
Steamhammer are an English rock band from
Worthing
Worthing ( ) is a seaside town and borough in West Sussex, England, at the foot of the South Downs, west of Brighton, and east of Chichester. With a population of 113,094 and an area of , the borough is the second largest component of the Br ...
, England, formed in 1968 by vocalist
Kieran White
Kieran Raymond White (July 27, 1948 – August 9, 1995) was an English baritone rock vocalist and guitarist. He sang and played in the blues-rock band Steamhammer, formed in 1968. Their debut album, '' Steamhammer''. was released in 1969, on w ...
, guitarists
Martin Quittenton
Martin Quittenton (22 April 1945 – 16 April 2015) was a British guitarist and composer. He played in the blues rock band Steamhammer, formed in 1968. Their debut album '' Steamhammer'' was released in 1969.
Quittenton also worked with Rod Stew ...
and
Martin Pugh
Martin John Pugh is a British guitarist who came to prominence after joining blues-rock band Steamhammer in 1968, staying with that band through 5 years and 4 albums. The debut Steamhammer album, also known as '' Steamhammer'', was released i ...
, bassist
Steve Davy
Steve Davy is a British bass guitarist and vocalist, known for being a member of the blues-rock band Steamhammer. He played on the first three Steamhammer albums. Subsequently, he left the band and was replaced by Louis Cennamo.
On the '' Ste ...
, and drummer
Michael Rushton
Michael Rushton (born 1950 in Worthing, West Sussex, England) is a British drummer and vocalist, known for being a member of the blues-rock band Steamhammer and later indie bands.
Rushton was a member of several rock and blues
Blues i ...
.
Career
Steamhammer's first line-up acted as backing band for
Freddie King
Freddie King (born Fred Christian; September 3, 1934December 28, 1976), also billed as Freddy King, was an American blues guitarist, singer and songwriter. He is considered one of the "Three Kings of the Blues Guitar" (along with Albert King a ...
on two of his tours of England in 1968–1969. Like many of their peers, the band experimented with instrumental passages, introspective lyrics, and ultrasonic guitar effects, along with folk, jazz and classical influences. After playing in English pubs in the late 1960s, Steamhammer's self-titled album ''
Steamhammer'' (aka ''
Reflection Reflection or reflexion may refer to:
Science and technology
* Reflection (physics), a common wave phenomenon
** Specular reflection, mirror-like reflection of waves from a surface
*** Mirror image, a reflection in a mirror or in water
** Diffuse r ...
'') debuted on
in 1968, featuring their single, "Junior's Wailing", and including covers of "You'll Never Know" by
B. B. King and "Twenty Four Hours" by
Eddie Boyd
Edward Riley Boyd (November 25, 1914 – July 13, 1994)Dahl, Bill. Eddie Boyd: Biography AllMusic. Retrieved October 13, 2016. was an American blues pianist, singer and songwriter, best known for his recordings in the early 1950s, including the ...
as well as original songs by White, Quittenton, and Pugh. Guest session musicians
Harold McNair
Harold McNair (5 November 1931 – 7 March 1971) was a Jamaican-born saxophonist and flautist.
Early life
McNair was born in Kingston, Jamaica. He attended the Alpha Boys School under the tutelage of Vincent Tulloch, while playing with Joe ...
(flute) and
Pete Sears
Peter Roy Sears (born 27 May 1948) is an English rock musician. In a career spanning more than six decades, he has been a member of many bands and has moved through a variety of musical genres, from early R&B, psychedelic improvisational rock ...
(piano) also played on the album. While the album was not commercially successful, the band's sound became popular live, especially in
West Germany
West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republi ...
.
In the summer of 1969, Quittenton and Rushton left the band, and
Steve Jolliffe
Steve Jolliffe (born 28 April 1949) is an English musician.
After meeting Rick Davies (Supertramp) in the late 1960s Jolliffe played with him in a band called the Joint. He left the Joint to study music at the Berlin Konservatorium. There he me ...
(saxophone, flute) and
Mick Bradley
Mick Bradley (1947 – 8 February 1972) was a British drummer and vocalist, known for being a member of the blues-rock band Steamhammer. He played on three Steamhammer albums.
In 1969, Bradley played drums on the ''Methuselah'' album by the l ...
