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GLENN HUGHES BIOGRAPHY
Glenn Hughes was born in Cannock (Staffordshire), middle of England, on august
21th, 1952.
Besides his passion for music, in the school age he was a great football lover.
Maybe if he wouldn't became who he is now, surely he could be a football
player... He's a great supporter of Wolverhampton, an English football team that
doesn't give great satisfaction to our God of Voice, anyway. Lover of the black
and soul music, his youth-myths were, and are nowadays, Motown, Stevie Wonder,
James Brown; Glenn moves his first steps (talking about music) in such bands as
Mail, News and Finders Keepers, until 1969 when he's involved in a tougher
project, Trapeze, togheter with Mel Galley and Dave Holland.
Well, the first album includes two other members, Terry Rowley and Michael John
Jones, but the band only records "Trapeze", an album that is a mixture of
various musical genres. The second album "Medusa", underlines the funk-rock that
Glenn will bring out until today. Here are some classics that Glenn sings in
most of his gigs, like Black cloud, Your love is alright, Touch my life. Glenn's
voice now seems more and more charismatic, but the consecration arrives in 1972,
when Trapeze releases "You are the music, we're just the band". This work can be
considered as a pioneer for the fusion that the listener can perceive, as a
mixture of classic rock with funk, black and soul. Glenn's voice becomes
unstoppable, and there's a series of sold-out concerts in every order of seats,
especially in the United States.
Some of the already celebrated musicians are interested in this band's music, as
Jon Lord and Ian Paice of Deep Purple, who often spend their time at Marquee,
London, or at Whisky-a-go-go in Los Angeles. And so, a day in the life, after a
show at the Marquee Jon Lord asks Glenn to join Deep Purple. It's the classic
turning point of life, and Glenn doesn't seem to have any doubt. Also the
recently-formed Electric Light Orchestra would like Glenn to join them, but he
couldn't abandon the already famous Deep Purple. Ritchie Blackmore is searching
for two singers to change some "rules" in the Purple style, and at first he asks
Paul Rodgers to join the band, but he refuses, so they put an advertisement on
Melody Maker. David Coverdale will answer to this ad, while he was working as a
clothes-shop assistant, and after the successful auditions in july of 1973 Deep
Purple's mark 3 is brought to life. And "Burn" is right behind the door, I think
an all-times masterpiece. Here is spotted the Hughes-style in songs such as
"Sail away", but for some contract claims Glenn doesn't figures as a songwriter.
The first concert ofl mark 3 is in Copenhagen, Denmark on 9 december 1973
followed by a short tour in Scandinavia, Belgium and Germany. The fans accept as
good the new line-up, and so the American tour begins in 1974. In the same year
the band releases "Stormbringer", and here the gap is greater between the new
and the old Purple style. Songs as "Love don't mean a thing", "Hold on" "Holy
man" let new fans arrive, but Mr. Blackmore starts to think about a divorce
because of deep musical disagreements, and the tour in april 1975 ends with
profound fractures in Paris. At this time Blackmore has in mind his new project
called Rainbow, so Deep Purple are now searching for a good guitarist that can
replace "the man in black" with honour.
And so, after checking other "guitar men" like Clem Clempson ( ex Humble Pie ),
they choose an American guitarist who played with James Gang and in a recording
such "Spectrum" di Billy Cobham. He's called Tommy Bolin. The feeling with Glenn
Hughes is clear and the next album "Come taste the band" seems to be a rock-funk
masterpiece, even though many old-date fans drop the band. This recording was
too late revalued, but in my opinion if I could choose among 10 LPs to take with
me on a lost island, CTTB would be one of them. Here are some stainless songs as
"This Time Around" "Gettin' Tighter" "You Keep On Moving". Yet today these are
songs not to miss in the Glenn's concerts. Unfortunately the 75-76 tour is
characterized with the highs and lows of Tommy Bolin, all that because of the
excess in drugs, and the Deep Purple adventure has a forced ending in Liverpool
the evening of 15 march 1976. Glenn and Tommy think about forming a band of
their own, but nothing goes good and so Bolin continues to play himself. Glenn
begins to prepare his soloist project.
Project that builds up in 1977 with "Play me out", an album made of pure funky
in which make their appearance two old-date Glenn friends, Mel Galley e Dave
Holland, as well as Pat Travers, Mark Nauseef and others. This is a dark season
for Glenn, characterized of strong use of drugs, infact the next album "Four on
the floor" recorded in 1979 doesn't find the right audience's answer. The album
is very experimental, and it contains some Rolling Stones songs.
