Dave Peverett
Encyclopedia
David Peverett or Lonesome Dave (16 April 1943, in Dulwich
, South East London
-7 February 2000) was a British
musician
. He is best known as the original singer and rhythm guitarist
of Foghat
, which he founded following his tenure in Savoy Brown
.
of the blues
and of blues-based rock and roll, and began to master these forms while performing in mid 1960s London
. After a brief tour with Swiss
blues band
, Les Questions, he joined Savoy Brown
as a rhythm guitar
ist, eventually also taking over as lead singer. After five albums with Savoy Brown, he decided to pursue his own vision, taking drummer
Roger Earl
and bassist
Tony Stevens
with him..
ist Rod Price
in 1971. Peverett decided to call the new band Foghat, a nonsense word
he had made up as a child while playing Scrabble
with his brother
John Malcome Peverett. He used his new word to create Junior Foghat, an imaginary childhood playmate who became an alter ego and therefore the genesis of the "Lonesome Dave" persona that he was to employ as a performer. Foghat soon recorded
their first, self-titled album
for Bearsville Records
, with Todd Rundgren
and Dave Edmunds
each producing
tracks. With the success of an early single
, a cover version
of Willie Dixon
's "I Just Want to Make Love to You
", their debut release soon went gold
.
albums for Peverett. In 1974, Foghat released two gold albums, Energized
and Rock & Roll Outlaws
. Their first platinum album, Fool for the City
, was released in 1975, producing three hit single
s: the title track, "My Babe", and "Slow Ride
".
In 1976 they began touring even larger venues, and recorded
another gold album, Night Shift
. But no one could foresee the greater success they would have with their next release, 1977's landmark Foghat Live
album. It reached multi-platinum sales status and cemented the band's reputation as the world's foremost purveyors of blues-based rock
. Although another gold
album was still to follow, 1978's Stone Blue
, this was undeniably the band's peak.
with his wife, Linda, and three children. Unlike many of his peers, Peverett never subscribed to the wilder aspects of "the rock and roll lifestyle", having become a family man early in his life. The relentless touring and album promotion of the previous decade had earned him a well-deserved respite in the countryside, writing songs and raising his family. He was content with his career and had shared the stage with many of his heroes, including his idol John Lee Hooker
. Those that met him knew that he was a peaceful quiet man off stage, but one of the most energetic rock performers on stage.
Rick Rubin
, Peverett reunited with the original Foghat line-up in 1993, beginning the first of several tours. He continued to write and record songs not only for Foghat, but also for a wide variety of projects, until his death from cancer
in February 2000. He even embarked on what would become his final tour after receiving months of intensive chemotherapy
and radiation treatments.
Despite the instant recognition most contemporary
listeners have of Peverett's music, he is still widely unknown as being the sole songwriter.
Dulwich
Dulwich is an area of South London, England. The settlement is mostly in the London Borough of Southwark with parts in the London Borough of Lambeth...
, South East London
South East (London sub region)
The South East is a sub-region of the London Plan corresponding to the London Boroughs of Bexley, Bromley, Greenwich, Lewisham and Southwark. The sub region was established in 2008. The south east has a population of 1,300,000 and is the location of 500,000 jobs...
-7 February 2000) was a 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...
musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
. He is best known as the original singer and rhythm 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...
of Foghat
Foghat
Foghat are a British rock band that had their peak success in the mid- to late-1970s. Their style can be described as "blues-rock," or boogie-rock dominated by electric and electric slide guitar. The band has achieved five gold records...
, which he founded following his tenure in Savoy Brown
Savoy Brown
Savoy Brown, originally known as the Savoy Brown Blues Band, are a British blues rock band, formed in 1965, in Battersea, South West London...
.
Early years
Peverett was an early fanFan (person)
A Fan, sometimes also called aficionado or supporter, is a person with a liking and enthusiasm for something, such as a band or a sports team. Fans of a particular thing or person constitute its fanbase or fandom...
of the blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
and of blues-based rock and roll, and began to master these forms while performing in mid 1960s London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. After a brief tour with Swiss
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
blues band
Band (music)
In music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musicians that works together to perform music. The following articles concern types of musical bands:* All-female band* Big band* Boy band* Christian band* Church band* Concert band* Cover band...
