Christopher John Spedding (born Peter Robinson, 17 June 1944) is an English musician, singer, guitarist, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, composer, and record producer. In a career spanning more than 50 years, Spedding is best known for his studio session work. By the early 1970s, he had become one of the most sought-after session guitarists in England. Spedding has played on and produced many albums and singles. He has also been a member of eleven rock bands: the Battered Ornaments, Frank Ricotti Quartet, King Mob,

Mike Batt Michael Philip Batt, LVO (born 6 February 1949) is an English singer-songwriter, musician, arranger, record producer, director and conductor. He was formerly the Deputy Chairman of the British Phonographic Industry. Having achieved substantia ...

and Friends, Necessaries, Nucleus, Ricky Norton, Sharks, Trigger, and

the Wombles ''The Wombles'' are fictional pointy-nosed, furry creatures created by Elisabeth Beresford and originally appearing in a series of children's novels from 1968. They live in burrows, where they aim to help the environment by collecting and recyc ...

. In May 1976, Spedding also produced the very first

Sex Pistols The Sex Pistols were an English punk rock band formed in London in 1975. Although their initial career lasted just two and a half years, they were one of the most groundbreaking acts in the history of popular music. They were responsible for ...

recordings.

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the dat ...

has described Spedding as "one of the UK's most versatile session guitarists, ehas had a long career on two continents that saw him tackle nearly every style of rock and Spedding, a long-time friend of Chrissie Hynde, was a regular concert feature artist with

the Pretenders Pretenders are an English–American rock band formed in March 1978. The original band consisted of founder and main songwriter Chrissie Hynde (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), James Honeyman-Scott (lead guitar, backing vocals, keyboards), Pete Fa ...

on their US tour in March/April 1980. He appeared regularly during the band's encores, playing the guitar solos on their version of the Kinks' song " Stop Your Sobbing". As well as his celebrated work as a session musician, Spedding pursued a solo career, releasing his debut album ''Songs Without Words'' in 1970. Since then, he has released fourteen studio albums, and two live albums. His only solo hit was 1975's "Motor Bikin'".

Career

Chris Spedding was born in Staveley, Derbyshire, but was raised in

Sheffield Sheffield is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is Historic counties o ...

and

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the We ...

by adoptive parents Muriel and Jack Spedding, and renamed Christopher John Spedding. Whilst still with the Battered Ornaments, which without the departing

Pete Brown Peter Ronald Brown (born 25 December 1940) is an English performance poet, lyricist, and singer best known for his collaborations with Cream and Jack Bruce. Colin Larkin, ''Virgin Encyclopedia of Sixties Music'', (Muze UK Ltd, 1997), , p. 80 ...

left Spedding as their frontman, he joined the Frank Ricotti Quartet, and played guitar on the album ''Our Point of View'', released in July 1969. He was also invited to play on

Jack Bruce John Symon Asher Bruce (14 May 1943 – 25 October 2014) was a Scottish bassist, singer-songwriter, musician and composer. He gained popularity as the primary lead vocalist and ‍bassist ‍of British rock band Cream. After the group disban ...

's first and third solo albums, ''

Songs for a Tailor ''Songs for a Tailor'' is the 1969 debut solo album by the Scottish musician, composer and singer Jack Bruce, who was already famous at the time of its release for his work with the supergroup Cream. Originally released on the Polydor label in ...

'' (1969) and ''

Harmony Row ''Harmony Row'' is the third studio album by Scottish musician Jack Bruce, originally released in July 1971. The album takes its title from a tenement street in Glasgow, near where Bruce grew up.Liner notes to the album's 2003 reissue, Polydo ...

'' (1971). Spedding then recorded his own instrumental album, ''Songs Without Words'' (1970) for Harvest Records, which was only released in Japan. During this time, he was also playing jazz-fusion with Nucleus and recorded and toured with Mike Gibbs, featuring as lead soloist on the track “Five for England” on Gibbs’s ''Tanglewood 63'' album. He played guitar on the Pete Atkin/

Clive James Clive James (born Vivian Leopold James; 7 October 1939 – 24 November 2019) was an Australian critic, journalist, broadcaster, writer and lyricist who lived and worked in the United Kingdom from 1962 until his death in 2019.Harry Nilsson's breakthrough album, '' Nilsson Schmilsson'', recorded in London. In 1970, he played on the original recording of Jesus Christ Superstar, and in 1971 he also played on "Pieces of Me" by Linda Hoyle and '' Coming from Reality'' by Sixto Rodriguez, who was later the subject of the 2012 documentary '' Searching for Sugar Man''. During 1972–74, Spedding played a central role in Sharks, initially with ex-

Free Free may refer to: Concept * Freedom, having the ability to do something, without having to obey anyone/anything * Freethought, a position that beliefs should be formed only on the basis of logic, reason, and empiricism * Emancipate, to procur ...

bassist Andy Fraser. They recorded two albums and toured with Roxy Music. After that, he toured and recorded with

John Cale John Davies Cale (born 9 March 1942) is a Welsh musician, composer, singer, songwriter and record producer who was a founding member of the American rock band the Velvet Underground. Over his six-decade career, Cale has worked in various sty ...