(drums) joined. This line-up recorded the album ''
Mk II'', released in 1969. It consisted entirely of original songs, and the musical style had more
jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...
and
progressive rock
Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog) is a broad genre of rock music that primarily developed in the United Kingdom through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early-to-mid-1970s. Initially termed " progressive pop", the ...
influences. Jolliffe left the band in 1970. The remaining band members recorded the album ''
Mountains
A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually higher ...
'', which was released in 1970. This album included a cover of "Riding on the L & N" by
Lionel Hampton
Lionel Leo Hampton (April 20, 1908 – August 31, 2002) was an American jazz vibraphonist, percussionist, and bandleader. He worked with jazz musicians from Teddy Wilson, Benny Goodman, and Buddy Rich, to Charlie Parker, Charles Mingus, an ...
and seven original songs.
In 1971, Davy left the band, and
Louis Cennamo
Louis David Cennamo (born 5 March 1946) is an English bass guitarist, who has recorded and/or toured with a number of important British rock/blues/progressive bands, including The Herd, Renaissance and Colosseum.
Career
Cennamo left school at ...
(formerly of the original line-up of
Renaissance
The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...
) was recruited as his replacement. After a European tour in the summer of 1971, White left the band, and the remaining trio of Pugh, Bradley and Cennamo began recording a new album. This line-up, along with guest vocalist Garth Watt-Roy (of
Fuzzy Duck), recorded the album ''
Speech
Speech is the use of the human voice as a medium for language. Spoken language combines vowel and consonant sounds to form units of meaning like words, which belong to a language's lexicon. There are many different intentional speech acts, suc ...
'', which was released in 1972. It consisted of three long, mostly instrumental songs, in a heavier progressive-rock vein than the basic blues and jazz/folk influences of their previous albums.
Bradley died of undiagnosed leukemia on 8 February 1972, aged 25. A memorial concert took place at London's
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 ...
on 14 March that year, with appearances by fellow bands
Atomic Rooster
Atomic Rooster are a British rock band originally formed by members of The Crazy World of Arthur Brown, organist Vincent Crane and drummer Carl Palmer. Their history is defined by two periods: the early-mid-1970s and the early 1980s. The band ...
,
Beggars Opera
''The Beggar's Opera'' is a ballad opera in three acts written in 1728 by John Gay with music arranged by Johann Christoph Pepusch. It is one of the watershed plays in Augustan drama and is the only example of the once thriving genre of satiri ...
,
If, and Gringo. Steamhammer carried on for a while with a new drummer, John Lingwood, and lead singer, Ian Ellis (ex-
Clouds
In meteorology, a cloud is an aerosol consisting of a visible mass of miniature liquid droplets, frozen crystals, or other particles, suspended in the atmosphere of a planetary body or similar space. Water or various other chemicals may c ...
). The new line-up debuted at London's
Imperial College
Imperial College London, also known as Imperial, is a public research university in London, England. Its history began with Prince Albert, husband of Queen Victoria, who envisioned a cultural district in South Kensington that included museums ...
on 3 May, followed by a European tour in May and UK tour in June with American vocalist/guitarist Bruce Michael Paine replacing Ellis. In June 1973, Paine left and Martin Quittenton rejoined. This new line-up changed their name to ''Axis'', playing their first gig under that name at the Marquee on 15 June, but the band split towards the end of 1973.
Post breakup
In 1974, two years after drummer Bradley's death,
Keith Relf
William Keith Relf (22 March 194312 May 1976) was an English musician, best known as the lead vocalist and harmonica player for rock band the Yardbirds. He then formed the band Renaissance with his sister Jane Relf, the Yardbirds ex-drummer ...
, who had helped produce Speech, sought Cennamo and Pugh out to form a band in California.
[Pugh, Martin. Personal interview. 15 March 2012 / 10 June 2012.] Armageddon
Armageddon ( ; ; ; from ) is the prophesied gathering of armies for a battle during the end times, according to the Book of Revelation in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. Armageddon is variously interpreted as either a literal or a ...
emerged in late 1974, and ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason.
The magazine was first known fo ...
'' magazine ran two articles on them before they had a drummer, a contract, or even a name for themselves.