, Les Questions, he joined Savoy Brown
Savoy Brown
Savoy Brown, originally known as the Savoy Brown Blues Band, are a British blues rock band, formed in 1965, in Battersea, South West London...
as a rhythm guitar
Rhythm guitar
Rhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
ist, eventually also taking over as lead singer. After five albums with Savoy Brown, he decided to pursue his own vision, taking drummer
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
Roger Earl
Roger Earl
Roger Earl is the drummer of the band Foghat, famed for their relentless touring and strong live performances...
and bassist
Bassist
A bass player, or bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments...
Tony Stevens
Tony Stevens
Tony Stevens is an English musician, best known as the bassist with the bands Foghat and Savoy Brown.- Career :...
with him..
The beginning of Foghat
The new project took form with the addition of lead guitarLead guitar
Lead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
ist Rod Price
Rod Price
Rod Price was an English guitarist who was best known for his work with the rock band Foghat...
in 1971. Peverett decided to call the new band Foghat, a nonsense word
Nonsense word
A nonsense word, unlike a sememe, may have no definition. If it can be pronounced according to a language's phonotactics, it is a logatome. Nonsense words are used in literature for poetic or humorous effect. Proper names of real or fictional entities are sometimes nonsense words.-See...
he had made up as a child while playing Scrabble
Scrabble
Scrabble is a word game in which two to four players score points by forming words from individual lettered tiles on a game board marked with a 15-by-15 grid. The words are formed across and down in crossword fashion and must appear in a standard dictionary. Official reference works provide a list...
with his brother
Sibling
Siblings are people who share at least one parent. A male sibling is called a brother; and a female sibling is called a sister. In most societies throughout the world, siblings usually grow up together and spend a good deal of their childhood socializing with one another...
John Malcome Peverett. He used his new word to create Junior Foghat, an imaginary childhood playmate who became an alter ego and therefore the genesis of the "Lonesome Dave" persona that he was to employ as a performer. Foghat soon recorded
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
their first, self-titled album
Foghat (1972 album)
Foghat is the debut album by the band Foghat. The first of the band's two self-titled albums, it was released in 1972 on Bearsville.-Track listing:# "I Just Want to Make Love to You" - 4:21# "Trouble Trouble" - 3:20...
for Bearsville Records
Bearsville Records
Bearsville Records was founded in 1970 by Albert Grossman. Artists included Todd Rundgren, Elizabeth Barraclough, Foghat, Halfnelson/Sparks, Bobby Charles, Randy VanWarmer, Paul Butterfield's Better Days, Lazarus, Jesse Winchester, and NRBQ. The label closed in 1984, two years before Grossman's...
, with Todd Rundgren
Todd Rundgren
Todd Harry Rundgren is an American multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and record producer. Hailed in the early stage of his career as a new pop-wunderkind, supported by the certified gold solo double LP Something/Anything? in 1972, Todd Rundgren's career has produced a diverse range of recordings...
and Dave Edmunds
Dave Edmunds
David 'Dave' Edmunds is a Welsh singer, guitarist and record producer. Although he is primarily associated with Pub rock and New Wave, and had numerous hits in the 1970s and early 1980s, his natural leaning has always been towards 1950s style rock and roll.-Early bands:As a teenager Edmunds first...
each producing
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...
tracks. With the success of an early single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
, a cover version
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of Willie Dixon
Willie Dixon
William James "Willie" Dixon was an American blues musician, vocalist, songwriter, arranger and record producer. A Grammy Award winner who was proficient on both the Upright bass and the guitar, as well as his own singing voice, Dixon is arguably best known as one of the most prolific songwriters...
's "I Just Want to Make Love to You
I Just Want to Make Love to You
In 1961, Etta James recorded the song for her debut album At Last!. Her rendition also served as the b-side to her hit "At Last." In 1996, Etta James' version became popular in the UK after featuring in a Diet Coke ad campaign. As a result, the single was re-released there...