. He also played with

Roy Harper Roy Harper may refer to: * Roy Harper (character), DC Comics character *Roy Harper (footballer) (born 1929), Australian footballer *Roy Harper (referee) (died 1969), English football referee * Roy Harper (singer) (born 1941), English musician * Roy ...

's occasional backing band Trigger, notably on 1975's '' HQ'' album. In 1972–76, he played in

's novelty band ''

The Wombles ''The Wombles'' are fictional pointy-nosed, furry creatures created by Elisabeth Beresford and originally appearing in a series of children's novels from 1968. They live in burrows, where they aim to help the environment by collecting and recyc ...

'', and confirmed on the Marc Riley show on BBC Radio 6 Music that he performed on television in a Womble suit. In 1975, Spedding had a Top 20 solo hit in the UK with "Motor Bikin'", which he promoted with popular television appearances on ''

Top of the Pops ''Top of the Pops'' (''TOTP'') is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly between 1January 1964 and 30 July 2006. The programme was the world's longest-running weekly music show. For most o ...

'' and ''

Supersonic Supersonic speed is the speed of an object that exceeds the speed of sound (Mach 1). For objects traveling in dry air of a temperature of 20 °C (68 °F) at sea level, this speed is approximately . Speeds greater than five times ...

'', dressed in leather motorcycling gear, with greased hair. On his 1976 single ''Pogo Dancing'' he was backed by UK punk band The Vibrators. When further hits failed to materialise, he subsequently became better known as a session guitarist, appearing and recording with Bryan Ferry, Roxy Music,

Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, pianist and composer. Commonly nicknamed the "Rocket Man" after his 1972 hit single of the same name, John has led a commercially successful career a ...

Brian Eno Brian Peter George St John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno (; born Brian Peter George Eno, 15 May 1948) is a British musician, composer, record producer and visual artist best known for his contributions to ambient music and work in rock, pop an ...

, Jack Bruce, Nick Mason, Art Garfunkel, Typically Tropical,

Katie Melua Ketevan Katie Melua (; ka, ქეთევან "ქეთი" მელუა, ; born 16 September 1984) is a Georgian and British singer and songwriter. She was born in Kutaisi and raised in Belfast and London. Under the management of com ...

, and Ginger Baker, amongst others. During the mid-1970s, he even took part in the Wombles' UK tour in full costume, whilst wielding his trademark Gibson Flying V. His own album ''Chris Spedding'' (1975) was produced by Mickie Most. Spedding recorded a version of the American singer-songwriter Garland Jeffreys' song, "Wild in the Streets", on his own ''Hurt'' album. The song has since been covered by the Circle Jerks and is featured on '' Tony Hawk's American Wasteland''. He also was the producer of the

' first demos, which were recorded on 12 May 1976 at London's Majestic Studios, where Spedding had recorded his contributions to Eno's album '' Here Come the Warm Jets'' and the Sharks track "Kung Fu". The three tracks recorded were "Problems", "No Feelings" and " Pretty Vacant"; there are persistent rumours that he played guitar and bass on their debut album, '' Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols'', however both Sex Pistols guitarist

Steve Jones Steve or Steven Jones may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Steve Jones (English presenter) (born 1945), English musician, disk jockey, television presenter, and voice-over artist *Steve Jones (musician) (born 1955), English rock and roll guita ...

and Spedding himself deny this entirely. The following year, Spedding featured extensively on the concept album ''

Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds ''Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds'' is a studio double album by American-born British musician, composer, and record producer Jeff Wayne, released on 9 June 1978 by CBS Records. It is an album musical adapted from the scie ...

'', issued in 1978. Spedding moved to New York City, joined the Necessaries as a guitarist and songwriter, collaborated with drummer/percussionist David Van Tieghem, and worked extensively with Robert Gordon. Before long he was back in the UK and recorded another album of his own, ''I'm Not Like Everybody Else'' (1980). The same year he appeared on

Joan Armatrading Joan Anita Barbara Armatrading, (, born 9 December 1950) is a Kittitian-English singer-songwriter and guitarist. A three-time Grammy Award nominee, Armatrading has also been nominated twice for BRIT Awards as Best Female Artist. She receive ...

