The Savages (band)
Encyclopedia
The Savages were perhaps best known for being the backing band
for the late Screaming Lord Sutch
. The band was formed in 1960 and continues to this day.
scene as Jimmy Page
and John Bonham of Led Zeppelin
, Ritchie Blackmore
of Deep Purple
, Jeff Beck
, Keith Moon
of The Who
, Adrian Gurvitz
, Albert Lee
, Mick Abrahams
, Noel Redding
and Mitch Mitchell
of the Jimi Hendrix Experience, and keyboard players Nicky Hopkins
, Matthew Fisher
, the late Freddy 'Fingers' Lee and Paul Dean
, an actor/singer who would later find fame under the stage name of Paul Nicholas, who Sutch said he used in the band to attract the pretty girls. Sutch would at times use the name, The Savages, at some gigs where the established line-up of Savages was not available, usually for financial reasons, a pick-up band would be brought in, but the 'real' Savages have been a working band for over 50 years.
In August 1963, the British
music magazine, NME
reported that should Sutch win the forthcoming Stratford-upon-Avon
by-election
in which he was standing as a parliamentary candidate, he would give up the music industry to concentrate on politics, but that the Savages would continue their flamboyant act alone.
Following the death of Sutch in 1999, the band continued to perform with members Tony Dangerfield (who joined the Savages initially during the 1960s), Dave Dix, Angi Antinori, Jack Irving (all three joined during the early 1990s) and Johnny Casanova (who joined the band in 1995, following a meeting with Sutch and the band at a festival at Donnington). Performances are infrequent due to the individual commitments of the band members. Following the death of bassist Dangerfield in 2008, the band has re-established itself with the current, 2009 line-up of Angi Antinori on lead guitar
, Jack Irving on drums and vocals, Johnny Casanova on keyboards and vocals, and on bass, former Savage, and one of Sutch's 'Heavy Friends' line-up, Nick Simper.
Backup band
A backing band or backup band is a musical ensemble that accompanies an artist at a live performance or on a recording. This can either be an established, long-standing group that has little or no change in membership, or it may be an ad hoc group assembled for a single show or a single recording...
for the late Screaming Lord Sutch
Screaming Lord Sutch
David Edward Sutch , also known as "Screaming Lord Sutch, 3rd Earl of Harrow", or simply "Screaming Lord Sutch", was a musician from the United Kingdom...
. The band was formed in 1960 and continues to this day.
Career
Former members include such luminaries of the British rockBritish rock
British rock describes a wide variety of forms of music made in the United Kingdom. Since around 1964, with the "British Invasion" of the United States spearheaded by The Beatles, British rock music has had a considerable impact on the development of American music and rock music across the...
scene as 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...
and John Bonham of Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
, Ritchie Blackmore
Ritchie Blackmore
Richard Hugh "Ritchie" Blackmore is an English guitarist and songwriter, who was known as one of the first guitarists to fuse Classical music elements with rock. He fronted his own band Rainbow after leaving Deep Purple where he was unhappy because his favourite musical style wasn't adequately...
of Deep Purple
Deep Purple
Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in Hertford in 1968. Along with Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, they are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal and modern hard rock, although some band members believe that their music cannot be categorised as belonging to any one genre...
, Jeff Beck
Jeff Beck
Geoffrey Arnold "Jeff" Beck is an English rock guitarist. He is one of three noted guitarists to have played with The Yardbirds...
, Keith Moon
Keith Moon
Keith John Moon was an English musician, best known for being the drummer of the English rock group The Who. He gained acclaim for his exuberant and innovative drumming style, and notoriety for his eccentric and often self-destructive behaviour, earning him the nickname "Moon the Loon". Moon...
of The Who
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...
, Adrian Gurvitz
Adrian Gurvitz
Adrian Gurvitz is an English singer, musician and songwriter.-Career:...
, Albert Lee
Albert Lee
Albert William Lee, born 21 December 1943 in Leominster, Herefordshire, England, is an English guitarist known for his fingerstyle and hybrid picking technique. Lee has worked both in the studio and on tour with some of the most famous musicians which stretch through a very wide of genres...
, Mick Abrahams
Mick Abrahams
Michael Timothy 'Mick' Abrahams was the original guitarist for Jethro Tull. He recorded the album This Was with the band in 1968, but conflicts between Abrahams and Ian Anderson over the musical direction of the band led Abrahams to leave once the album was finished...
, Noel Redding
Noel Redding
Noel Redding was an English rock and roll guitarist best known as the bassist for The Jimi Hendrix Experience.-Biography:...
and Mitch Mitchell
Mitch Mitchell
John Ronald "Mitch" Mitchell was an English drummer, best known for his work in The Jimi Hendrix Experience.-Early life and the Jimi Hendrix Experience:...
of the Jimi Hendrix Experience, and keyboard players Nicky Hopkins
Nicky Hopkins
Nicholas Christian "Nicky" Hopkins was an English pianist and organist.He recorded and performed on noted British and American popular music recordings of the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s as a session musician....
, Matthew Fisher
Matthew Fisher
Matthew Fisher is an English organist and singer-songwriter, and was responsible for the organ sound on the 1967 single, "A Whiter Shade of Pale" by Procol Harum.-Biography:...
, the late Freddy 'Fingers' Lee and Paul Dean
Paul Nicholas
Paul Nicholas is an English actor and singer who has had considerable success on stage, screen and in the pop charts.-Biography:Nicholas was born as Paul Oscar Beuselinck in Peterborough, England...
, an actor/singer who would later find fame under the stage name of Paul Nicholas, who Sutch said he used in the band to attract the pretty girls. Sutch would at times use the name, The Savages, at some gigs where the established line-up of Savages was not available, usually for financial reasons, a pick-up band would be brought in, but the 'real' Savages have been a working band for over 50 years.
In August 1963, the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
music magazine, NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
reported that should Sutch win the forthcoming Stratford-upon-Avon
Stratford-upon-Avon
Stratford-upon-Avon is a market town and civil parish in south Warwickshire, England. It lies on the River Avon, south east of Birmingham and south west of Warwick. It is the largest and most populous town of the District of Stratford-on-Avon, which uses the term "on" to indicate that it covers...
by-election
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
in which he was standing as a parliamentary candidate, he would give up the music industry to concentrate on politics, but that the Savages would continue their flamboyant act alone.
Following the death of Sutch in 1999, the band continued to perform with members Tony Dangerfield (who joined the Savages initially during the 1960s), Dave Dix, Angi Antinori, Jack Irving (all three joined during the early 1990s) and Johnny Casanova (who joined the band in 1995, following a meeting with Sutch and the band at a festival at Donnington). Performances are infrequent due to the individual commitments of the band members. Following the death of bassist Dangerfield in 2008, the band has re-established itself with the current, 2009 line-up of Angi Antinori on lead guitar
Lead guitar
Lead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
, Jack Irving on drums and vocals, Johnny Casanova on keyboards and vocals, and on bass, former Savage, and one of Sutch's 'Heavy Friends' line-up, Nick Simper.