Foghat

Foghat
Group members in 1973, as pictured on the back cover of their second album. Clockwise from top left: "Lonesome" Dave Peverett, Tony Stevens, Roger Earl, Rod Price.
Background information
Origin	London, England
Genres	Blues rock, boogie rock, hard rock
Years active	1971–1984, 1986–present
Labels	Bearsville, Atlantic, Rhino
Website	www.foghat.com www.foghat.net
Members	Roger Earl Craig MacGregor Bryan Bassett Charlie Huhn
Past members	Dave Peverett Rod Price Tony Stevens Nick Jameson Erik Cartwright Kenny Aaronson Rob Alter Eric Burgeson Brett Cartwright Jeff Howell Phil Nudelman Billy Davis Dave Crigger

Foghat are an English rock band formed in London in 1971. The band is known for its prominent use of electric slide guitar in its music.^[1] The band has achieved 8 gold records, one platinum and one double platinum record, and despite several lineup changes, continues to record and perform to the present day.

History

1970s

The band initially featured Dave Peverett ("Lonesome Dave") on guitar and vocals, Tony Stevens on bass, and Roger Earl on drums when they left Savoy Brown in 1970. Rod Price on guitar/slide guitar joined after he left the Black Cat Bones in December 1970. The new line-up was named "Foghat" (a nonsense word from a childhood game played by Peverett and his brother^[2]) in January 1971. Their 1972 album, Foghat was produced by Dave Edmunds and had a cover of Willie Dixon's "I Just Want to Make Love to You", which received much airplay, especially on FM stations. Additional tracks on this initial offering include a remake of the Savoy Brown bluesy ode to the road "Leavin' Again (Again!)" and "Sarah Lee", a classic blues burner featuring Rod Price's slide guitar solo. The band's second self-titled album was also known as Rock and Roll for its cover photo of a rock and a bread roll, and it went gold. Energized came out in 1974, followed by Rock and Roll Outlaws and Fool for the City in 1975, the year that Stevens left the band after objecting to their endless touring schedule. Stevens was replaced temporarily by producer Nick Jameson in 1975 when the band recorded Fool for the City. In the next year, Jameson was replaced by Craig MacGregor and the group produced Night Shift in 1976, a live album in 1977, and Stone Blue in 1978, each reaching "gold" record sales. Fool for the City spawned the hit single "Slow Ride" (which reached #20 in the US), but the greatest sales figures were for Live, which sold over 2,000,000 copies. More hits followed: "Drivin' Wheel"; "I Just Want to Make Love to You" (from the live album); "Stone Blue"; and "Third Time Lucky (First Time I Was a Fool)". Rod Price left the band in November 1980, unhappy with the group's still constant touring and the shift away from their hard boogie sound towards a more new-wave-influenced pop direction. After months of auditions he was replaced by Erik Cartwright by February 1981.

1980s

After 1978, Foghat record sales began to slip, and their last album for the Bearsville label, Zig-Zag Walk in 1983, only briefly touched the charts at No. 192. MacGregor quit in 1982 and Nick Jameson returned to play on In the Mood for Something Rude and Zig Zag Walk before turning things over to Kenny Aaronson (1983) and then Rob Alter (1983–1984). MacGregor returned in 1984.

The band briefly disbanded in 1984 after Dave Peverett left and returned to England. But Earl, along with MacGregor and Cartwright, reformed with a new singer/guitarist Eric (E. J.) Burgeson and continued touring as Foghat into the early 1990s. MacGregor (1986–1987, 1991), Eric's brother Brett Cartwright (1987, 1988–1989), and Jeff Howell (1987–1988, 1989–1991) alternated on bass during that time. In addition, Phil Nudelman (1989–1990) and then Billy Davis (1990–1993) took over from Burgeson. Dave Crigger joined on bass in 1991-1993.

1990s

Lonesome Dave had returned to the US by 1990 and formed his own Lonesome Dave's Foghat that featured Bryan Bassett (ex Wild Cherry), Stephen Dees (bass), and Eddie Zyne (drums). Dees and Zyne had played with Hall & Oates, among others. Former Molly Hatchet bassist Riff West succeeded Dees in 1991 and Rod Price even did the odd guest appearance.

