Vinegar Joe (band)
Encyclopedia
Vinegar Joe were a British
R&B
band
. They issued three albums on Island Records
, but were best known for their live shows
and launching the solo careers of Elkie Brooks
and Robert Palmer.
, a 12-piece Stax-influenced, jazz-rock fusion band. Dada released one, eponymous, album in 1970, with a line up including vocalist Elkie Brooks
and guitarist Pete Gage. Singer Robert Palmer, formerly with The Alan Bown Set
, and bassist Steve York both joined Dada after the album had been recorded, and the four were signed by Ahmet Ertegun of Atlantic Records for USA and Chris Blackwell of Island Records for the UK and rest of the world to form Vinegar Joe in 1971, adding keyboard
player Dave Thompson. The band was without a drummer. Conrad Isidore and Rob Tait drummed on the first album. Their debut LP
Vinegar Joe was released in April 1972 on Island Records
in the UK
and Atco Records
in the US
.
John Hawken took over from Thompson on keyboards and John Woods became the drummer for live shows. Mike Deacon took over on keyboards. During recording of their second album, Rock'n Roll Gypsies, also released in 1972, Keef Hartley played drums. Guitarist Jim Mullen
also joined the band for this record and stayed played on the US tour . Drummer Pete Gavin joined the band prior to the US tour and recording of their third and final album Six Star General released in 1973. The band dissolved at in the spring of 1974. Alan Powell played drums during the band's final weeks.
Although Vinegar Joe never achieved significant record sales, they received considerable press coverage and toured extensively, playing numerous sell-out concerts, especially on the British university circuit.
Subsequently, Brooks and Palmer went on to enjoy success as solo
musicians. Gage became a record producer
and arranger, working with Brooks, his wife, until their divorce, and a range of successful musicians like Joan Armatrading
and specialising in upcoming rockability (rockabilly?) and punk bands such as Restless, King Kurt
and others.
Compilations
Additional musicians
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...
R&B
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
band
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
. They issued three albums on Island Records
Island Records
Island Records is a record label that was founded by Chris Blackwell in Jamaica. It was based in the United Kingdom for many years and is now owned by Universal Music Group...
, but were best known for their live shows
Concert
A concert is a live performance before an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, a choir, or a musical band...
and launching the solo careers of Elkie Brooks
Elkie Brooks
Elkie Brooks is an English singer, formerly a vocalist with Vinegar Joe, and later a solo artist. Elkie has been nominated twice for Brit Awards' top female singer. She is known for her powerful husky voice...
and Robert Palmer.
History
Vinegar Joe evolved out of DadaDada
Dada or Dadaism is a cultural movement that began in Zurich, Switzerland, during World War I and peaked from 1916 to 1922. The movement primarily involved visual arts, literature—poetry, art manifestoes, art theory—theatre, and graphic design, and concentrated its anti-war politics through a...
, a 12-piece Stax-influenced, jazz-rock fusion band. Dada released one, eponymous, album in 1970, with a line up including vocalist Elkie Brooks
Elkie Brooks
Elkie Brooks is an English singer, formerly a vocalist with Vinegar Joe, and later a solo artist. Elkie has been nominated twice for Brit Awards' top female singer. She is known for her powerful husky voice...
and guitarist Pete Gage. Singer Robert Palmer, formerly with The Alan Bown Set
The Alan Bown Set
The Alan Bown Set later known as The Alan Bown! or just Alan Bown, were a British band of the 1960s and 1970s whose music evolved from jazz and blues through soul and rhythm and blues and ended up as psychedelia and progressive rock...
, and bassist Steve York both joined Dada after the album had been recorded, and the four were signed by Ahmet Ertegun of Atlantic Records for USA and Chris Blackwell of Island Records for the UK and rest of the world to form Vinegar Joe in 1971, adding keyboard
Keyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
player Dave Thompson. The band was without a drummer. Conrad Isidore and Rob Tait drummed on the first album. Their debut LP
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
Vinegar Joe was released in April 1972 on Island Records
Island Records
Island Records is a record label that was founded by Chris Blackwell in Jamaica. It was based in the United Kingdom for many years and is now owned by Universal Music Group...
in the 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...
and Atco Records
Atco Records
ATCO Records is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group, currently operating through WMG's Rhino Entertainment.-Beginnings:Atco Records was founded in 1955 as a division of Atlantic Records. It was devised as an outlet for productions by one of Atlantic's founders, Herb Abramson, who...
in the US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
John Hawken took over from Thompson on keyboards and John Woods became the drummer for live shows. Mike Deacon took over on keyboards. During recording of their second album, Rock'n Roll Gypsies, also released in 1972, Keef Hartley played drums. Guitarist Jim Mullen
Jim Mullen
Jim Mullen is a Glasgow-born jazz guitarist with a distinctive style, like Wes Montgomery before him, picking with the thumb rather than a plectrum.-Biography:...
also joined the band for this record and stayed played on the US tour . Drummer Pete Gavin joined the band prior to the US tour and recording of their third and final album Six Star General released in 1973. The band dissolved at in the spring of 1974. Alan Powell played drums during the band's final weeks.
Although Vinegar Joe never achieved significant record sales, they received considerable press coverage and toured extensively, playing numerous sell-out concerts, especially on the British university circuit.
Subsequently, Brooks and Palmer went on to enjoy success as solo
Solo (music)
In music, a solo is a piece or a section of a piece played or sung by a single performer...
musicians. Gage became a record 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...
and arranger, working with Brooks, his wife, until their divorce, and a range of successful musicians like Joan Armatrading
Joan Armatrading
Joan Anita Barbara Armatrading, MBE is a British singer, songwriter and guitarist. Armatrading is a three-time Grammy Award-nominee and has been nominated twice for BRIT Awards as Best Female Artist...
and specialising in upcoming rockability (rockabilly?) and punk bands such as Restless, King Kurt
King Kurt
King Kurt was a 1980s psychobilly rock band from the UK. They formed in 1981 and split up in 1988, although they have reformed sporadically and played a reunion concert in 2010...
and others.
Album discography
- Vinegar Joe - Island (UK), Atco (U.S.) 1972 (re-issued on Lemon)
- Rock'n Roll Gypsies - Island (UK), Atco (U.S.) 1972 US #201
- Six Star General - Island (UK), Atco (U.S.) 1973
Compilations
- Six Star Gypsies 1994
- Speed Queen of Ventura: An Introduction to Vinegar Joe 2003
Former members
- Elkie Brooks: vocals (1971-1974)
- Pete Gage: guitars (1971-1974)
- Robert Palmer: vocals (1971-1974)
- Steve York: bass (1971-1974)
- Dave Thompson: keyboards (1971-1972)
- Conrad Isidore: drums (1971-1972)
- Rob Tait: drums (1971-1972)
- John Hawken: keyboards (1972)
- John Woods: drums (1972)
- Mike Deacon: keyboards (1972-1974)
- Keef Hartley: drums (1972-1973)
- Jim Mullen: guitars (1972-1974)
- Pete Gavin: drums (1973-1974)
- Alan Powell: drums (1974)
Additional musicians
- Dave Brooks - tenor sax
- Tim HinkleyTim HinkleyTim Hinkley is an English singer-songwriter, keyboardist and record producer. Hinkley started playing in youth club bands in the early 1960s, including The Copains, Boys, Freeman Five. During this time he turned down an offer to join The Konrads which featured Davy Jones, who later changed his...
- keyboards - Nick South - bass
- Gasper Lawall - percussion