", their debut release soon went gold
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
.
Foghat success
This would be the first of many gold and platinumMusic recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
albums for Peverett. In 1974, Foghat released two gold albums, Energized
Energized
Energized is the third album by the group Foghat. It was released in January 1974 and certified gold in the US.-Track listing:# "Honey Hush" - 4:19 Energized is the third album by the group Foghat. It was released in January 1974 and certified gold in the US.-Track listing:# "Honey Hush" - 4:19...
and Rock & Roll Outlaws
Rock & Roll Outlaws
Rock and Roll Outlaws is the fourth album by Foghat, released in October 1974.-Track listing:# "Eight Days On the Road" - 6:08# "Hate to See You Go" - 4:39# "Dreamer" - 6:39...
. Their first platinum album, Fool for the City
Fool for the City
Fool for the City was the fifth album released by English rock band Foghat, released in 1975. This was Foghat's first platinum album, and features their most famous song "Slow Ride"...
, was released in 1975, producing three hit single
Hit single
A hit single is a recorded song or instrumental released as a single that has become very popular. Although it is sometimes used to describe any widely-played or big-selling song, the term "hit" is usually reserved for a single that has appeared in an official music chart through repeated radio...
s: the title track, "My Babe", and "Slow Ride
Slow Ride
"Slow Ride" is the title of a song composed by "Lonesome" Dave Peverett and recorded by the British rock band Foghat, appearing on their fifth album Fool for the City . This was Foghat's top single, peaking at number 20. It also appears on Foghat Live , which was their best selling album at over...
".
In 1976 they began touring even larger venues, and recorded
another gold album, Night Shift
Night Shift (Foghat album)
Night Shift was the sixth album by Foghat, released in 1976."Drivin' Wheel" was featured in the video games NASCAR 2005: Chase for the Cup and Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and Damned.-Track listing:...
. But no one could foresee the greater success they would have with their next release, 1977's landmark Foghat Live
Foghat Live
Foghat Live is a 1977 live album by Foghat. The release is Foghat's best selling album with over two million copies sold, and certified double platinum in the US...
album. It reached multi-platinum sales status and cemented the band's reputation as the world's foremost purveyors of blues-based rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
. Although another gold
album was still to follow, 1978's Stone Blue
Stone Blue
Stone Blue is the seventh studio album by the blues rock band Foghat. The album was released in May 1978 on Bearsville Records. The album is preceded by Foghat Live and is followed by Boogie Motel.-Track listing:# Stone Blue - 5:38...
, this was undeniably the band's peak.
Hiatus
In the early 1980s Peverett decided to spend time in EnglandEngland
England 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...
with his wife, Linda, and three children. Unlike many of his peers, Peverett never subscribed to the wilder aspects of "the rock and roll lifestyle", having become a family man early in his life. The relentless touring and album promotion of the previous decade had earned him a well-deserved respite in the countryside, writing songs and raising his family. He was content with his career and had shared the stage with many of his heroes, including his idol 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...
. Those that met him knew that he was a peaceful quiet man off stage, but one of the most energetic rock performers on stage.
Reunion and death
While he was living the family life in England, his songs were appearing in movies and television across the world. His music came to embody a certain spirit of youthful rock and roll, as well as to represent the entire genre of 1970s rock. To meet yet a whole new generation of fans, at the encouragement of record producerRecord 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...
Rick Rubin
Rick Rubin
Frederick Jay "Rick" Rubin is an American record producer and the co-president of Columbia Records. Along with Russell Simmons, Rubin was the co-founder of Def Jam Records and also established American Recordings...
, Peverett reunited with the original Foghat line-up in 1993, beginning the first of several tours. He continued to write and record songs not only for Foghat, but also for a wide variety of projects, until his death from cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
in February 2000. He even embarked on what would become his final tour after receiving months of intensive chemotherapy
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is the treatment of cancer with an antineoplastic drug or with a combination of such drugs into a standardized treatment regimen....
and radiation treatments.
Despite the instant recognition most contemporary
listeners have of Peverett's music, he is still widely unknown as being the sole songwriter.