Savoy Brown began in the British
Blues movement of the 60s. Blues
musicians moved from band to band
and so the history is complicated.
Kim Simmonds was the lead guitarist
for Savoy Brown from the start, but
in 1974 he was joined by Stan Webb,
from Chicken Shack and Miller
Anderson, from The Keef Hartley
Band. They called themselves
"The Boogie Brothers". They released
one album and went on tour in the US.
I saw Savoy Brown twice. The first time
in 1972. The opening band for them
was Hemlock, led by Miller Anderson.
My friends and I saw "The Boogie Brothers"
in San Francisco at Bill Graham's
Winterland in June 1974.
To see my photos of that concert and
read our memoirs, go to -
Below are autographs and my photos
from the 1974 show. The ticket stub
is from the 1972 show.
Below is a page from the amazing
book "Rock Family Trees" by Pete
Frame. Copyright by
Omnibus Press 1993.
Reviews of Savoy Brown's
early albums.
An interview with Miller
Anderson from Beat
Magazine, November 1971.
"Hellbound Train" was a
very popular album. The title
song had a driving beat and haunting
vocals by Dave Walker.
Hellbound train, (audio clip) A rare interview with
Kim Simmonds.
Stan Webb's
Chicken Shack album,
"Unlucky Boy", released July 1973.
I was lucky to see
Hemlock and buy the
album. They were a short
lived group. Bass player, James
Leverton and drummer, Eric Dillon,
joined "The Boogie Brothers", too.
Their split was announced
seven days after the ad.
A review of Chris Youlden's
first solo album after leaving
Savoy Brown.
A review of Savoy
Brown's album,
"Boogie Brothers".
Mike Vernon was a music producer
for many of the British blues groups,
including Savoy Brown.
Below are liner notes from a double
album titled, "History of British Blues."
Published on SIRE RECORDS,
© Mike Vernon, 1993.
Savoy Brown's first album.
It was not released in the US.
The song, "Shake 'em on Down" was
on the first album, but was so long that
it took up both sides of the single.
It is considered a highlight on the album.
"Shake 'Em On Down", (audio clip)
The British release of their 2nd album, "Getting to the Point",
showed Kim Simmonds, a white man, looking though
glasses with a black man's point of view.
It was censored in the US release,
as shown below.
The US version.
Their third album, "Blue Matter".
Their fourth album, "A Step Further".
Their fifth album, "Raw Sienna".
David Anstey illustrated the next 3 albums
for Savoy Brown. He used strong graphics
influenced by comic books.
The cover of "Looking In" is
influenced by the horror comics of the
50s popularized by EC Comics. It has a close
resemblance to the work of Jack Davis.
Lonesome Dave, pictured below, made five
albums with Savoy Brown then left to form
his own band, Foghat. His real name
was David Peverett. He died in 2000.
The cover of "Street Corner Talking"
was influenced by Robert
Crumb's early work.
Dave Walker, pictured below, left Savoy
Brown and joined Fleetwood Mac.
Dave Walker, a history
The cover and inside art of
"Hellbound Train" lookes like it was
influenced by the Underground Comix
of S. Clay Wilson and others.
Stan Webb's group, Chicken Shack,
included Christine Perfect, also known
as Christine McVie, wife of
Fleetwood Mac's, John McVie.
I met Christine McVie at a Fleetwood
Mac concert and got her autograph. She was
very polite, but visibly upset due to the
fact her husband's drink had been
spiked with an unknown substance and
was possibly going to the hospital.
Miller Anderson has had a long career in the
British rock scene and has played in many groups.
He gained notoriety as the lead guitar and vocalist
with The Keef Hartley Band. He also wrote
most of the music. A little known fact is
that they played at Woodstock.
Below is his first solo
album after leaving Keef Hartley.
Gary Thain played bass. He later
joined Uriah Heep. (See our earlier
Hemlock toured the US with Savoy Brown
in 1972. The bass and drum players, James
Leverton and Eric Dillion, both joined
Savoy Brown with Miller Anderson.
Leverton and Dillion had previously been
in Fat Mattress, a band created by
Noel Redding when he left Jimi
Hendrix's Experience. They
recorded two albums.
The cover art is by Klaus Voorman,
who also did the Beatles "Revolver" cover.
James Leverton had also been in
a group called Juicy Lucy. The cover
of this album was a rip-off of Underground
Comix artist S. Clay Wilson's "The
Checkered Demon".
This is a symbol from the tambourine
I picked up off the stage of the Berkeley
Community Theatre in 1972.
