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Another formative influence on him was the British blues harmonica player Cyril Davies (who would die in 1964 aged 31). “I used to go and see him at the Marquee Club,” said McPhee. “Somebody said something about this R&B band and they were there every Thursday and they were just magic.” In 1966, the Groundhogs evolved into Herbal Mixture, which (as if you couldn’t guess from the name) had more of a psychedelic flavor than a blues one. Their sole single, “Machines,” would actually appear on psychedelic rarity compilations decades later. The Groundhogs/Herbal Mixture singles, along with some unreleased material, has been compiled on a reissue CD on Distortions.

Groundhogs". BBC. 2005 . Retrieved 20 October 2023. : Recorded on 14 May 1970 at Paris Cinema, London; broadcast on 24 May 1970; "Eccentric Man", "Garden", "Unknown Title", "Catfish"; BBC Radio One Live In Concert (1994, Windsong International) from 24 February 1972 and 23 May 1974. [10]In 2003, original manager Roy Fisher put together a short-lived 'original line-up' to celebrate their fortieth anniversary. McPhee left the band to pursue an acoustic career, embarking on a major tour in 2004 with Edgar Winter and Alvin Lee and issued an acoustic blues album Blues at Ten. Pustelnik left during 1972 and Clive Brooks from the band Egg joined on drums for Hogwash, released in November. The group made their first tour of North America, but a horse riding accident suffered by McPhee ended their visit early. [3] They made another appearance on the In Concert programme from Paris Theatre on 7 December. [12] BBC Live In Concert (2002, Strange Fruit) from 24 February 1972, 7 December 1972 and 23 May 1974. [12] The Groundhog’s’ acclaimed 1970 album Thank Christ for the Bomb, which saw the band move away from the blues

Groundhogs". BBC. 2005 . Retrieved 20 October 2023. : Recorded on 29 April 1971; broadcast on 9 May 1971; "Cherry Red"; "Eccentric Man" It was originally released by Liberty Records with catalogue number LBG 83401. It was reissued on CD reissue in 2003 by Liberty / EMI Records, with catalogue number 07243-584819-2-1. In September 2020, it was released on limited-edition red vinyl (as well as CD) from Fire Records, [2] including a second disc containing a number of outtakes and new sleeve notes by Dave Henderson of Mojo magazine. The Groundhogs had emerged from the British blues boom of the mid-1960s, and as the 70s dawned they embraced the expansive, exploratory spirit of the era. A performance at the 1970 Isle of Wight festival affirmed their growing status. The second studio album from The Groundhogs, now slimmed to the classic three piece line up of Tony TS McPhee on guitar, Pete Cruikshank on bass and Ken Pustelnik on drums.Undaunted, McPhee continued to take the band in a more progressive direction, adding an ARP 2600 synthesiser to their musical armoury. And following the departure of Pustelnik, the band’s new drummer was none other than Clive Brooks from Canterbury scene stalwarts Egg, who had supported the Groundhogs on tour. “Clive was a lovely man and there was a lot less stress involved with getting together on time playing and touring,” says McPhee. “He was a powerful player who suited the times and new material that I was writing.” Breaking from their traditional influences, the first stepping stone for the power trio who would blossom with ‘Thank Christ For the Bomb’, ‘Split’ and ‘Who Will Save The World?’. The group also recorded an album with Hooker …And Seven Nights (later released as Hooker And The Hogs and On The Waterfront–the latter with added horns). The strength of their performances led to John Lee Hooker dubbing them the “number one British blues band” and further gigs with other blues icons soon followed, including stints with Little Walter and Jimmy Reed. Nonetheless, The Groundhogs’ reputation has enjoyed a resurgence in recent years thanks to the patronage of musicians like Stephen Malkmus, alongside Queens Of The Stone Age, The Arctic Monkeys, Endless Boogie and Wolf People.

a b Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19thed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p.237. ISBN 1-904994-10-5. The Bluesbreakers and Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac were resuscitating the British blues scene and in 1968 Liberty Records’ young head of A&R, Andrew Lauder, asked McPhee to re-form his old band. The Solid album of 1974 saw a last return to the charts. [1] A further live concert from Playhouse Theatre on 23 May was broadcast on the BBC Radio 1 In Concert programme . [13] [12] [10] This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( September 2016) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message)As the flames of the early-’60s British blues were slowly extinguished, The Groundhogs split for several years and McPhee found session work. He sometimes recorded under the moniker T.S. McPhee, a blues-inspired name given to him by (John Mayall/ Fleetwood Mac) producer Mike Vernon –the T.S. standing for ‘Tough Shit’. The Groundhogs were not British blues at their most creative; nor were they British blues at their most generic. They were emblematic of some of the genre’s most visible strengths and weaknesses. They were prone to jam too long on basic riffs, they couldn’t hold a candle to American blues singers in terms of vocal presence, and their songwriting wasn’t so hot. On the other hand, they did sometimes stretch the form in unexpected ways, usually at the hands of their creative force, guitarist/songwriter/vocalist T.S. (Tony) McPhee. For a while they were also extremely popular in Britain, landing three albums in that country’s Top Ten in the early ’70s. After the dust settled, it turned out the Damned and Joy Division were fans. Peter Hook proclaimed them “absolutely revolutionary”. “They were the first band I ever saw live and they’ve been a constant in my life ever since,” said Underworld’s Karl Hyde, who subsequently attempted to collaborate with McPhee. The results have never been released. Blues Night: Bob Bowles with the legendary Groundhogs Rhythm Section! – Saturday 19 February 2011 at 19:30 | Riffs Bar – Live Originals & Covers Music Venue in Swindon, Wiltshire". Riffs Bar. 19 February 2011 . Retrieved 7 March 2012. I think it was own fault that I didn’t get on in the same way,” reflected McPhee. “I think I had something different, but I just couldn’t be bothered; it was good enough for me to drift along.