The Quireboys are an
EnglishEngland 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...
hard rockHard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
band formed in 1984 in London, England, with strong ties to
NewcastleNewcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...
. When the band formed they were originally known as
The Queerboys and later as the
London Quireboys in the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
The band were successful during the late 1980s and early 1990s, with their debut album
A Bit of What You FancyA Bit of What You Fancy is rock band The Quireboys's debut studio album, released in 1990. The album was released on EMI and went into the UK Albums Chart at #2....
reaching #2 on the UK charts. Their highest charting single for the band was with the song "Hey You", which reached #14.
In 1993, the Quireboys broke up but briefly reformed live in 1995 with different members. A more permanent reformation came in 2001 when frontman
SpikeSpike sometimes also known as Spike Gray, is an English rock frontman, songwriter and vocalist most famous for his times with The Quireboys with whom he has released four studio albums to date....
, guitarist Guy Griffin and bassist Nigel Mogg put together a new line-up. The band is still active, recording new material and playing live.
History
A vocalist named
Jonathan GraySpike sometimes also known as Spike Gray, is an English rock frontman, songwriter and vocalist most famous for his times with The Quireboys with whom he has released four studio albums to date....
(commonly referred to as just "Spike") moved from
Newcastle upon TyneNewcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...
to London when he was just 17 years old. Spike met
guitaristA guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
Guy Bailey in a bar, through his older sister Julie, the two moved in together as flat mates, but did not even discuss playing music until a year later when a friend brought a guitar round and they began playing
Chuck BerryCharles 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...
songs.
By the mid 1980s the two decided to form a rock and roll band, the name chosen for the group was originally
The ChoirboysThe Choirboys may refer to:*Choirboy, a boy member of a choir, also known as a treble*The Choirboys , a 1975 novel by Joseph Wambaugh*The Choirboys , a 1977 film adaptation of the novel starring Perry King...
taken from the 1977 movie of the same name, but they soon changed it to the Queerboys. Gray and Bailey were joined by bassist Nigel Mogg (nephew of
UFOUFO are an English heavy metal and hard rock band, who were formed in 1969. UFO became a transitional group between early hard rock and heavy metal and the New Wave of British Heavy Metal...
's
Phil MoggPhillip John 'Phil' Mogg is a vocalist for the band UFO, which he formed with longtime friends Pete Way and Andy Parker. Mogg wrote the majority of the band's lyrics, with the music being written by Way, Schenker, and later, Raymond, but Schenker left to launch his solo career in 1979...
), Chris Johnstone on
pianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
and Paul Hornby, who had previously played drums with The
Dogs D'AmourThe Dogs D'Amour were a rock and roll band formed in 1983 in London, England. Over the years the band has had various line-ups, the only constant being vocalist Tyla....
and with
Pete BurnsPete Burns is an English singer-songwriter, author and television personality who founded the band Dead or Alive in 1980, for which he acted as the vocalist and songwriter, and which rose to mainstream success with their 1985 single "You Spin Me Round "...
in the
LiverpoolLiverpool 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...
group Nightmares in Wax.
The Queerboys started to build up a following, playing at the
Marquee ClubThe 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....
. The band's drummer Paul Hornby soon left to form
Dogs D'AmourThe Dogs D'Amour were a rock and roll band formed in 1983 in London, England. Over the years the band has had various line-ups, the only constant being vocalist Tyla....
, which contained future friends of the Queerboys, he was replaced by Nick Connell (known as Cozy). Connell, Bailey, Johnstone and Mark Sweetmore were old friends, having grown up together and attended Alleynes School in Stone, Staffordshire in the 1970s.
On 28 March 1986 The Queerboys appeared with Bernie Torme, and The Moho Pack at what was Klub Foot at the Clarendon Hotel Hammersmith.
By 1987 the band's controversial name was starting to hinder them, it caused some of the gigs on their tour with
Andy McCoyAntti Hulkko , better known as Andy McCoy, is a Finnish musician. He is most famous for his role as the lead guitarist and main songwriter of Hanoi Rocks, but has also played with Iggy Pop....
's band to be cancelled. They were also booked to play Reading Festival on the understanding that they would change their name.
