Mungo Jerry

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Mungo Jerry is the name of a pop group whose greatest success was in the early 1970s, though they have continued throughout the years with an ever-changing line-up, always fronted by Ray Dorset. They are remembered above all for their classic hit "In the Summertime", the evergreen "Lady Rose" and the rock-smash "Alright Alright Alright". Their name was inspired by the poem "Mungojerrie and Rumpelteazer", from T.S. Eliot's Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats.

1 Original members
2 Career
3 Discography
- 3.1 Albums
- 3.2 UK singles chart discography
4 External links
5 References

[edit] Original members

Vocalist / songwriter - Ray Dorset - born Raymond Edward Dorset, 21 March 1946, in Ashford, Kent.
Keyboardist - Colin Earl - born 6 May 1942, at Bearsted Memorial Hospital, Hampton Court, Middlesex.
Backing vocalist and banjo/guitar player - Paul King - born 9 January 1948, in Dagenham, Essex.
Bassist - Mike Cole - born Michael Maurice Cole, 19 March 1943, at Perivale Maternity Hospital, Perivale, Middlesex.
Percussionist - Joe Rush - born Joseph Rush, December 1940.

[edit] Career

Dorset and Earl had previously been members of The Good Earth. Soon after recruiting King and Cole, they made their national debut at a festival at Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire in May 1970, the week their first single, In the Summertime was released. Not only did they steal the show, but the record topped the UK Singles Chart for seven weeks, made No. 1 in almost every other country around the world, and to date has sold around 23 million copies. After John Godfrey replaced Cole, their second single "Baby Jump" also topped the British charts in March 1971. Mungo's next world-wide smash, "Lady Rose" (also in 1971), gave Mungo Jerry the image as a band for producing summertime based hits.

Dorset found the group's good-time blues and jug band repertoire a little restricting, and in 1972 he released a solo album "Cold Blue Excursion", with his songs backed by strings and brass and, in one instance, a jazz band. His intention to broaden the group's appeal by recruiting a drummer, led to King and Earl trying to sack him. But the management's decision was to fire both. They thus gave Ray Dorset, who was, in the eye of media and public 'Mr Mungo Jerry', with his outstanding voice, and talent as composer, the chance to renew the band, together with Godfrey from the former line-up of the group, and new musicians. This resulted in arguably the best Mungo Jerry album, presenting a new sound: "Boot Power". King and Earl went on to form the King Earl Boogie Band.

Mungo Jerry's hits continued through to 1976 with "Open Up" (Top Twenty in Europe and No.1 in Brazil); "Alright Alright Alright" (a rewrite of an old French hit for Jacques Dutronc, and again a major hit worldwide reaching the Top 3 in Britain); "Wild Love"; "Long Legged Woman Dressed In Black"; "Hello Nadine" (Continental European hit and Top Five in Canada); and "It´s a Secret" (Continental European hit).

In 1975 Earl, who had played piano with Foghat in between, returned to play keyboards, and percussion player Joe Rush, part-time member of the band in earlier days, also came back for a while.

The group's line-up has changed constantly over the years. Among those who have played with them are bassist Bob Daisley, drummers Dave Bidwell, Paul Hancox and Boris Williams, guitarist Dick Middleton and keyboard/accordion player Steve Jones. They have remained particularly popular throughout Europe. Mungo Jerry was the first western band who had live TV gigs, in all countries behind the Iron Curtain. Their famous "Golden Orpheus" gig in Bulgaria, also gave them a lot of new fans.

In 1980 another Dorset song, "Feels Like I'm In Love", originally written for Elvis Presley, and recorded by the band as a B side of a single, became a British No. 1 hit for Kelly Marie. They remained successful with overseas hits like "On A Night Like This", "Knockin' On Heaven's Door" and "Sunshine Reggae" (British version by Mungo Jerry & Horizon). But Dorset had to wait until 1995 for a real comeback, when "In the Summertime" was recorded by reggae vocalist Shaggy, who topped the charts worldwide. The last UK hit for Mungo Jerry was "Toon Army", a hymn regarding Newcastle United F.C. in 1999.

In 1983 "Mungo Jerry" Ray Dorset was part of the blues supergroup Katmandu, which recorded "A Case For The Blues", with guitarist Peter Green, formerly of Fleetwood Mac, and keyboard player Vincent Crane, formerly of Atomic Rooster. This was not his only project in the last twenty years that supported the never ending success of the white blues.

In 2003, with German musicians, Dorset recorded "Adults Only" album under the name Mungo Jerry Blues Band, widely acclaimed as one of the best of his career. 2005 saw him performing with three Mungo Jerry line-ups: The British Mungo Jerry Band (Pop/Rock), the German Mungo Jerry Blues Band (Bluesrock) and Mungo Jerry & the Goodtime Gamblers (jug/blues/skiffle).

Also in June 2005, Ray Dorset had a gig again as a duo with Mike Cole - the original double bass player from the early Mungo days - as a highlight of the "35 Years Of Mungo Jerry" event in both Newcastle and Stoke.

In March 2006 Mungo Jerry released their new single "Mr Midnight" from "Phantom of the Opera on Ice" (http://www.plazarecords.co.uk); produced by Roberto Danova - who had mixed in the past the old continental Mungo Jerry hits "Lana" and "It´s a Secret" - and is well-known for his work with rock and pop music, in combination with big orchestras.

[edit] Discography

[edit] Albums

Mungo Jerry - 1970 (No. 14, UK)
Electronically Tested - 1971 (No. 13, UK)
You Don't Have To Be In The Army - 1971
Boot Power (regarded by some as the best album Ray Dorset and his band recorded over the years) - 1972
Long Legged Woman Dressed In Black - 1974
Impala Saga - 1975
Ray Dorset & Mungo Jerry - 1977
Lovin´ In The Alleys And Fightin' In The Streets - 1977
Six A Side - 1979
Together Again - 1981
Boogie Up - 1982
Katmandu - A Case for the Blues - 1984 (Mungo Jerry/Peter Green/Vincent Crane)
All the hits plus more - 1987
Snakebite - 1991
Old Shoes New Jeans - 1997
Candy Dreams - 2001
Move on - The latest and the greatest - 2002
Adults only - 2003

[edit] UK singles chart discography

"In The Summertime" - 1970 - No. 1
"Baby Jump" - 1971 - No. 1
"Lady Rose" - 1971 - No. 5
"You Don't Have To Be In The Army To Fight In The War" - 1971 - No. 13
"Open Up" - 1972 - No. 21
"Alright Alright Alright" - 1973 - No. 3
"Wild Love" - 1973 - No. 32
"Long Legged Woman Dressed In Black" - 1974 - No. 13
"In the Summertime ´87" - 1987 - Number 1 (Indie Charts/ as "Mungo Jerry & Brothers Grimm")
"Prospects" - 1985 - No. 35 (as "Made in England")
"Support The Toon - It's Your Duty (EP incl. "Toon Army")" - 1999 - No. 57