John Weathers
Encyclopedia
John Patrick 'Pugwash' Weathers (born February 7, 1947) is a drummer, best known for playing with the innovative progressive rock
band Gentle Giant
.
, Carmarthenshire
, Wales
, he moved to Swansea
until, aged 15, he went to live with his aunt in Liverpool, just as the Merseybeat
scene exploded. Weathers had had a drum-kit as a child, so took up drumming again, playing in several local bands. Returning to Wales in 1964, his experience on the Mersey scene got him into several local bands, including The Vikings (1964) and The Brothers Grimm (1965).
(keyboards) and Gary Pickford-Hopkins (vocals) from The Smokestacks. The band turned professional, and won the 1966 Melody Maker
Beat Contest. The prize was a one-year record contract, but they had to record songs chosen for them, rather than their own material and neither of their singles, "Heart Trouble" / "Up And Down" and "Supermarket Full Of Cans" / "Don't Ask Me To Mend Your Broken Heart", sold well.
The Eyes changed label from Decca
to Mercury Records
and recorded their first album Crossroads of Time in 1968. They then recorded an album Buzzy, as the backing band for American singer-songwriter Buzzy Linhart
, before recording their second album In Fields of Ardath in 1969.
The band Strawberry Dust supported The Eyes, and impressed Weathers, who persuaded Lou Reizner
to commission an album, which Weathers produced and wrote/co-wrote 6 songs. Women & Children First was released in 1970, but Reizner renamed the band Ancient Grease, without telling them, and credited himself as co-producer.
The Eyes of Blue’s third album, Bluebell Wood, released under the pseudonym Big Sleep, was their last, as the band broke up shortly afterwards. Weathers briefly played with Strawberry Dust, until they also broke up, later reforming as Racing Cars
. After this break up he played drums on the final appearance of the Swansea Soul band the John Smith Committee.
In 1970 Weathers and Phil Ryan joined Pete Brown & Piblokto!
playing on one single, "Flying Hero Sandwich" / "My Last Band", before Piblokto also disbanded. Weathers then joined an embryonic Wild Turkey with Glenn Cornick
(ex Jethro Tull
), Gary Pickford-Hopkins (ex Eyes of Blue) and Graham Williams (ex Strawberry Dust), but Weathers and Williams left to join Graham Bond’s Magick
before Wild Turkey recorded any material.
He appeared on Graham Bond's 1971 album, We Put Our Magick On You, and later that year joined The Grease Band
.
)
Weathers joined Gentle Giant in 1972, as a temporary stand in for their drummer Malcolm Mortimore, who had been injured in a car crash. He first played on Gentle Giant's Octopus album, and his position soon became permanent, remaining with them until they broke up, after their last album Civilian. He was well liked by fans for his distinctive hard-bashing drum style, and also played vibes and xylophone, among other percussion instruments. He also added his vocals in both studio and live performances more and more frequently as time went on, even singing lead on the songs "Interview" and "Friends", the latter of which he also composed.
Whilst with Gentle Giant, Weathers occasionally played with Phil Ryan's band The Neutrons, including their 1974 album, Black Hole Star.
when they reformed in 1983. Apart from a short spell, when he was unwell and Rick Martinez temporarily took over, he stayed with Man until 1996, recording 2 studio albums and 3 live albums, and becoming their longest serving drummer, allegedly leaving because Gentle Giant were about to reform,. Ironically, he left Man shortly before Phil Ryan re-joined the band. John was infamously featured in the 1986 S4C TV programme Rocking With A Sikh, backing the Sikh Elvis impersonator Peter Singh, along with Martin Ace and Micky Jones.
It was variously reported that he was suffering from RSI or arthritis, but according to him was actually “diagnosed with a condition called Spinocerebellar Ataxia, which is akin to M.S.” The unpublished memoirs of his time spent in Morriston Hospital - Two Weeks in Pain - Under the Knife, hilariously document the trials of an NHS in-patient in post-op recovery.
John has appeared on several Welsh TV soundtracks, and in 2006 rejoined the latest re-incarnation of Wild Turkey, to record their album You & Me In The Jungle and tour Europe.
Weathers is also a keen ornithologist.
