Babe Ruth are an English

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...

band from

Hatfield, Hertfordshire Hatfield is a town and civil parish in Hertfordshire, England, in the borough of Welwyn Hatfield. It had a population of 29,616 in 2001, 39,201 at the 2011 census, and 41,265 at the 2021 census. The settlement is of Saxon origin. Hatfield House ...

, England. They were active in the 1970s and then reformed in 2002.

History

In 1971 after graduating from

Royal Academy of Music The Royal Academy of Music (RAM) in London, England, is one of the oldest music schools in the UK, founded in 1822 by John Fane and Nicolas-Charles Bochsa. It received its royal charter in 1830 from King George IV with the support of the firs ...

, Alan Shacklock formed "Shacklock" with David Hewitt on bass, Dave Punshon on piano, Dick Powell on drums, and Jenny Haan as vocalist.

Roger Dean (artist) William Roger Dean (born 31 August 1944) is an English artist, designer, and publisher. He began painting posters and album covers for musicians in the late 1960s. The groups for whom he did the most art are the English rock bands Yes and Asia ...

later introduced Shacklock to Nick Mobbs, vice president of A&R to the

EMI EMI Group Limited (formerly EMI Group plc until 2007; originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records or simply EMI) was a British transnational conglomerate founded in March 1931 in London. At t ...

Harvest Records Harvest Records is a British-American record label belonging to Capitol Music Group, originally created by EMI in 1969. History Harvest Records was created by EMI in 1969 to market progressive rock music, and to compete with Philips' Vertigo ...

, who got them a show at

Marquee Club The Marquee Club was a music venue in London, England, that opened in 1958 with a range of jazz and skiffle acts. It was a small and relatively cheap club, in the heart of London's West End of London, West End. It was the location of the first ...

before signing the band on to the

Harvest label. In 1972, Shacklock was renamed after Babe Ruth, the baseball player. In 1972, Rupert Perry signed Babe Ruth for the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, and their first album, ''

First Base A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...

'', was released. In 1973 Ed Spevock joined Babe Ruth, replacing Powell on drums. Babe Ruth appeared twice on

BBC Two BBC Two is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's second flagship channel, and it covers a wide range of subject matte ...

The Old Grey Whistle Test ''The Old Grey Whistle Test'' (sometimes abbreviated to ''Whistle Test'' or ''OGWT'') is a British television music series broadcast by the BBC. It was devised by producer Rowan Ayers, commissioned by David Attenborough, and aired on BBC2 from ...

in 1973 on 2 January and 2 August. Shacklock, Haan, Punshon, Hewitt and Spevock survived a near fatal car crash on the

M1 motorway The M1 motorway connects London to Leeds, where it joins the A1(M) motorway, A1(M) near Aberford, to connect to Newcastle upon Tyne, Newcastle. It was the first inter-urban motorway to be completed in the UK; the first motorway in the count ...

coming home from a 1973 performance at

Liverpool University The University of Liverpool (abbreviated UOL) is a public research university in Liverpool, England. Founded in 1881 as University College Liverpool, Victoria University, it received Royal Charter by King Edward VII in 1903 attaining the de ...

. Chris Holmes then joined Babe Ruth on keyboards. ''Amar Caballero'', Babe Ruth's second album, was released in 1973. During a 1973 performance Shacklock was electrocuted but was not badly injured. In 1974 Babe Ruth's first album, ''First Base'', was certified gold in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. Steve Gurl joins Babe Ruth, replacing Chris Holmes on keyboards. Babe Ruth appeared again on

's ''

'', this time getting banned from BBC by Bernie Andrews. Babe Ruth was unbanned from BBC in 1975. The next two albums, ''Babe Ruth'' and ''Stealin' Home,'' were released in 1975. In 1975 Babe Ruth received the Gold Leaf Award for outstanding sales of their first album, ''First Base''. Babe Ruth's concert in Jardin des Étoiles, Montreal, Quebec, Canada on 9 April 1975, was filmed for television. With none of the original members left, Babe Ruth released their fifth album, ''Kid's Stuff'', in 1976. In 2002 Punshon, Haan, Shacklock, Spevock, and Hewitt started working on the sixth album, ''Que Pasa''. ''Que Pasa'' was completed in September 2006, and after being made available in digital form via the band's official website, was released on Revolver Records in 2009. The band embarked on a successful reunion tour of Canada in July 2010, playing three concerts at

Ottawa Bluesfest The Ottawa Bluesfest (currently known as RBC Bluesfest under a naming rights sponsorship) is an annual outdoor music festival that takes place each July in downtown Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. While the festival's lineup historically focused on b ...