Relf brought in
Bobby Caldwell
Robert Hunter Caldwell (August 15, 1951 – March 14, 2023) was an American singer and songwriter. He released several albums spanning R&B, soul, jazz, and adult contemporary. He is known for his soulful and versatile vocals. Caldwell release ...
on drums, and introduced the band to
A&M Records
A&M Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group and functions as a branch of Interscope Geffen A&M Records, Interscope-Geffen-A&M. Established in 1962 by Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss, the label initially operated independent ...
producer
Jerry Moss
Jerome Sheldon Moss (May 8, 1935 – August 16, 2023) was an American recording executive, best known for being the co-founder of A&M Records, along with trumpet player and bandleader Herb Alpert.
Music career Early stages (1958–60)
After gr ...
. Half a song into a set at the Charlie Chaplin Sound Stage in Hollywood, Moss signed Armageddon – they then released a self-titled effort in 1975. The band never toured, although the record was doing fairly well.
Relf (and Cennamo) had returned to England while the rest of the band was still in LA, and had been considering a new band with other former Renaissance members – but died after being shocked by his own guitar in May 1976.
Pugh and Caldwell tried to reassemble Armageddon in the early 1980s, producing a number of songs for a second LP for
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 ...
with singer
Jeff Fenholt (of
Jesus Christ Superstar
''Jesus Christ Superstar'' is a sung-through rock opera with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice. Loosely based on the Life of Jesus in the New Testament, Gospels' accounts of Passion of Jesus, the Passion, the work interprets ...
), and were close to signing contract – but the project never got past the demo/rehearsal stage.
Caldwell eventually returned to Captain Beyond, Cennamo later rejoined the original Renaissance line-up (then known as
Illusion
An illusion is a distortion of the senses, which can reveal how the mind normally organizes and interprets sensory stimulation. Although illusions distort the human perception of reality, they are generally shared by most people.
Illusions may ...
) and later worked with
Jim McCarty
James Stanley McCarty (born 25 July 1943) is an English musician, best known as the drummer for the Yardbirds and Renaissance. Following Chris Dreja's departure from the Yardbirds in 2013, McCarty became the only founding member to still tou ...
in Stairway. Pugh left the music business but stayed in California, eventually emerging from retirement to sit in with US-based rock and roll band
7th Order in 2002–2003.
After leaving Steamhammer, White recorded a solo album, ''Open Door'', which was released in 1975 – he later emigrated to the US (specifically
Oregon
Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...
), where he worked as a truck driver until passing away in 1995 (
cancer
Cancer is a group of diseases involving Cell growth#Disorders, abnormal cell growth with the potential to Invasion (cancer), invade or Metastasis, spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Po ...
). Quittenton played guitar and co-wrote songs, including "
Maggie May
"Maggie May" is a song cowritten by singer Rod Stewart and Martin Quittenton, performed by Stewart for his album '' Every Picture Tells a Story'', released in 1971. In 2004, ''Rolling Stone'' ranked it number 130 in The 500 Greatest Songs of ...
" and "
You Wear It Well
"You Wear It Well" is a song written by Rod Stewart and Martin Quittenton, performed by Stewart. It has been seen as an arrangement of " Maggie May", one of Stewart's hits from the previous year.
Stewart recorded "You Wear It Well" for the 197 ...
" on albums by
Rod Stewart
Sir Roderick David Stewart (born 10 January 1945) is a British singer and songwriter. Known for his distinctive raspy singing voice, Stewart is among the List of best-selling music artists, best-selling music artists of all time, having sold ...
. Jolliffe joined
Tangerine Dream
Tangerine Dream is a German electronic music band founded in 1967 by Edgar Froese. The group has seen many personnel changes over the years, with Froese the only constant member until his death in January 2015. The best-known lineup of the grou ...
in 1978, and played on the album ''
Cyclone
In meteorology, a cyclone () is a large air mass that rotates around a strong center of low atmospheric pressure, counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere as viewed from above (opposite to an ant ...
''.
Reformation
In 2020, Pugh, along with Pete Sears and John Lingwood, plus vocalist/guitarist Phil Colombatto, reformed Steamhammer, and released the band's fifth album, ''
Wailing Again'', in early 2022.
Members
*
Martin Pugh
Martin John Pugh is a British guitarist who came to prominence after joining blues-rock band Steamhammer in 1968, staying with that band through 5 years and 4 albums. The debut Steamhammer album, also known as '' Steamhammer'', was released i ...