Thus they changed it to the Quireboys and have kept the name ever since. They released two singles via Survival Records, entitled "Mayfair" and "There She Goes Again". Another musician from Newcastle was brought in on rhythm guitar, and
GingerGinger is a rock guitarist, singer and songwriter, best known for his band The Wildhearts.-Early career:...
made his performing debut at the Hammersmith Odeon where the band were supporting
Guns N' RosesGuns N' Roses is an American hard rock band, formed in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, in 1985. The band has released six studio albums, three EPs, and one live album...
. At the end of 1989, the band released the single "7 O'Clock", which entered the Top 40 of the
UK 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 ...
.
Sharon OsbourneSharon Rachel Osbourne is an English television host, author, music manager, businesswoman and promoter as well as the wife of heavy metal singer-songwriter Ozzy Osbourne....
was appointed as manager and The Quireboys were signed to
EMIThe EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
for the release of their debut album,
A Bit of What You FancyA Bit of What You Fancy is rock band The Quireboys's debut studio album, released in 1990. The album was released on EMI and went into the UK Albums Chart at #2....
. By 1990, the Quireboys had fired Ginger (who went on to form
The WildheartsThe Wildhearts are a British rock group originally formed in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. The band's sound is a mixture of hard rock and melodic pop music, often described in the music press as combining influences as diverse as The Beatles and 1980s-era Metallica...
), who they replaced with former Cradle Snatchers guitarist Guy Griffin. For the debut album Cozy was substituted by
Ian WallaceIan Wallace is the name of:*D. Ian M. Wallace, ornithologist*Ian Wallace , science fiction author*Ian Wallace , pioneer of Vancouver's conceptual art movement...
who played with
Bob DylanBob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
.
The debut album was produced by a school friend of the band's Andrew Witham and entered 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 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...
at #2.
A Bit of What You Fancy drew positive reviews and was compared favourably to British rock names such as
Rod StewartRoderick David "Rod" Stewart, CBE is a British singer-songwriter and musician, born and raised in North London, England and currently residing in Epping. He is of Scottish and English ancestry....
and The
FacesFaces are an English rock band formed in 1969 by members of the Small Faces after Steve Marriott left that group to form Humble Pie...
. The album was
producedA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
by Stewart's musical director and guitarist
Jim CreganJim Cregan, born James Cregan, 9 March 1946, Yeovil, Somerset, England is an English rock guitarist and bassist who best known for his associations with Family, Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel and Rod Stewart. Cregan is a former husband of the singer Linda Lewis and worked with her as a record producer...
.
In support of the debut, the Quireboys toured for the next year. They played with a variety of bands in different settings in the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, including
L.A. GunsL.A. Guns is the name of a hard rock group formed in Los Angeles, California, of which two rival incarnations currently exist due to numerous line-up changes. The first incarnation of the group was formed, by Tracii Guns, in 1983 but disbanded in 1985 following its merger with fellow Los Angeles...
,
SoundgardenSoundgarden is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington in 1984 by singer Chris Cornell, lead guitarist Kim Thayil, and bassist Hiro Yamamoto...
,
The CrampsThe Cramps were an American rock band, formed in 1976 and active until 2009. The band split after the death of lead singer Lux Interior. Their line-up rotated much over their existence, with the husband and wife duo of Interior and lead guitarist Poison Ivy the only permanent members...
and
Iggy PopIggy Pop is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Though considered an innovator of punk rock, Pop's music has encompassed a number of styles over the years, including pop, metal, jazz and blues...
. After the tour, they also played some gigs in the United Kingdom; in Spike's hometown of Newcastle were they supported
The Rolling StonesThe Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
at
St James' ParkSt James' Park, known for sponsorship reasons as the Sports Direct Arena, is an all-seater stadium in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It is the home of Newcastle United Football Club and is the sixth largest football stadium in the United Kingdom with a capacity of between 52,387 and 52,409.St James'...
. Two months after the Stones show, they played in front of 72,000 people at
Monsters of RockMonsters of Rock was an annual music festival held in England, then moved in other locations like The Netherlands, France, Italy, Germany, Canada, Brazil, Argentina, Chile.The Last show was in 2008....
at Donington with
WhitesnakeWhitesnake are an English rock band, founded in 1978 by David Coverdale after his departure from his previous band, Deep Purple. The band's early material has been compared by critics to Deep Purple, but by the mid 1980s they had moved to a more commercial hard rock style...
