Chicken Shack
Chicken Shack are a British blues and rock band, founded in the mid-1960s by Stan Webb, Andy Silvester, and Alan Morley, who were later joined by Christine Perfect in 1967. Chicken Shack has performed with various line-ups, Stan Webb being the only constant member.
Career
David "Rowdy" Yeats and Andy Silvester had formed Sounds of Blue in March 1964 as a Stourbridge-based rhythm and blues band. They invited Stan Webb, who was leaving local band The Shades 5, to join them in August 1964. The band also included Christine Perfect and Chris Wood amongst others in their line up. With a new line-up Chicken Shack was formed as a trio in April 1965, naming themselves after Jimmy Smith's Back at the Chicken Shack album. Chicken shacks had also been frequently mentioned in blues and R&B songs, as in Amos Milburn's hit, "Chicken Shack Boogie". Over the next few years the band had a residency at the Star-Club, Hamburg with Morley, then Al Sykes, Hughie Flint and later Dave Bidwell on drums.''40 Blue Fingers, Freshly Packed and Ready to Serve''
Chicken Shack made their first UK appearance at the 1967 National Jazz and Blues Festival, Windsor and signed to Mike Vernon's Blue Horizon record label in the same year. Their first single “It's Okay With Me Baby / When My Left Eye Jumps”, was released in 1968, shortly before their first LP release 40 Blue Fingers, Freshly Packed and Ready to Serve was released later that year. Christine Perfect composed and sang on side A of the first single and Stan Webb composed and sang the flip side. Both sides of the first single were not included in the first LP release. The first single and the debut LP attracted a lot of attention and 40 Blue Fingers… ended up having considerable chart success. While waiting to finish their second LP, the band released a second single, "Worried About My Woman" / "Six Nights In Seven" in late 1968 with little fanfare. Both songs were composed and sung by Stan Webb.''O.K. Ken?''
Their second LP, O.K. Ken? was released in February 1969 and also garnered chart success. While it did surpass the first album by reaching No. 9, unlike the initial LP, it quickly dropped out of the chart due to the lack of an album single to support it. The band then decided to release a song from the first album, "When The Train Comes Back” after overdubbing a horn section to the original track. The flipside “Hey Baby” was an outtake of the O.K. Ken? album. Christine Perfect composed and provided piano and lead vocals on both tracks, but the single was only mildly successful."I'd Rather Go Blind" single
Chicken Shack had become a mainstay of the white blues boom in the late 1960s, and they enjoyed some commercial success with their two first albums reaching the Top 20 in UK Albums Chart. Worried that the band's popularity would fade without a successful radio single, they decided to record a song that had been successful for Etta James in the US. The single "I'd Rather Go Blind" ended up becoming successful with Perfect singing lead vocals. The single was successful enough that it garnered Perfect the 'Top Female Singer' on the Melody Maker's Reader's Poll in 1969.Christine Perfect's departure
The single "I'd Rather Go Blind" had been recorded after the release of the first two LPs and Perfect had already decided to leave the band and retire from the music business before the single had become successful. By this time, she had already quietly married bass player John McVie from the blues band Fleetwood Mac and did not wish to be touring in a separate band. Because of the success of the single, the band's record label, Blue Horizon, convinced her to release a solo album before considering retirement. The exact single recording by Chicken Shack of "I'd Rather Go Blind" was included on Perfect’s eponymous album, Christine Perfect, released on Blue Horizon. After Perfect’s departure from the band in 1969, she was quickly replaced by Paul Raymond from Plastic Penny. Chicken Shack continued recording and performing live, releasing a few more albums and having some success with the single "Tears in the Wind".After being dropped by Blue Horizon, pianist Paul Raymond, bassist Andy Silvester, and drummer Dave Bidwell all left in 1971 to join Savoy Brown. At this point Webb reformed the band as a trio with John Glascock on bass and Paul Hancox on drums, and they recorded Imagination Lady. The line-up did not last; Glascock left to join Carmen, while Webb was recruited for Savoy Brown in 1974 and recorded the album Boogie Brothers with them.
Since 1977, Webb has revived the Chicken Shack name on a number of occasions, with a rotating membership of British blues musicians including, at various times, Paul Butler, Keef Hartley, ex-Ten Years After drummer Ric Lee and Miller Anderson, some of whom came and went several times. The band has remained popular as a live attraction in Europe throughout.
Webb remains as their only constant band member.
Personnel
Members
;Current- Stan Webb – guitar, vocals
- Gary Davies – guitar
- Jim Rudge – bass
- Andy Silvester – bass
- Alan Morley – drums
- Christine Perfect – keyboards, vocals
- Chris Wood – saxophone, flute
- Al Sykes – drums
- Hughie Flint – drums
- Dave Bidwell – drums, percussion
- Paul Raymond – keyboards, vocals
- John Glascock – bass
- Pip Pyle – drums
- Paul Hancox – drums, percussion
- Bob Daisley – bass
- David Wilkinson – keyboards
- Rob Hull – bass
- Alan Powell – drums
- Dave Winthrop – saxophone
- Robbie Blunt – guitar
- Ed Spivock – drums
- Paul Martinez – bass
- Steve York – bass
- Paul Butler – guitar
- Keef Hartley – drums
- Ric Lee – drums
- Alan Scott – bass
- Andy Pyle – bass
- Tony Ashton – keyboards
- Miller Anderson – guitar
- Russ Alder – drums
- John Gunsell – drums
- Roger Saunders – guitar
- Andy Scott – bass
- Jan Connolly – bass
- Bev Smith – drums
- Wayne Terry – bass
- David Wintour – bass
- James Morgan – bass
- Mick Jones – drums
- Chris Williams – drums
- Romek Parol – drums
Discography
Albums
40 Blue Fingers, Freshly Packed and Ready to Serve, Blue Horizon – UK Albums Chart No. 12O.K. Ken?, Blue Horizon – UK Albums Chart No. 9100 Ton Chicken, Blue HorizonAccept, Blue HorizonImagination Lady, DeramUnlucky Boy, DeramGoodbye Chicken Shack, Nova; LondonThat's the Way We Are, Shark The Creeper, WEA Chicken Shack, GullRoadies Concerto, RCA Records 39 Bars, Bellaphon Simply Live, SPV On Air , Strange Fruit RecordsBlack Night, Webb Still Live After All These Years, Mystic- ''Stan Webb''