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". In the future we don't have any other chance than to wait for new surprises by our stainless "Little white man" of California Jam.

ROBERTO COSENTINO (translated by Giampietro Frulli)

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