Mamas Gun is a British
Soul/Pop band. It found early international success with a radio friendly soul pop sound. They made 5 full length albums with evolving personnel, reaching a sound rooted in classic soul with alternative/progressive leanings. ''Golden Days'' (2018) marked a major turning point, recording and producing it themselves.
History
Formation
The band was formed by Andy 'AP' Platts, the lead singer/composer/producer in 2007 and was joined by bassist 'Professor' Rex Horan, keyboardist Dave 'Eighties' Oliver, Terry 'Spiller' Lewis and drummer 'Union' Jack Pollitt after placing an ad on
Myspace.com seeking musicians. The group name derives from the title of
Erykah Badu's second album,
Mama's Gun.
In addition to their involvement with Mamas Gun, the band members continue to work in various other capacities ranging from songwriting to studio sessions and touring work. Platts' songwriting collaborators include
Rod Temperton
Rodney Lynn Temperton (9 October 1949 – 25 September 2016) was an English musician, songwriter, and record producer.
Temperton was the keyboardist and principal songwriter for the 1970s funk band Heatwave, writing songs including "Star of a ...
,
John Oates and former
Gil Scott-Heron
Gilbert Scott-Heron (April 1, 1949 – May 27, 2011) was an American Jazz poetry, jazz poet, singer, musician, and author known for his work as a spoken-word performer in the 1970s and 1980s. His collaborative efforts with musician Brian Jackso ...
collaborator, Brian Jackson. He has enjoyed chart success in
South East Asia
Southeast Asia is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, southeastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of China, east of the Indian subcontinent, and northwest of the Mainland Au ...
penning number 1 hits for Korean artists
Park Hyo Shin,
John Park and Japanese singer
Tomohisa Yamashita
, also widely known as , or Tomo, is a Japanese singer, actor, and TV host.
Yamashita joined the Japanese talent agency Johnny & Associates as a trainee in 1996 and made his small acting debut for NHK's ''Shonentachi'' (1998). He made his musi ...
. Since 2015 he has also been an active member of
Young Gun Silver Fox alongside
Shawn Lee. Terry ‘Spiller’ Lewis has played for US songwriter / artist
Leon Ware,
Lewis Taylor and
The Impressions
The Impressions were an American music group originally formed in 1958. Their repertoire includes gospel, R&B, doo-wop, and soul.
The group was founded as the Roosters by Chattanooga, Tennessee natives Sam Gooden, Richard Brooks and Arthu ...
.
Music
UK releases
Mamas Gun's first single, "Pots of Gold", was released in August 2008 on Candelion Records and was playlisted on
BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It is the List of most-listened-to radio programs, most popular station in the United Kingdom with over 14 million weekly listeners. Since launching in 1967, the sta ...
. Following its success, Mamas Gun recorded their debut album ''Routes to Riches'', seeing its release in October 2009. The album was co-produced by producer/engineer, Julian Simmons, mixed by Producer/Engineer
Jack Joseph Puig
Jack Joseph Puig is an American audio engineer, record executive, and record producer. He has worked with Tonic, Hole, Jellyfish, The Black Crowes, John Mayer, Weezer, Fiona Apple, Roger Hodgson, Taxiride, Green Day, Counting Crows, No Dou ...
at
Ocean Way, Los Angeles and mastered by
Bob Ludwig
Robert Carl Ludwig (born December 11, 1944), is a retired American mastering engineer. He mastered recordings on all the major recording formats for all the major record labels, and on projects by more than 1,300 artists, including Led Zeppeli ...
. In June 2011 Mamas Gun released ''The Life And Soul,'' produced by
Martin Terefe and Andreas Olsson. It yielded the singles "On A String", "Reconnection" and "Only One". In 2014, ''Cheap Hotel'' spawned the singles "Red Cassette", "Hello Goodnight" and "Cheap Hotel". The album charted at number 29 in the Independent UK album chart. The band released the ''Room Service EP'' via a
Pledge exclusive. In 2018, with drummer Chris Boot. They decided to self produce ''Golden Days'' mastered by Pierre and Shawn Lee. Singles included "London Girls", "I Need A Win", and "You Make My Life A Better Place". After the release of ''Golden Days'', the band re-recorded the song "This Is The Day".
Japan releases
''Routes To Riches'', released in November 2009, achieved a number 3 sales position on the Japanese Billboard charts. The lead single from this album, "House on a Hill", was a number 2 hit on the
Japanese Hot 100 singles chart and the most played song on Japanese radio in 2009.
Discography
Albums
Singles
International Releases
Videography
* "You Are the Music" (2009)
* "Let's Find a Way" (unofficial video) (2010)
* "Finger On It" (2010)
* "Pots of Gold" (2010)
* "On a String" (2011)
* "Reconnection" (2011)
* "Only One" (live) ft. Beverley Knight (2011)
* "Cheap Hotel" (2014)
* "Joy Rides" (2014)
* "Hello Goodnight" (2014)
* "Cheap Hotel" (2014)
* "London Girls" (2018)
* "I Need A Win" (2018)
* "On The Wire" (2018)
* "Party For One" (2022)
References
External links
Mamas Gun Official Website*
{{Authority control
Pop music groups from London
Ubiquity Records artists
Soul music
Love Da Records artists