– lead guitar (1968–1973, 2020–present)
*
Steve Davy
Steve Davy is a British bass guitarist and vocalist, known for being a member of the blues-rock band Steamhammer. He played on the first three Steamhammer albums. Subsequently, he left the band and was replaced by Louis Cennamo.
On the '' Ste ...
– bass (1968–1971), backing vocals, keyboards (1970-1971)
*
Kieran White
Kieran Raymond White (July 27, 1948 – August 9, 1995) was an English baritone rock vocalist and guitarist. He sang and played in the blues-rock band Steamhammer, formed in 1968. Their debut album, '' Steamhammer''. was released in 1969, on w ...
– lead vocals, harmonica, rhythm guitar (1968–1971; died 1995), guitar (1969-1971)
*
Martin Quittenton
Martin Quittenton (22 April 1945 – 16 April 2015) was a British guitarist and composer. He played in the blues rock band Steamhammer, formed in 1968. Their debut album '' Steamhammer'' was released in 1969.
Quittenton also worked with Rod Stew ...
– guitar (1968–1969, 1973; died 2015)
*
Michael Rushton
Michael Rushton (born 1950 in Worthing, West Sussex, England) is a British drummer and vocalist, known for being a member of the blues-rock band Steamhammer and later indie bands.
Rushton was a member of several rock and blues
Blues i ...
– drums (1968–1969)
*
Mick Bradley
Mick Bradley (1947 – 8 February 1972) was a British drummer and vocalist, known for being a member of the blues-rock band Steamhammer. He played on three Steamhammer albums.
In 1969, Bradley played drums on the ''Methuselah'' album by the l ...
– drums (1969–1972; died 1972)
*
Steve Jolliffe
Steve Jolliffe (born 28 April 1949) is an English musician.
After meeting Rick Davies (Supertramp) in the late 1960s Jolliffe played with him in a band called the Joint. He left the Joint to study music at the Berlin Konservatorium. There he me ...
– saxophone, flute, backing vocals, keyboards (1969–1970)
*
Louis Cennamo
Louis David Cennamo (born 5 March 1946) is an English bass guitarist, who has recorded and/or toured with a number of important British rock/blues/progressive bands, including The Herd, Renaissance and Colosseum.
Career
Cennamo left school at ...
– bass (1971–1973)
*
John Lingwood
Manfred Mann's Earth Band are an English rock band formed by South African musician Manfred Mann. Their hits include covers of Bruce Springsteen's " For You", "Blinded by the Light" and " Spirit in the Night". After forming in 1971 and with a ...
– drums (1972–1973, 2020–present)
*Ian Ellis – lead vocals, guitar (1972)
*Bruce Michael Paine – lead vocals, guitar (1972–1973)
*
Pete Sears
Peter Roy Sears (born 27 May 1948) is an English rock musician. In a career spanning more than six decades, he has been a member of many bands and has moved through a variety of musical genres, from early R&B, psychedelic improvisational rock ...
— bass, backing vocals, keyboards (2020–present)
*Phil Colombatto — lead vocals, harmonica (2020–present)
Timeline
Discography
Singles
* "Junior's Wailing" (single version)/ "Windmill" (1969)
* "Autumn Song" / "Blues For Passing People" (1969)
* "Mountains" / "I Wouldn't Have Thought" (1971)
Albums
* ''
Steamhammer'' (June 1969)
* ''
Mk II'' (February 1970)
* ''
Mountains
A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually higher ...
'' (December 1970)
* ''
Speech
Speech is the use of the human voice as a medium for language. Spoken language combines vowel and consonant sounds to form units of meaning like words, which belong to a language's lexicon. There are many different intentional speech acts, suc ...
'' (1972)
* ''
Wailing Again'' (2022)
Compilations
* ''This is ... Steamhammer'' (1974) – 2×LP
* ''Riding on the L&N – The Anthology'' (2012) – 2×CD
References
External links
Steamhammer website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Steamhammer
1968 establishments in England
1973 disestablishments in England
Musical groups established in 1968
Musical groups disestablished in 1973
Musical groups from West Sussex
English blues rock musical groups
English progressive rock groups
Worthing