's album '' Me Myself I'', playing lead guitar on a number of tracks, including the chart-hit title track. His live album, ''Friday the 13th'' was released in 1981. In 1982 he played on Nina Hagen's recording '' NunSexMonkRock'', and over the next few years he continued his session work on such albums as Tom Waits' '' Rain Dogs'', while periodically releasing solo material (''Mean and Moody'' (1985), '' Enemy Within'' (1986) and ''Cafe Days'' (1990). He worked on several solo releases by Jerry Harrison (of Talking Heads) including the critically acclaimed album Casual Gods released in 1988 spawning the No. 7 hit on US Mainstream Charts

Rev It Up ''Rev It Up'' is the second album by the American hard rock band Vixen, released by EMI in 1990. It entered the UK Albums Chart at No. 20, and placed two songs inside the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. However, it did not match up to its predecessor ...

. He played on the tracks "Not Such A Bad Boy", "So Bad" and "No Value" on

Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained worldwide fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John Lennon. On ...

's '' Give My Regards to Broad Street'' released in 1984. Spedding recalls

Ringo Starr Sir Richard Starkey (born 7 July 1940), known professionally as Ringo Starr, is an English musician, singer, songwriter and actor who achieved international fame as the drummer for the Beatles. Starr occasionally sang lead vocals with the ...

, engineer Geoff Emerick and producer George Martin working on the same sessions as well as McCartney and his wife, Linda. In the same year he played on Roger Daltrey's solo album ''

Parting Should Be Painless ''Parting Should Be Painless'' is the fifth studio album by English singer Roger Daltrey, released in February 1984, on the label Atlantic, in the United States, and on WEA in Germany, and Japan. The album was Daltrey's first solo album since th ...

''. Spedding was producer of the first two albums by the Canadian

rockabilly Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music. It dates back to the early 1950s in the United States, especially the Southern United States, South. As a genre it blends the sound of Western music (North America), Western music ...

band, The Razorbacks, entitled ''Go to Town'' (1988) and ''Live a Little'' (1989). In 1995, he played on Willy DeVille's '' Big Easy Fantasy'', and later that year, on his album '' Loup Garou''. Bryanferrygf

Accepting an invitation, Spedding toured with a reformed Roxy Music in 2001. By now in his late fifties, Spedding's own

blues rock Blues rock is a fusion music genre that combines elements of blues and rock music. It is mostly an electric ensemble-style music with instrumentation similar to electric blues and rock (electric guitar, electric bass guitar, and drums, sometimes w ...

offerings ''One Step Ahead of the Blues'' (2002) and ''Click Clack'' (2005) were released, followed by ''It's Now Or Never'' in 2007. He was one of only two musicians from the 1976 album ''Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds'' to return for

Jeff Wayne Jeffry Wayne (born 1 July 1943) is an American-British composer, musician and lyricist. In 1978, he released '' Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds'', his musical adaptation of H. G. Wells' science-fiction novel ''The War o ...

's Black Smoke Band's 2006–2012 tour of Europe. He then featured on the 2012 album '' Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds – The New Generation'', touring with the show in 2012 and 2014. On 31 October 2011, the 11 track CD ''King Mob'' album was released featuring Spedding on guitar, Glen Matlock on bass, Martin Chambers on drums, Sixteen on guitar and fronted by

Stephen W. Parsons Stephen W. Parsons (born 19 June 1951, in Bridlington, East Riding of Yorkshire), also known as Steve Parsons, Stephen Parsons, Snips, Mr. Snips, SWP, is an English musician, composer, songwriter and record producer. Career Steve Parsons debut ...

, aka Snips a former member of Sharks. Although both the album and live shows received positive reviews, King Mob announced that they were disbanding in September 2012. In June 2014, Spedding appeared as a special guest playing guitar with Bryan Ferry at the 2014 Glastonbury Festival held in Pilton, Somerset, United Kingdom. In 2016, and again in 2019, he toured the US with Ferry.

Select discography

Albums

*''Our Point of View'' for Frank Ricotti Quartet, CBS (1969) *''

'' for

, Polydor (1969) *''Deep Down Heavy'' (France) (1970) for Bob Downes, Music for Pleasure (MFP 5130) *'' Elastic Rock'' with Nucleus,

Vertigo Vertigo is a condition where a person has the sensation of movement or of surrounding objects moving when they are not. Often it feels like a spinning or swaying movement. This may be associated with nausea, vomiting, sweating, or difficulties ...