Metropolis A metropolis () is a large city or conurbation which is a significant economic, political, and cultural area for a country or region, and an important hub for regional or international connections, commerce, and communications. A big city b ...

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

, and at the Festival International du Blues de Tremblant. On 28 June 2014, Babe Ruth played their only show of that year at

Milwaukee Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

Summerfest Summerfest is an annual music festival held in downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin. First held in 1968, Summerfest is located at Henry Maier Festival Park, adjacent to Lake Michigan and Milwaukee's Third Ward business district. Summerfest is known ...

Members

;Current * Ed Spevock (born Edmund Anthony Spevock, 14 December 1946,

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

) – drums (1973–present) * Jenny Haan (born Janita Haan, 9 May 1953,

Edgware Edgware () is a suburban town in northwest London. It was an ancient parish in the county of Middlesex east of the ancient Watling Street in what is now the London Borough of Barnet but it is now informally considered to cover a wider area, inc ...

Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a Historic counties of England, former county in South East England, now mainly within Greater London. Its boundaries largely followed three rivers: the River Thames, Thames in the south, the River Lea, Le ...

, now Janita Haan Morris) – lead vocals (1970–1975, 2002–present) * David Hewitt (born David John Hewitt, 4 May 1950,

Dewsbury Dewsbury is a market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees in West Yorkshire, England. It lies on the River Calder, West Yorkshire, River Calder and on an arm of the Calder and Hebble Navigation waterway. It is to the west of Wakefield, ...

West Yorkshire West Yorkshire is a Metropolitan counties of England, metropolitan and Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It borders North Yorkshire to the north and east, South Yorkshire and De ...

) – bass, backing vocals (1970–1975, 2002–present) * Alan Shacklock (born Alan Albert Shacklock, 20 June 1950,

) – guitars, backing vocals, organ, percussion, string arrangements (1970–1975, 2002–present) * Dave Punshon – keyboards, piano (1971–1973, 2002–present) ;Past * Jeff Allen (born Jeffrey Allen, 23 April 1946,

Matlock, Derbyshire Matlock is the county town of Derbyshire, England. It is in the south-eastern part of the Peak District, with the National Park directly to the west. The spa resort of Matlock Bath is immediately south of the town as well as Cromford lying fur ...

) – drums (1970–1971) * Dick Powell – drums, percussion (1971–1973) * Chris Holmes (born Christopher Noel Holmes, 12 September 1945,

Cleethorpes Cleethorpes () is a seaside town on the estuary of the Humber in North East Lincolnshire, Lincolnshire, England with a population of 29,678 in 2021. It has been permanently occupied since the 6th century, with fishing as its original industry ...

Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (), abbreviated ''Lincs'', is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands and Yorkshire and the Humber regions of England. It is bordered by the East Riding of Yorkshire across the Humber estuary to th ...

) – keyboards (1973–1975) * Steve Gurl – keyboards (1975–1976) *

Bernie Marsden Bernard John Marsden (7 May 1951 – 24 August 2023) was an English rock and blues guitarist. He is primarily known for his work with Whitesnake, having written or co-written with David Coverdale many of the group's hit songs, such as " Fool f ...

(born Bernard John Marsden, 7 May 1951,

Buckingham Buckingham ( ) is a market town in north Buckinghamshire, England, close to the borders of Northamptonshire and Oxfordshire, which had a population of 12,890 at the United Kingdom Census 2011, 2011 Census. The town lies approximately west of ...

Buckinghamshire Buckinghamshire (, abbreviated ''Bucks'') is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-east, Hertfordshir ...