In 1993, at the urging of producer Rick Rubin, the original line-up reunited. Although Rubin ultimately proved to be unavailable to produce their comeback project, the group went ahead anyway and released a studio album entitled Return of the Boogie Men in 1994 and a live album entitled Road Cases in 1998. The final album of the decade, King Biscuit Flower Hour from the syndicated radio show of the same name, was released in May 1999, and consisted of live recordings from 1974 and 1976.

After being back together six years, the original line-up once again ended after Price decided to retire from touring for good. Bryan Bassett (who had been playing with Molly Hatchet), from Lonesome Dave's Foghat, was brought in on guitar.

2000s

Current Foghat members Craig MacGregor (left) and Charlie Huhn (right) performing with Foghat

The 2000s saw the deaths of founding members Dave Peverett and Rod Price. Peverett died on 7 February 2000 from complications from kidney cancer at the age of 56. Charlie Huhn (formerly of Humble Pie and Ted Nugent) was brough in to replace him on lead vocals and guitar. This lineup of Earl, Stevens, Bassett and Huhn recorded the 2003 album Family Joules.^[3]

Rod Price died on 22 March 2005 at the age of 57 of a fall resulting from a heart attack.^[4] Later that year original bassist Tony Stevens left the band and was replaced by former bassist Craig MacGregor.

The 2010 version of Foghat consisted of Roger Earl, Craig MacGregor, Charlie Huhn, and Bryan Bassett. At a concert during the Summer of 2010, former Rainbow and Black Sabbath drummer Bobby Rondinelli had temporarily replaced Roger Earl while Roger was recovering from surgery. At another Foghat concert during the Summer of 2010, after Roger Earl returned to the band, bassist Jeff Howell had temporarily replaced Craig MacGregor because of an illness. As of 2005, bassist Craig MacGregor had returned.^[5] Foghat’s latest album Last Train Home (released 15 June 2010) was the culmination of a dream shared by Roger Earl and Lonesome Dave Peverett . It contained some of their favourite blues songs, three originals ("Born for the Road", "Last Train Home", and "495 Boogie"), and two songs by special guest performer and long time friend, Eddie 'Bluesman' Kirkland who was 86. He had played with Foghat as a special guest back in 1977 at Foghat’s Tribute to the Blues at the New York Palladium, and remained a good friend of the band until he was killed in a car accident on 27 February 2011.

Also performing on Last Train Home are Colin Earl / piano, Jeff Howell / bass, and Lefty Lefkowitz / harmonica. According to Earl, “This CD is a testimony to Lonesome Dave. We always planned to do this. I am so fortunate to have partners in band members Charlie Huhn and Bryan Bassett who share the same passion for the blues. It was not hard work putting this album together; playing this kind of music is joyous. We had a blast!”^[5]

On 9 July 2013, the band released a single called "The Word of Rock n' Roll", a Christmas song (an instrumental version of "Winter Wonderland") on 5 November 2013, and released a new DVD (Live in St. Pete) in December 2013.

November 10, 2015 Foghat announced they would start making a new studio album and the album will be completely fan-funded through a PledgeMusic Campaign. The album is titled Under the Influence and was released on June 24, 2016. "We have several new songs, a couple of Savoy Brown songs, and a couple of ‘covers’ and we are very excited about this record!"

Longtime bassist Craig MacGregor was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer in 2015. The cancer was first detected at an earlier stage in 2012 but MacGregor was not informed until 2015. Following this incident he has become a proponent of a bill that would require physicians to communicate test results with patients promptly. Although he is still officially a member of Foghat, effects of chemotherapy have made him unable to play music and he is currently being replaced on tour by former Pat Travers bassist, Rodney O'Quinn.^[6]

Personnel

Band members

Lineups

Timeline

Discography

Albums

^[7]

Compilations

• Best of Foghat (1989)
• Best of Foghat Volume 2 (1992)
• Best of Foghat (Rhino Special Edition) (1992)
• Slow Ride and Other Hits (1997)
• Anthology (1999)
• Hits You Remember Live (2001)
• Live 2000 (2001)
• Essential (2002)

Singles

^[8]

^[9]

References

External links

• 2007 Roger Earl Interview
• Official Website of original Foghat
• Official Website of current Foghat