,
AerosmithAerosmith is an American rock band, sometimes referred to as "The Bad Boys from Boston" and "America's Greatest Rock and Roll Band". Their style, which is rooted in blues-based hard rock, has come to also incorporate elements of pop, heavy metal, and rhythm and blues, and has inspired many...
and
PoisonPoison is an American glam metal band that achieved great success in the mid-1980s to mid-1990s. To date, Poison has sold over 30 million records worldwide and have sold 15 million records in the United States alone. The band has also charted ten singles to the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100,...
.
The long touring schedule was finished off with a gig in
JapanJapan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
at the
Tokyo DomeTokyo Dome is a 55,000-seat baseball stadium located in Bunkyo Ward of Tokyo, Japan.The stadium opened for business on March 17, 1988. It was built on the site of the Velodrome which was next door to the site of the predecessor ballpark, Kōrakuen Stadium...
on New Years Eve in front of 50,000 people. A
live albumA live album is a recording consisting of material recorded during stage performances using remote recording techniques, commonly contrasted with a studio album...
was released following this long touring, entitled
Recorded Around the World.
With a new drummer, Rudy Richman, they began working on the follow-up,
Bitter Sweet & TwistedBitter Sweet & Twisted is rock band The Quireboys's second studio album, released in 1993. The album was released on EMI and went into the UK Albums Chart at #31....
, which was released in 1993; but the birth of
grungeGrunge is a subgenre of alternative rock that emerged during the mid-1980s in the American state of Washington, particularly in the Seattle area. Inspired by hardcore punk, heavy metal, and indie rock, grunge is generally characterized by heavily distorted electric guitars, contrasting song...
changed the music scene and they were left behind.
Axl RoseW. Axl Rose is an American singer-songwriter and musician. He is the lead vocalist and only remaining original member of the hard rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he enjoyed great success and recognition in the late 1980s and early 1990s, before disappearing from the public eye for several years...
asked them to join the "Use Your Illusion Tour" with Guns N' Roses, and they followed the band for a while during their 1993 summer European tour.
The band reformed for a number of concerts in the mid 1990s and found themselves with a loyal following. A new line up recorded and released
This Is Rock'N'RollThis Is Rock'n'Roll is rock band The Quireboys's third studio album, it is the first album recorded after the band re-united. Their last album before this was recorded in 1993.-Track listing:# "This Is Rock'n'Roll"# "Show Me What You Got"# "Searching"...
in 2002 and followed it with the moderately successful
Well Oiled in 2004.
On 12 May 2008, The Quireboys released their next album
Homewreckers & Heartbreakers on the Jerkin Crocus label.
Talking about the inspiration for the new album, Paul Guerin said "It's a funny story. We were in Malmö, Sweden in the dressing room. It was just before the show and we'd had a few frothy quenchers. We were trying to come up with album titles, and everyone was laughing at the suggestions. A certain member of the band was regaling a story about something he'd done, and another member of the band said "you're just a home wrecker," and someone else said "yeah, and a heartbreaker". We were just having a laugh, and bang, there it was. It was as simple as that."
In 2010, The Quireboys teamed up with
Def LeppardDef Leppard are an English rock band formed in 1977 in Sheffield as part of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal movement. Since 1992, the band have consisted of Joe Elliott , Rick Savage , Rick Allen , Phil Collen , and Vivian Campbell...
singer
Joe ElliottJoseph Thomas "Joe" Elliott Jr is an English singer-songwriter, and musician, best known as the lead vocalist and occasional rhythm guitarist of the British rock band Def Leppard. He has also been the lead singer of David Bowie cover band, the Cybernauts and the Mott the Hoople cover band, Down...
to record an album under the name 'Down N Outz'. Two singles have been released to date, both of which are covers of
Mott The HoopleMott the Hoople were a British rock band with strong R&B roots, popular in the glam rock era of the early to mid 1970s. They are popularly known for the song "All the Young Dudes", written for them by David Bowie and appearing on their 1972 album of the same name.-The early years:Mott The Hoople...
songs: England Rocks (June 2010) and Overnight Angels (January 2011). Down N Outz will be supporting
Paul RodgersPaul Bernard Rodgers is an English rock singer-songwriter, best known for his success in the 1970s as a member of Free and Bad Company. After stints in two less successful bands in the 1980s and early 1990s, The Firm and The Law, he became a solo artist. He has recently toured and recorded with...
on tour in April 2011.
