Tony McPhee
Encyclopedia
Tony McPhee is an English
blues guitarist
, and founder of The Groundhogs
.
The Groundhogs backed Champion Jack Dupree
and John Lee Hooker
on UK concerts in the mid 1960s, evolving into a blues-rock
trio that produced three UK
Top 10 hits in the UK Albums Chart
in the early 1970s.
McPhee has also released many solo acoustic blues records, as well as duets
with Jo Ann Kelly
. He is often credited as 'Tony (TS) McPhee'. He was dubbed TS by the producer
Mike Vernon
in the mid 1960s. Apart from the Groundhogs, McPhee has played with Herbal Mixture, John Dummer's Blues Band, Tony McPhee's Terraplane, Tony McPhee's Turbo and the Tony McPhee Band.
In 2009 McPhee suffered a stroke
which affected his speech and ability to sing.
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...
blues guitarist
Guitarist
A 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...
, and founder of The Groundhogs
The Groundhogs
Groundhogs are a British rock band founded in late 1963, that toured extensively in the 1960s, achieved prominence in the early 1970s and continued sporadically into the 21st century.-Career:...
.
The Groundhogs backed Champion Jack Dupree
Champion Jack Dupree
William Thomas Dupree, best known as Champion Jack Dupree, was an American blues pianist. His birth date is disputed, given as July 4, July 10, and July 23, in the years 1908, 1909, or 1910. He died on January 21, 1992.-Biography:...
and John Lee Hooker
John Lee Hooker
John Lee Hooker was an American blues singer-songwriter and guitarist.Hooker began his life as the son of a sharecropper, William Hooker, and rose to prominence performing his own unique style of what was originally closest to Delta blues. He developed a 'talking blues' style that was his trademark...
on UK concerts in the mid 1960s, evolving into a blues-rock
Blues-rock
Blues rock is a hybrid musical genre combining bluesy improvisations over the 12-bar blues and extended boogie jams with rock and roll styles. The core of the blues rock sound is created by the electric guitar, piano, bass guitar and drum kit, with the electric guitar usually amplified through a...
trio that produced three UK
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...
Top 10 hits in the UK Albums Chart
UK Albums Chart
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...
in the early 1970s.
McPhee has also released many solo acoustic blues records, as well as duets
Duet (music)
A duet is a musical composition for two performers. In classical music, the term is most often used for a composition for two singers or pianists; with other instruments, the word duo is also often used. A piece performed by two pianists performing together on the same piano is referred to as...
with Jo Ann Kelly
Jo Ann Kelly
Jo Ann Kelly was an English blues singer and guitarist. "To many American performers", an obituarist wrote, "Jo Ann Kelly was the only British singer to earn their respect for her development of what they would be justified in thinking as 'their' genre".-Life and career:Kelly was born in...
. He is often credited as 'Tony (TS) McPhee'. He was dubbed TS by the 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...
Mike Vernon
Mike Vernon (producer)
Mike Vernon is an English record producer. He produced albums for British blues artists and groups during the late 1960s, working with the Bluesbreakers, David Bowie, Duster Bennett, Savoy Brown, Chicken Shack, Eric Clapton, Fleetwood Mac, Peter Green, Danny Kirwan, John Mayall, Christine McVie and...
in the mid 1960s. Apart from the Groundhogs, McPhee has played with Herbal Mixture, John Dummer's Blues Band, Tony McPhee's Terraplane, Tony McPhee's Turbo and the Tony McPhee Band.
In 2009 McPhee suffered a stroke
Stroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
which affected his speech and ability to sing.
Solo discography
- 1966 Ain't Gonna Cry No More - Someone To Love Me
- 1966 You Don't Love Me When You Gotta Good Friend
- 1968 Me and the Devil
- 1969 I Asked for Water
- 1971 Same Thing on Their Minds
- 1973 Two Sides of Tony McPhee
- 1984 Razor Edge
- 1991 The Blues And The Beast
- 1993 Foolish Pride
- 1996 Slide, T.S., Slide
- 1996 Herbal Mixture-Groundhogs
- 1997 Bleachin' The Blues
- 2000 Live In Poland At Blues Express
- 2004 Blues At Ten