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
band Gentle Giant
Gentle Giant
Gentle Giant were a British progressive rock band active between 1970 and 1980. The band was known for the complexity and sophistication of its music and for the varied musical skills of its members. All of the band members, except the first two drummers, were multi-instrumentalists...
.
Early life
Born in CarmarthenCarmarthen
Carmarthen is a community in, and the county town of, Carmarthenshire, Wales. It is sited on the River Towy north of its mouth at Carmarthen Bay. In 2001, the population was 14,648....
, Carmarthenshire
Carmarthenshire
Carmarthenshire is a unitary authority in the south west of Wales and one of thirteen historic counties. It is the 3rd largest in Wales. Its three largest towns are Llanelli, Carmarthen and Ammanford...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
, he moved to Swansea
Swansea
Swansea is a coastal city and county in Wales. Swansea is in the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan. Situated on the sandy South West Wales coast, the county area includes the Gower Peninsula and the Lliw uplands...
until, aged 15, he went to live with his aunt in Liverpool, just as the Merseybeat
Beat music
Beat music, British beat, or Merseybeat is a pop and rock music genre that developed in the United Kingdom in the early 1960s. Beat music is a fusion of rock and roll, doo wop, skiffle, R&B and soul...
scene exploded. Weathers had had a drum-kit as a child, so took up drumming again, playing in several local bands. Returning to Wales in 1964, his experience on the Mersey scene got him into several local bands, including The Vikings (1964) and The Brothers Grimm (1965).
Eyes of Blue
In 1966 Weathers joined a Neath band The Eyes of Blue, along with Phil RyanPhil Ryan (musician)
Phil Ryan is a Welsh keyboardist and composer, best known for his work with Man and Pete Brown-Early career:...
(keyboards) and Gary Pickford-Hopkins (vocals) from The Smokestacks. The band turned professional, and won the 1966 Melody Maker
Melody Maker
Melody Maker, published in the United Kingdom, was, according to its publisher IPC Media, the world's oldest weekly music newspaper. It was founded in 1926 as a magazine targeted at musicians; in 2000 it was merged into "long-standing rival" New Musical Express.-1950s–1960s:Originally the Melody...
Beat Contest. The prize was a one-year record contract, but they had to record songs chosen for them, rather than their own material and neither of their singles, "Heart Trouble" / "Up And Down" and "Supermarket Full Of Cans" / "Don't Ask Me To Mend Your Broken Heart", sold well.
The Eyes changed label from Decca
Decca Records
Decca Records began as a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934; however, owing to World War II, the link with the British company was broken for several decades....
to Mercury Records
Mercury Records
Mercury Records is a record label operating as a standalone company in the UK and as part of the Island Def Jam Motown Music Group in the US; both are subsidiaries of Universal Music Group. There is also a Mercury Records in Australia, which is a local artist and repertoire division of Universal...
and recorded their first album Crossroads of Time in 1968. They then recorded an album Buzzy, as the backing band for American singer-songwriter Buzzy Linhart
Buzzy Linhart
Buzzy Linhart is an American rock performer and musician.Born William Linhart in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, he began honing his craft playing percussion for symphony at the age of seven, switching to vibraphone at ten...
, before recording their second album In Fields of Ardath in 1969.
The band Strawberry Dust supported The Eyes, and impressed Weathers, who persuaded Lou Reizner
Lou Reizner
Lou Reizner was a record producer, A&R executive and head of Mercury Records European operations. As a producer, he is perhaps best known for Rod Stewart's first two solo albums, for the orchestral version of The Who's rock opera Tommy, and Rick Wakeman's Journey to the Centre of the Earth...
to commission an album, which Weathers produced and wrote/co-wrote 6 songs. Women & Children First was released in 1970, but Reizner renamed the band Ancient Grease, without telling them, and credited himself as co-producer.
The Eyes of Blue’s third album, Bluebell Wood, released under the pseudonym Big Sleep, was their last, as the band broke up shortly afterwards. Weathers briefly played with Strawberry Dust, until they also broke up, later reforming as Racing Cars
Racing Cars
Racing Cars are a Welsh pop band, formed in the Rhondda Valley, Wales in 1973.-Career:They were signed to one of the biggest British record labels of the time, Chrysalis Records. Racing Cars's debut album yielded their only hit single with "They Shoot Horses, Don't They?"...
