelly and Rhein persuaded them to stay on for a further five months.
During the time that Juke and Donnelly were together they managed to clock up well over 200 gigs. Many of these were for Europe's 'Jet-Set', and included Tina Onassis' wedding (which resulted in the 1984 album Groovers In Paris - which is still Supercharge's top selling Rhythm and Blues album). Gigs also included parties for Gunter Sachs
Gunter Sachs
Fritz Gunter Sachs was a German photographer, author, industrialist, and latterly head of an institute that researched claims of astrology. As a young man he became a sportsman, then gained international fame as a documentary film-maker and documentary photographer...
at the Dracula' Club in St. Moritz
St. Moritz
St. Moritz is a resort town in the Engadine valley in Switzerland. It is a municipality in the district of Maloja in the Swiss canton of Graubünden...
; and a New Year's Eve party in Marbella
Marbella
Marbella is a town in Andalusia, Spain. It is situated on the Mediterranean Sea, in the province of Málaga, beneath the La Concha mountain. In 2000 the city had 98,823 inhabitants, in 2004, 116,234, in 2010 approximately 135,000....
for Adnan Khashoggi
Adnan Khashoggi
Adnan Khashoggi is a Saudi Arabian arms-dealer and businessman. He is also noted for his engagements with high society in both the Occident and Arabic-speaking worlds, and for his involvement in the Iran–Contra and Lockheed bribery scandals, and numerous other affairs...
.
The next version of Supercharge began performing live in in mid-1985, and moved away from the successful horn driven 'Rhythm and Blues-Maximum Show' format of Supercharge '84, and instead featured material written mainly by guitarist/vocalist Colin Frost and pianist Tony Judge. This version of the band also included bassist Brendan O'Connor.
In 1986/7, guitarist Dave Shepley (who had been a member of Juke and had switched to bass in Supercharge '84) and guitarist/vocalist John "Fat Ted" Lewis, helped Donnelly to once again convert Supercharge into a major player on the late 1980s and early 1990s European Jazz and Rhythm and Blues live-scene.
This powerhouse rhythm and blues version of Supercharge (which at various times included: Andy Parker - vocal and tenor saxophone; Steve Snow - trombone; Dick Hansen - trumpet Tony Peers - trumpet; Paul Latham - trombone; Graham Price - bass; John "Fat Ted" Lewis - guitar and vocal; Roy "The Boy" Herrington - guitar; Dave Sheppley- guitar; Lenni Zaksen
Lenni Zaksen
Lenni Zaksen is an English saxophonist, keyboards player and percussionist.Zaksen was born in Stalybridge, Cheshire, England...
- tenor saxophone; Terry Kennaugh - guitar; Mal Bowers - keyboards; Paul Hetherington - bass; Tony Lunney - drums) quickly began to pick up a number of major tours with artists such as Chuck Berry
Chuck Berry
Charles Edward Anderson "Chuck" Berry is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter, and one of the pioneers of rock and roll music. With songs such as "Maybellene" , "Roll Over Beethoven" , "Rock and Roll Music" and "Johnny B...
and B.B. King, and this soon took the band back to stadiums and bigger concert hall gigs, where they still perform.
Nashville keyboard-player and vocalist Greg Barrett joined in the late 1980s and demonstrated a more soulful side of Supercharge. This version of the band usually included Greg Barrett - keyboards, vocal; Albie Donnelly - tenor saxophone; Paul Owens - baritone saxophone; Dick Hansen - trumpet; Roy "The Boy" Herrington - guitar; Wolfgang "Bolle" Diekmann - bass; Tony Lunney - drums.
Donnelly also began experimenting with smaller outfits around this time, the most popular being Albie Donnelly's Big Three which included Gregory Gaynair on piano and Wolfgang Diekmann on bass.
From 2000 to date, Donnelly is still fronting a R&B band - with a version of Supercharge that now consists mainly of a number of top German R&B musicians, including Juergen Wieching on saxophone, and Mike Rafalczyk on trombone and Wolfgang Diekmann on bass..
Donnelly also featured on a CD, Return Cargo. In addition to Supercharge regulars, the recording also features the original Supercharge drummer, Dave Irving.
Over the years Donnelly has been an official endorser for a number of saxophone companies, including Keilwerth and Yamaha
Yamaha
Yamaha may refer to:* Yamaha Corporation, a Japanese company with a wide range of products and services** Yamaha Motor Company, a Japanese motorized vehicle-producing company...
; he has also provided a great deal of regular work for a number of Liverpool's top musicians.
Since 2010 the band line-up has been Albie Donnelly - alto and tenor saxophones, lead vocals; Roy Herrington - guitar, vocals; Jürgen Wieching - baritone and alto saxophones; Mike Rafalcyk - trombone, harmonica; Sascha Kühn - keyboards; Wolfgang Diekmann - bass; Uwe Petersen - drums.
Albums
- Between Music And Madness, (Stag, 1974)
- Local Lads Make Good, (Virgin PZ34293, 1976) #10 AUS
- Horizontal Refreshment, (Virgin PZ34429, 1977) #77 AUS
- I think I'm Gonna Fall (In Love) #50 AUS
- Body Rhythm, (Virgin 12118, 1979)
- Now Jump, (Criminal Records/Intercord, 1979)
- The Best Of Supercharge, (Virgin, 1983)
- Groovers In Paris - Live At Tina Onassis' Wedding At Maxim's Paris, (Memo Music, 1984)
- King Size, (Criminal Records/Intercord)
- Update - Live In Munich, (Memo Music, 1986)
- Bad, Mad & Dangerous (Memo Music, 1987)
- Take That, (Audiostax, 1988)
- Full Power, (Rockport, 1990)
- Live At The Schlachthof, (Filou, 1992)
- Live & Loaded, (suum cuique, 2001)
- New, (CD JJCD005, 2002)
- 2CD Big Blow (recorded in the 1990s), (MeMe Records, 2005)
NB: All Virgin albums were produced by Robert John "Mutt" Lange
Singles
- "(You've Gotta) Get Up and Dance" (1977, #3 AUS) from the album Local Lads Make Good
- "I Think I'm Gonna Fall (In Love)" #13 AUS
- "I Can See Right Through You" / "Version 2" (Virgin VS243, 1979)
- "Cool Jerk" / "Red Dress" (Criminal SWAG 11) (1979)