In 1982 Glenn meets Pat Thrall. This combo produces "Hughes/Thrall", a corner
stone in rock history and in the carreer of Mr. Hughes. The album contains a lot
of rock and funky, with some barely commercial songs as "I got your number", but
it still remains a great album. Unforgettable the reissue of "Coast to coast",
already a Trapeze classic.
Now here's the top of the mountain in the Glenn Hughes' carreer.
As we told before, the great Glenn Hughes troubles are related to drugs and
alcohol. Despite this fact, in the middle of the eighties he participates in
such greater projects. In 1985 he lends his voice to the "Phenomena" project
with Tom Galley, Neil Murray, Cozy Powell, Mel Galley, John Thomas, Pat Thrall
and others involved. The result is an astounding album, at the edge of sanity,
loaded with such demoniac and heavenly atmospheres, thanks to the mastery of
great musicians and to the Voice of Rock. It's almost impossible to tell what's
the best song, it's a combination of several emotions. Immediately after, Glenn
goes to the royal court of Tony Iommi (Black Sabbath), veteran from the Ian
Gillan experience, that went on barely a season.
And here is another masterpiece "Seventh Star", in the beginning sang by Jeff
Fenholt, then substituted with Glenn Hughes who now sings in the best way
possible. What can you tell about songs as "Seventh Star", "No Stranger To
Love" "Heart Like A Wheel"? Unfortunately the next tour goes bad. This is caused
by the already told Hughes' troubles, but especially by a quarrel with the
manager. Infact after a stormy discussion he knocks Glenn down with a punch,
giving him serious problems regarding his voice. And so Glenn is forced to leave
the American tour after 5 dates only. He is substituted by a Glenn's great
friend, the unforgettable Ray Gillen in the ending of this tour.
In the same period Hughes records an album with Gary Moore, in which he sings
some songs and plays the bass. The style is typical that of the guitar hero ex
Thin Lizzy, and the result can be nothing but great. In the next years Glenn
takes part in some John Norum and Pat Thrall shows, as well as other projects
such "Phenomena 2: Dream Runner" in which he sings some songs, "Dragnet",
soundtrack of the homonymous film, after that in 1991 he decides that the moment
to change his life is arrived.
Nothing more drugs, nothing more alcohol. Hughes finds that continuing in this
way there are not more chanches, and he puts a stone on his very, very stormy
past. He sings in a KLF single "America, What Time Is Love", almost dance, but
his voice is unmistakable; he participates in the soundtrack of "Highlander 2"
with a song, and records the vocals in John Norum's "Face The Truth". A great
pure hard rock album. Glenn sings 8 songs here, and you can listen that his
voice is always the same through the years, well maybe it's like wine, the more
becomes old the more goes good. After that here it comes "Blues" in 1992,
another essay of extraordinary size. And now the request are more pressing.
Glenn participates in many, many projects, in which his presence gives a touch
of magic. I mean "Sacred Groove" of George Lynch, "American Matador" of Marc
Bonilla, where Glenn sings "A Whiter Shade Of Pale" of Procol Harum, then
"Electric Pow Wow" of Stevie Salas, "Amen" with Mark Storace and Manfred Ehlert.
In the middle of this he releases "From now on...", his rebirth solo album. It's
a masterpiece of classic rock and AOR, followed by the European and Japanese
tour, culminated with the recording of "Burning Japan Live", on top of the top
of the "live albums mountain". Meanwhile he puts Trapeze togheter again, for
some dates, then in 1995 releases "Feel", with his old friend Pat Thrall. "Feel"
is such different to "From Now On", it's rock funky, how he DOES like, how he
ALWAYS liked. Other project follow, as you can see in the complete discography,
and in 1996 the next album's called "Addiction". Here is the return to hard
rock, with some grunge influences. Now the activity begins again to be
productive, and after three years of several participations in various artists'
albums, it's time for the 1999 album "The Way It Is", another different album
as in his style. The songs are in turn real hard or melodic soul, as he made an
habit. The tour begins in South America and follows in Europe with Michael
Schenker and Thin Lizzy. Not a coincidence, the tour is called "Essence of
rock".
What follows is "Return Of Crystal Karma", an album of extraordinary power and
feeling. After other participations we come to his last solo album "Building The
Machine" and to the long awaited "Hughes/Turner project".
HTP also recoded a live album in Japan and second episode of studio album.
In the year 2003 glenn hughes dealing with italian label Frontiers records, and for them, he released "songs in the key of rock", a live album "soulfully in the city of angels" and finally the last great album "soul mover".
Finally glenn gave us also his first dvd and the old collaboration with Tony Iommi cames out as "deep session 1996"
ROBERTO COSENTINO (translated by Giampietro Frulli)
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