(1970) *''Songs Without Words'' (Japan) Toshiba EMI (1970) *''

'' for

, Polydor (1971) *''We'll Talk About It Later'' with Nucleus,

(1971) *'' Nilsson Schmilsson'' (1971) and '' Son of Schmilsson'' (1972) for Harry Nilsson, RCA Victor *''Backwood Progression'' (UK) Harvest (1971) *''Only Lick I Know'' (UK) Harvest (1972) –

engineered Engineering is the use of scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad range of more specializ ...

by Alan Parsons at Abbey Road Studios *''

Nowhere Road ''Nowhere Road'' is the first solo album by ex-Savoy Brown vocalist Chris Youlden, released in 1973. The album featured a number of well-known session musicians including Chris Spedding, Ray Fenwick, Roy Babbington and ex-Fleetwood Mac guitarist ...

'' (1973) Deram /

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, by ex- Savoy Brown vocalist Chris Youlden *''First Water'' (1973) and ''Jab it in Yore Eye'' (1974) as a member of Sharks,

Island Records Island Records is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded in 1959 by Chris Blackwell, Graeme Goodall, and Leslie Kong in Jamaica, and was eventually sold to PolyGram in 1989. Island and A&M Records, an ...

*'' Chris Spedding'' (UK) RAK (1976) – produced by Mickie Most *''Hurt'' (UK) RAK (1977) – produced by Chris Thomas includes "Hurt By Love" *'' In Your Mind'' (1977) for Bryan Ferry, Polydor Records *''Guitar Graffiti'' (UK) RAK (1978) *''I'm Not Like Everybody Else'' (UK) RAK (1980) *''Friday the 13th'' (US) Passport (1981) *'' Enemy Within'' (France) New Rose (1986) *''Like Satin'' (France) New Rose (1988) *''Tightrope Walker'' (France) New Rose (1989) *''Cafe Days'' (France) New Rose (1990) *''Just Plug Him In!'' (France) New Rose (1991) *''Gesundheit!'' (France) Versailles/

Sony , commonly stylized as SONY, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. As a major technology company, it operates as one of the world's largest manufacturers of consumer and professional ...

(1995) *'' Big Easy Fantasy'' (1995) *'' Loup Garou'' (1995) *''One Step Ahead of the Blues'' (

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to ...

) Music Avenue (2002)/(UK) Repertoire (2009) *''

The Very Best of Chris Spedding ''The Very Best of Chris Spedding'' is the fifth greatest hits compilation album by Chris Spedding, released on 5 September 2005. It contains his best-known solo songs as well as those he recorded with the Vibrators. Track listing #"Rock and ...

'' EMI Gold (2005) *''Click Clack'' (Germany) SPV GmbH (2005) *''It's Now Or Never'' (US) Ryko (2007) *''Pearls'' (2011) *''Joyland'' (2015)

Singles

*"Rock and Roll Band"/"Goodbye We Loved You (Madly)" (1969) A side credited to Chris Spedding's New Band/B side credited to Chris Spedding & The Battered Ornaments UK Harvest HAR 5013 *"

My Bucket's Got a Hole in It "My Bucket's Got a Hole in It" is a song widely attributed to Clarence Williams, who obtained a copyright in 1933, although the melody was recorded under various names years earlier. The song became popular performed by Hank Williams for MGM an ...

"/"I Can't Boogie" (1975) UK Island WIP 6225 *"Motor Bikin'"/"Working for the Union" (1975) UK Rak RAK 210 No. 14, AUS No.63 *"Jump in My Car"/"Running Round" (1976) UK Rak RAK 228 *"New Girl in the Neighbourhood"/"Truck Drivin' Man" (1976) UK Rak RAK 232 *"Guitar Jamboree"/"Sweet Disposition" (1976) UK Rak RAK 236 *"Pogo Dancing"/"The Pose" with The Vibrators (1976) UK Rak RAK 246 *"Get Outta My Pagoda"/"Hey Miss Betty" (1977) UK Rak RAK 261 *"Silver Bullet"/"Wild Wild Women" (1977) UK Rak RAK 268 *"Bored Bored"/"Time Warp" (1978) UK Rak RAK 274 *"Gunfight"/"Evil" (1978) UK Rak RAK 282 *"Video Life"/"Frontal Lobotomy" (Live) (1979) UK Rak RAK 290 *"The Crying Game"/"Counterfeit" (1980) UK Rak RAK 323 *"I'm Not Like Everybody Else"/"Contract" (1981) UK Rak RAK 326

Collaborations

With

* '' Me Myself I'' (A&M Records, 1980) With

* '' Slow Dazzle'' (Island Records, 1975) * '' Helen of Troy'' (Island Records, 1975) * ''

Music for a New Society ''Music for a New Society'' is the eighth solo studio album by Welsh musician John Cale, released in September 1982 by ZE Records and Island Records. With the suggestion from ZE Records owner Michael Zilkha, Cale performed the album mostly improv ...