) – guitars (1975–1976) * Ellie Hope – lead vocals (1975–1976) * Ray Knott – bass (1975–1976) * Simon Lambeth – guitars, backing vocals (1976)

Discography

Albums

* ''

'' (1972), Harvest - U.S. No. 178

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

CAN No. 87 * ''Amar Caballero'' (1974), Harvest * ''Babe Ruth'' (1975), Harvest - U.S. No. 75; CAN No. 85 * ''Stealin' Home'' (1975),

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007), and simply known as Capitol, is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-base ...

- U.S. No. 169 * ''Kid's Stuff'' (1976),

- CAN No. 53 * ''Que Pasa'' (2009), Revolver Records

Singles

* "Wells Fargo" / "Theme from '' A Few Dollars More''" (1972), Harvest * "The Mexican" / "Wells Fargo" (1973),

Odeon Records Odeon Records is a record label founded in 1903 by Max Straus and Heinrich Zuntz of the International Talking Machine Company in Berlin, Germany. The label's name and logo come from the Odéon-Théâtre de l'Europe in Paris. History Straus a ...

* "Ain't That Livin'" / "We Are Holding On" (1973), Harvest * "Ain't That Livin'" / "Wells Fargo" (1973), Harvest * "If Heaven's on Beauty's Side" / "Doctor Love" (1974), Harvest * "Private Number" / "Somebody's Nobody" (1975), Harvest * "Elusive" / "Say No More" (1975),

* "Elusive" / "Elusive" (1975),

* "The Duchess of New Orleans" / "The Jack O'Lantern" / "Turquoise" (1975), Harvest * "Elusive" / "2000 Sunsets" (1976), Discoteca * "SInce You Went Away" / "Standing In The Rain" (1976), Discoteca * "The Mexican (Deekline & Tim Healey Mix)" / "The Mexican (JFB &

Ed Solo Ed Solo (born Ed Bickley) is a British disc jockey and record producer of electronic dance music. He has worked with artists including Blak Twang, Deekline, MC Det, Fatboy Slim, Roots Manuva, Shy FX, DJ Swift, DJ Trace and Elisabeth Troy. C ...

Mix)" (2010), Hot Cakes * "Bob Harris Session" (2 January 1973) (2010),

Parlophone Parlophone Records Limited (also known as Parlophone Records and Parlophone) is a record label founded in Germany in 1896 by the Carl Lindström Company as Parlophon. The British branch of the label was founded on 8 August 1923 as the Parloph ...

* "John Peel Session" (2 August 1973) (2010),

* "Bob Harris Session" (18 February 1974) (2010),

* "The Mexican (Remixes)", Central Station

Compilations

* ''The Best of Babe Ruth'' (1977) * ''Greatest Hits'' (1981),

* ''Grand Slam: The Best of Babe Ruth'' (1994), Harvest * ''

'' / ''Amar Caballero'' (1998),

BGO Records BGO Records (Beat Goes On) is a British record label specializing in classic rock, blues, jazz, and folk music. In 1965, Andy Gray opened Andys Records and set up a market stall in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk. Year by year he opened up more shops. ...

(two albums remastered with a comprehensive article about the band and photos) * ''Babe Ruth'' / ''Stealin' Home'' (2000),

(two albums remastered with a comprehensive article about the band and photos) * ''Kid's Stuff'' / ''Stealin' Home'' (2020),

(two albums remastered) * ''Darker Than Blue'' (The Harvest Years 1972-1975) (2022),

Esoteric Recordings Esoteric Recordings is a UK independent record label specialising in 1970s progressive rock, folk, psychedelic, and jazz-rock reissues as part of Cherry Red Records. Its releases include both catalogue reissues and new works from artists who ...

Videos

* ''Babe Ruth in Concert'' (TV broadcast of Babe Ruth's performance in Jardin des Étoiles,

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

on 9 April 1975)

References

External links

Babe Ruth plays in Canada 2010

Babe Ruth
discography at

Discogs Discogs ( ; short for " discographies") is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. Database contents are user-generated, and described in ''T ...

* imdb entry for Alan Shacklock {{DEFAULTSORT:Babe Ruth English hard rock musical groups English progressive rock groups Musical groups established in 1971 Musical groups disestablished in 1976 Musical groups reestablished in 2005 Entertainers from Hatfield, Hertfordshire Musical groups from Hertfordshire Harvest Records artists