Members
- Spike
Spike sometimes also known as Spike Gray, is an English rock frontman, songwriter and vocalist most famous for his times with The Quireboys with whom he has released four studio albums to date....
- vocals
- Guy Griffin - guitar
- Paul Guerin - guitar
- Keith Weir - keyboards
- Dave Boyce - bass
- Matt Goom - drums
Former members
- Damon Williams - bass
- Phil Martini
Phil Martini is a London-based rock drummer. He was a member of heavy rock band Tokyo Dragons until September 2008.After their split he joined The Quireboys, for two years....
- drums
- Nigel Mogg - bass
- Guy Bailey - guitar
- Paul Hornby - drums
- Chris Johnstone - bass, piano
- Nick "Cozy" Connell - drums
- Ginger
Ginger is a rock guitarist, singer and songwriter, best known for his band The Wildhearts.-Early career:...
- guitar
- Rudy Richman - drums
- Tim Bewlay - live bass
- Simon Hanson - live drums
- Luke Bossendorfer - guitar
- Martin Henderson - drums
- Kevin Savigar - keyboards
- Mark Sweetmore - lead guitar
- Bill Coyne - drums
- Thomas Golzen - guitar
- Pip Mailing - drums
- Jimmi Crutchley - bass
Albums
| Year |
Album |
US The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
|
UK The 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...
|
Certification |
Label |
| 1990 |
A Bit of What You Fancy A Bit of What You Fancy is rock band The Quireboys's debut studio album, released in 1990. The album was released on EMI and went into the UK Albums Chart at #2....
|
111 |
2 |
- |
EMI/Parlophone |
| 1993 |
Bitter Sweet & Twisted Bitter Sweet & Twisted is rock band The Quireboys's second studio album, released in 1993. The album was released on EMI and went into the UK Albums Chart at #31....
|
- |
31 |
- |
EMI/Parlophone |
| 1997 |
A Bit of What You Fancy/Bitter Sweet & Twisted |
- |
- |
- |
EMI/Parlophone |
| 2001 |
This Is Rock'N'Roll This Is Rock'n'Roll is rock band The Quireboys's third studio album, it is the first album recorded after the band re-united. Their last album before this was recorded in 1993.-Track listing:# "This Is Rock'n'Roll"# "Show Me What You Got"# "Searching"...
|
- |
- |
- |
Sanctuary |
| 2004 |
Well Oiled |
- |
- |
- |
SPV |
| 2008 |
Homewreckers & Heartbreakers |
- |
- |
- |
Jerkin Crocus |
| 2009 |
Halfpenny Dancer Halfpenny Dancer is album by English rock band The Quireboys, released in 2009. The album consists of their songs, captured in acoustic form....
|
- |
- |
- |
Jerkin Crocus |
| 2009 |
A Bit of What You Fancy A Bit of What You Fancy is rock band The Quireboys's debut studio album, released in 1990. The album was released on EMI and went into the UK Albums Chart at #2....
20th Anniversary Edition |
- |
- |
- |
Jerkin Crocus |
Live albums
- Live Compact Disc-(Recorded Around The World) (EMI - 1990)
- Lost In Space-Live (Snapper-2000)
- 100% Live-2002 (Demolition-2002)
- Quireboys Live (EMI-2006)
Compilation albums
- From Tooting to Barking (Griffin-1995)
- Rock Champions 2001 (EMI-2001)
- Masters of Rock (EMI-2002)
- Best Of The Quireboys (EMI-2008)
Singles
| Year |
Single |
Chart positions |
| US Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
|
US Main Rock |
UK 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 ...
|
| 1987 |
"Mayfair" |
- |
- |
- |
| 1988 |
"There She Goes Again" |
- |
- |
- |
| 1989 |
"7 O'Clock" |
- |
15 |
36 |
| 1990 |
"Hey You" |
- |
- |
14 |
| 1990 |
"I Don't Love You Anymore" |
76 |
- |
24 |
| 1990 |
"There She Goes Again" / "Misled" |
- |
- |
37 |
| 1992 |
"Tramps and Thieves" |
- |
- |
41 |
| 1993 |
"Brother Louie" |
- |
- |
31 |
| 1993 |
"Last Time"
(Japan only release)" |
- |
- |
- |
| 2005 |
"Tears In Heaven" |
- |
- |
- |