'' (ZE Records, 1982) With Roger Daltrey * ''

'' (Atlantic Records, 1984) With Willy DeVille * '' Loup Garou'' (EastWest Records, 1995) With Donovan * '' Cosmic Wheels'' (Columbia Records, 1973) With Cass Elliot * '' The Road Is No Place for a Lady'' (RCA Records, 1972) With David Essex * '' David Essex'' (Columbia Records, 1974) * ''All the Fun of the Fair'' (Columbia Records, 1975) * ''Imperial Wizard'' (Mercury Records, 1979) * ''The Whisper'' (Mercury Records, 1983) With Bryan Ferry * '' Let's Stick Together'' (E.G. Records, 1976) * '' In Your Mind'' (E.G. Records, 1977) * ''

Frantic Frantic may refer to: * ''Frantic'' (film), a 1988 film directed by Roman Polanski and starring Harrison Ford * ''Frantic'' (video game), a VIC-20 video game * Frantic Films, a Canadian Visual Effects company * "Frantic" (song), a song by Met ...

'' (Virgin Records, 2002) * '' Dylanesque'' (Virgin Records, 2007) * '' Olympia'' (Virgin Records, 2010) * '' Avonmore'' (BMG, 2014) With Art Garfunkel * '' Fate for Breakfast'' (Columbia Records, 1979) * '' Scissors Cut'' (Columbia Records, 1981) With Nina Hagen * '' NunSexMonkRock'' (CBS Records, 1982) With

* '' Madman Across the Water'' (Uni Records, 1971) With John Lodge * ''

Natural Avenue ''Natural Avenue'' is the debut solo album by John Lodge of The Moody Blues, released in 1977 during the Moody Blues' five year hiatus. During the five years, Lodge also collaborated with Justin Hayward for an album titled '' Blue Jays''. While ...

'' (Threshold/Decca, 1977) * '' 10,000 Light Years Ago'' (Esoteric Antenna, 2015) With

* '' Tug of War'' (Columbia Records, 1982) * '' Pipes of Peace'' (Columbia Records, 1983) With

* '' Call Off the Search'' (Dramatico, 2003) * '' Piece by Piece'' (Dramatico, 2005) * '' Pictures'' (Dramatico, 2007) * '' Ketevan'' (Dramatico, 2013) With Frankie Miller * '' Full House'' (Chrysalis Records, 1977) * ''Standing on the Edge'' (Capitol Records, 1982) * ''Dancing in the Rain'' (Vertigo Records, 1986) With Harry Nilsson * '' Nilsson Schmilsson'' (RCA Victor, 1971) * '' Son of Schmilsson'' (RCA Records, 1972) With

Paolo Nutini Paolo Giovanni Nutini (born 9 January 1987) is a Scottish singer, songwriter and musician from Paisley. Nutini's debut album, ''These Streets'' (2006), peaked at number three on the UK Albums Chart. Its follow-up, '' Sunny Side Up'' (2009), deb ...

* ''

Caustic Love ''Caustic Love'' is the third studio album by Scottish singer-songwriter Paolo Nutini, released on 14 April 2014 by Atlantic Records. After releasing his critically and commercially successful album '' Sunny Side Up'' (2009), Nutini toured for ...

'' (Atlantic Records, 2014) With John Phillips * '' Pay Pack & Follow'' (Eagle Records, 2001) With Tom Waits * '' Rain Dogs'' (Island Records, 1985)

References

External links

Guitar Graffiti, the official Chris Spedding website
*

Chris Spedding biography at the AMG website Chris is a short form of various names including Christopher, Christian (given name), Christian, Christina (given name), Christina, Christine (name), Christine, and Christos (given name), Christos. Chris is also used as a name in its own right, ...

br>Chris Spedding Official Web Radio Sub-site – includes links used above in Discography"Sound Your Funky Horn: Chris Spedding" (Interviewed on March 3, 1996) at davedimartino.wordpress.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Spedding, Chris 1944 births Art rock musicians English adoptees English jazz guitarists English male guitarists English record producers English rock guitarists English session musicians English male singer-songwriters Island Records artists Harvest Records artists Living people Nucleus (band) members Musicians from Sheffield Lead guitarists People from Staveley, Derbyshire Rak Records artists British male jazz musicians Solid Gold Cadillac members