NBC : About ,,Mungo Jerry,,
Vjacheslav M. Ivanov
Dudes -
Moscow is pasted over with the announcements of the future festival of a Blues and
rock'n'roll.
Festival consists of five American groups ...
The group ,,Mungo Jerry,, ( or ,,Mango Jarry,,?) is among it.
Photo of old brave guy from this group is represented in the announcements...
That it's interesting , he is a similar to our Russian poet : Alexander S.Pushkin !
I store the old cassette with recording of this group...
It seems it's the recording of 70-th years...
Melodies , play and energy are very magnificent !
Please somebody tell about history and albums of this group.
Thanks.
Sincerely ,
Vjacheslav.
__________________________________________
Jay Watterworth
evocative. I am pasting a brief bio from All-Music for you.
Mungo Jerry is one of rock's great one-hit successes. Outside of England,
they're known for exactly one song, but that song, "In The Summertime," is
a seasonal anthem known by listeners who weren't even born when it was
released. Mungo Jerry was a solid blues outfit as wellin fact, one
suspects they were the kind of blues band that purists Alexis Korner and
Cyril Davies would have loved, had they ever intersectedand knew how to
get the most out of their jug band sound, which has helped them survive
for three decades.
Mungo Jerry was formed in 1970 by singer-guitarist Ray Dorset (b. Mar 21,
1946), who had a fascination with early rock 'n roll sounds, as well as
skiffle and blues. The other original members were Mike Cole on upright
bass, Paul King on guitar, kazoo, and jug, Joe Rush playing washboard, and
Colin Earl at the keyboards. Dorset and Earl had first hooked up in The
Good Earth, a group with a mixed rock 'n roll and blues sound, which cut
some tracks for the mid-priced label Saga, none of which sold. Mike Cole,
and Paul King came aboard, and Joe Rush and the line-up was complete, and
the name Mungo Jerryfrom a T.S. Eliot poemcame next, with a contract from
Pye Records.
The quartet had a pleasing, low-key jug band sound, folk-like but also
bluesy, which was unusual in 1969, a time when most British bands that
were into blues were shooting for high-wattage virtuosity. They sounded
less like the Cream or Blind Faith and a lot more like Jesse Fuller or
Tampa Red, or even Piano Red (aka Dr. Feelgood). Mungo Jerry became one of
the very first acts placed on the Pye label's new Dawn Records imprint, a
progressive label that was intended to update Pye's image. In May of 1970,
following an appearance at the Newcastle Hollywood Festival, their debut
single "In The Summertime," written by Ray Dorset, was released. The
record, an easy-going, catchy skiffle-like piece reflecting the mood of
the season in its title and the sexual ethos of the late '60s, was an
instant hit, shooting to No. 1 in England in only two weeks and riding the
charts for much of the summerconcerts and television appearances followed
in profusion, although the most often seen among the latter is a
performance mimed to the single. It was a top 10 hit in America, riding
the charts for weeks, and was a success in practically every country in
which it was released, ultimately selling between eight and 16 million
copies around the world.
A self-titled debut album was rush-released that summer to capitalize on
the hit. By the time the LP was recorded, washboard-player Joe Rush was
gone, and Mike Cole had left by the time the record was issued, the
beginning of a dizzying series of personnel changes. The group's second
single, "Baby Jump," was a chart-topper in England but didn't fare as well
overseas, and heralded a second album, Electronically Tested, and was
followed by a third, You Don't Have To Be In The Army, that same year,
with a parallel U.S. release, Memoirs of a Stockbroker (Janus Records).
"Maggie," "Johnny B Badde," "Mighty Man," "Lady Rose," and "You Don't Have
To Be In the Army To Fight In The War" all charted in England and got
decent, if not spectacular airplay at various other points around the
globe.
The membership of Mungo Jerry began coming apart almost from the outset of
their success. Mike Cole, who was replaced by John Godfrey, was followed
out of the line-up by Paul King and Colin Earl, although their exit was
somewhat more acrimoniousthey attempted to take the name Mungo Jerry, but
Ray Dorset, as the singer, guitarist and songwriter, held onto the name.
Instead, King and Earl cut solo albums for Pye and went on the road as the
Earl King Boogie Band with former bandmate Joe Rush in the line-up.
Meanwhile, Ray Dorset recruited keyboard player Jon Pope and drummer Tim
Reeves for Mungo Jerry.
Essentially, from 1972 onward, Ray Dorset was Mungo Jerry, even more than
Ian Anderson was Jethro Tull. Drummer Paul Hancox (ex-Chicken Shack),
bassist (and future Ozzie Osbourne alumnus) Bob Daisley, and keyboard man
John Cook passed through, as did piano player Ian Milne and guitarist Dick
Middleton, and that was just during the band's time on Pye, thru 1975. In
the later '70s, when the band was signed to Polydor, original members
Colin Earl and Joe Rush were back in the line-up. Earl and Paul King later
formed a group called Skeleton Crew together.
Mungo Jerry's chart hits stopped coming, but they continued to attract
audiences on stage everywhere from Eastern Europe to the Middle East.
Ironically, Ray Dorset found himself unable to emerge from the shadow of
his group's identityhis solo albums, including 1987's A Case For The
Blues, featuring Peter Green on guitar, failed to attract any attention.
Twenty-nine years after its founding, Mungo Jerry, which can consist of
any line-up from a quartet down to Ray Dorset with taped accompaniment,
continues to work on stage, and "In The Summertime" remains their
signature tune. Bruce Eder
Jay Watterworth
Department of Sociology
University of Colorado at Boulder
"No artist is ahead of his time. He 'is' his time; it is just that others
are behind the times."
Martha Graham
Vjacheslav M. Ivanov
Mr.Jay Watterworth ,
Review is a full and a fine !
Thank you very much!
Sincerely ,
Vjacheslav.
________________________
Blue Stew
BUT......for the longest time, I couldn't get that damn song out of my head, "In the summertime da da da da da da de de de ......". Hell...now I'm singin' it again.....damn!
M.P.Miller "I don't cry, I sing the blues" www.bluestew.com
Vjacheslav M. Ivanov
The people are surprisingly similar in the experiences !
It seems , This musical phrase turn not only at
me in a head ...
I have calmed down: I isn't madman...
Thanks.
Sincerely ,
Vjacheslav.
_____________________________________
----- Original Message -----
From: Blue Stew
To: uni...@ns.cnt.ru ; BLU...@LISTSERV.BROWN.EDU
Sent: Sunday, January 28, 2001 1:43 PM
Subject: Re: NBC : About ,,Mungo Jerry,,
Steve Hoffman
in the last few years, covered "In the Summertime" on a recent album
.... so a whole new generation of listeners will have this tune stuck in
their heads!
Steve H
Bronxharp1
Call them a one-hit wonder, but I have the Rhino release " The Best of Mungo
Jerry", and there are LOTS of great songs on there!
Who played that rockin' piano, thats what I'd like to know...
MTH