. After this break up he played drums on the final appearance of the Swansea Soul band the John Smith Committee.
In 1970 Weathers and Phil Ryan joined Pete Brown & Piblokto!
Pete Brown & Piblokto!
Pete Brown & Piblokto! were a British progressive rock band, active between 1969 and 1971, and formed by the former Cream lyricist Pete Brown, after he had been thrown out of his own band, Pete Brown and his Battered Ornaments, the day before they were due to support The Rolling Stones at Hyde Park...
playing on one single, "Flying Hero Sandwich" / "My Last Band", before Piblokto also disbanded. Weathers then joined an embryonic Wild Turkey with Glenn Cornick
Glenn Cornick
Glenn Douglas Barnard Cornick was the bespectacled, first bass guitar player in the progressive rock band, Jethro Tull....
(ex Jethro Tull
Jethro Tull (band)
Jethro Tull are a British rock group formed in 1967. Their music is characterised by the vocals, acoustic guitar, and flute playing of Ian Anderson, who has led the band since its founding, and the guitar work of Martin Barre, who has been with the band since 1969.Initially playing blues rock with...
), Gary Pickford-Hopkins (ex Eyes of Blue) and Graham Williams (ex Strawberry Dust), but Weathers and Williams left to join Graham Bond’s Magick
Graham Bond
Graham John Clifton Bond was an English musician, considered a founding father of the English rhythm and blues boom of the 1960s....
before Wild Turkey recorded any material.
He appeared on Graham Bond's 1971 album, We Put Our Magick On You, and later that year joined The Grease Band
The Grease Band
The Grease Band was a rock band that started out as Joe Cocker's backing band. They recorded two albums in the 1970s. They are probably most widely known for their performance of The Beatles song, "With a Little Help from My Friends", with Joe Cocker at the Woodstock Festival in 1969...
.
Gentle Giant
(For details of Weathers' work in this period see Gentle GiantGentle Giant
Gentle Giant were a British progressive rock band active between 1970 and 1980. The band was known for the complexity and sophistication of its music and for the varied musical skills of its members. All of the band members, except the first two drummers, were multi-instrumentalists...
)
Weathers joined Gentle Giant in 1972, as a temporary stand in for their drummer Malcolm Mortimore, who had been injured in a car crash. He first played on Gentle Giant's Octopus album, and his position soon became permanent, remaining with them until they broke up, after their last album Civilian. He was well liked by fans for his distinctive hard-bashing drum style, and also played vibes and xylophone, among other percussion instruments. He also added his vocals in both studio and live performances more and more frequently as time went on, even singing lead on the songs "Interview" and "Friends", the latter of which he also composed.
Whilst with Gentle Giant, Weathers occasionally played with Phil Ryan's band The Neutrons, including their 1974 album, Black Hole Star.
Recent years
After Gentle Giant disbanded in 1980, Weathers played a number of temporary positions, until he joined the progressive rock band ManMan (band)
Man are a rock band from South Wales whose style is a mixture of West Coast psychedelia, progressive rock, blues and country-rock. Formed in 1968 as a reincarnation of Welsh rock harmony group ‘’The Bystanders’’, Man are renowned for the extended jams in their live performances, and having had...
when they reformed in 1983. Apart from a short spell, when he was unwell and Rick Martinez temporarily took over, he stayed with Man until 1996, recording 2 studio albums and 3 live albums, and becoming their longest serving drummer, allegedly leaving because Gentle Giant were about to reform,. Ironically, he left Man shortly before Phil Ryan re-joined the band. John was infamously featured in the 1986 S4C TV programme Rocking With A Sikh, backing the Sikh Elvis impersonator Peter Singh, along with Martin Ace and Micky Jones.
It was variously reported that he was suffering from RSI or arthritis, but according to him was actually “diagnosed with a condition called Spinocerebellar Ataxia, which is akin to M.S.” The unpublished memoirs of his time spent in Morriston Hospital - Two Weeks in Pain - Under the Knife, hilariously document the trials of an NHS in-patient in post-op recovery.
John has appeared on several Welsh TV soundtracks, and in 2006 rejoined the latest re-incarnation of Wild Turkey, to record their album You & Me In The Jungle and tour Europe.
Weathers is also a keen ornithologist.