Similar Artists:
Creedence Clearwater Revival,
The Cate Brothers,
John Cafferty,
John Fogerty,
Creedence Clearwater Revisited,
Day by the River ,
Ron Wood,
Drivin' n' Cryin',
Joe Grushecky,
Tom Fogerty,
Izzy Stradlin
Influenced By:
Worked With:
- Active: '70s, '80s, '90s
- Genres: Rock
- Instrument: Vocals, Guitar
- Representative Albums: "Caught in the Act", "Down in the Bunker", "Any Road Up
Biography
A critic once called Steve Gibbons "the English Bob Seger," which, as descriptions go, could have been much worse, but is really based on superficialities. Both guys are basically unpretentious, blue-collar rockers who achieved fame (Seger much more so than Gibbons) as veterans. But Gibbons' solo career -- which is the guise in which he is best known -- wasn't long enough to witness the kind of decline and formulaic emptiness that marked Seger's career after 1980. Still, for a career that lasted for five albums, Gibbons didn't do too badly; three of them are good, and one (Down in the Bunker) is great.Gibbons' career actually dates back to the very end of the '50s. A rock & roller with a special love of
He initially joined former Move bassist Trevor Burton, ex-Moody Blues guitarist/singer Denny Laine, and his former Uglys bandmate Keith Smart in an outfit called Balls. by April of that year they had formed a new group called Balls, which didn't last long but did leave an album behind. Gibbons then joined the Birmingham band the Idle Race, which had lost Jeff Lynne to the Move not too long before. That configuration lasted for a few months, before it renamed itself the Steve Gibbons Band.
It was in this guise that Gibbons finally began his rise to stardom, at least in England. Gibbons fancied himself a modern-day rock & roll outlaw: dark features, surly countenance, mean disposition. His songs were essentially Chuck Berry updates (in some cases, simply Chuck Berry covers) about thugs, dealers, and good lovin' gone bad. Tight with Who bassist John Entwistle, Gibbons was able to land a contract with the Who's American label, MCA, and share the same management company. The trouble was that being the English Bob Seger meant little, if anything, to most American rock fans (who preferred their own Seger by a wide margin), and Gibbons' career never amounted to much in the U.S.; he was fairly popular in England, though. Following Down in the Bunker, Gibbons released two early-'80s records for RCA, and On the Loose for Magnum Force in 1986. The 1998 Bob Dylan tribute The Dylan Project, recorded with members of Fairport Convention, marked a comeback of sorts for Gibbons. He has continued to tour with the Steve Gibbons Band into the 21st century and participated in various Birmingham rock & roll showcases with fellow Brummies Trevor Burton, Bev Bevan, and Danny King. ~ John Dougan & Bruce Eder, All Music Guide
