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Biography
Infobox musical artist | name = Average White Band| image = Average WhiteBand 031.jpg| caption = Average WhiteBand perform in Rochester, New York , on 9May 2008| image_size = 250| background = group_or_band| alias = AWB| origin = Dundee , Scotland | instrument =| genre = Blue-eyed soul , funk music|funk , Soul music|soul , disco | occupation =| years_active = 1972–1982, 1989& ndash;present| label = Atlantic Records|Atlantic , RCA records|RCA , MCA Records|MCA , Rhino Records|Rhino , Arista Records|Arista | associated_acts =| website =| current_members = Onnie McIntyre Alan Gorrie Klyde Jones Fred Vigdor Rocky Bryant| past_members = Hamish Stuart Malcolm Duncan (musician)|Malcolm Duncan Roger Ball (musician)|Roger Ball Robbie McIntosh (drummer)|Robbie McIntosh Steve Ferrone Eliot Lewis Brian Dunne Ian Collinsworth Pete Abbott Adam Deitch | notable_instruments = Average WhiteBand (also AWB ) is a Scotland|Scottish funk and Rhythm and blues|R& B musical ensemble|band , who had a series of soul music|soul and disco hit record|hit s between 1974 and 1980. They are best known for their million selling song, " Pick Up the Pieces (song)|Pick Up the Pieces " and their album Cut the Cake . The band name was initially proposed by Bonnie Bramlett . They have influenced others such as the Brand New Heavies , and been sampling (music)|sampled by various musicians including the Beastie Boys , TLC (band)|TLC , The Beatnuts , Too Short , Ice Cube , Eric B. & Rakim , Nas and A Tribe Called Quest , as well as Arrested Development (group)|Arrested Development - in turn making them the fifteenth most sampled act in history.cite web|url= http://www.bluesandsoul.com/feature/714/alan_gorrie_awb_everybody_be_cool_real |title=Average WhiteBand interview by Pete Lewis, 'Blues & Soul' August 2011 |publisher=Bluesandsoul.com |date= |accessdate=2011-10-22 As of 2010, and almost forty years after their formation, they continue to perform.
Career
AWB was formed in early 1972cite book | first= Martin C. | last= Strong | year= 2000 | title= The Great Rock Discography | edition= 5th | publisher= Mojo Books | location= Edinburgh | pages= 36–37 | isbn= 1-84195-017-3 by Alan Gorrie ,cite web|url= http://www.scottish-places.info/people/famousfirst752.html |title=Alan Gorrie |publisher=Scottish-places.info |date= |accessdate=2011-08-17 and Malcolm Duncan (musician)|Malcolm "Molly" Duncan , with Onnie McIntyre,cite web|url= http://www.scottish-places.info/people/famousfirst2298.html |title=Owen (Onnie) McIntyre |publisher=Scottish-places.info |date= |accessdate=2011-08-17 Michael Rosen(trumpet), Roger Ball (musician)|Roger Ball and Robbie McIntosh (drummer)|Robbie McIntosh ,cite web|url= http://www.scottish-places.info/people/famousfirst2301.html |title=Robert (Robbie) McIntosh 1950 - 1974 |publisher=Scottish-places.info |date= |accessdate=2011-08-17 joining them in the original line-up. Hamish Stuart cite web|url= http://www.scottish-places.info/people/famousfirst2297.html |title=Hamish Stuart |publisher=Scottish-places.info |date= |accessdate=2011-08-17 quickly replaced Rosen. Duncan and Ball, affectionately known as the Dundee Horns, studied at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design|Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art (now part of the University of Dundee ), and were previously members of Mogul Thrash . Gorrie and McIntyre had been members of Forever More (band)|Forever More . McIntyre and McIntosh were used as session musician s on Chuck Berry 's recording of " My Ding-a-Ling ".
The band's breakthrough was a support slot at Eric Clapton 's comeback concert in 1973. Music Corporation of America|MCA Records released their debut album, Show Your Hand (album)|Show Your Hand , which sold poorly.cite web |first= |last= |url=Allmusic|class=artist|id=p3591/biography|pure_url=yes|title=Average White Band|author=Ankeny, Jason |publisher= Allmusic |accessdate=8 April 2010 Bruce McCaskill, who was Clapton's tour manager, liked the band's music and agreed to management|manage them. He borrowed money to take them to the United States|US and to Promoter (entertainment)|promote them. McCaskill had many contacts from his days with Clapton and managed to get Atlantic Records to sign them. The band relocated to Los Angeles , signed to Atlantic and released the follow-up, AWB (album)|AWB , better known as "The White Album". This album was the first of many with renowned Record producer|producer Arif Mardin , and reached record chart|#1 in the US Billboard Hot 100|Hot 100 record chart|chart .
McIntosh died of an accidental heroin overdose at a Los Angeles party on 23 September 1974.cite book | first= David | last= Roberts | year= 1998 | title= Guinness Rockopedia | edition= 1st | publisher= Guinness Publishing Ltd. | location= London | page= 24 | isbn= 0-85112-072-5 Gorrie also overdosed, but Cher kept him conscious until medical help arrived.cite news|author=Monday, Mar. 17, 1975 |url= http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,912985-6,00.html |title=Gorrie Overdose |publisher=Time.com |date=1975-03-17 |accessdate=2011-08-17 The NME reported in January 1975 that AWB played a benefit show for McIntosh's widow at the Marquee Club in London .cite book | first= John | last= Tobler | year= 1992 | title= NME Rock 'N' Roll Years | edition= 1st | publisher= Reed International Books Ltd | location= London | page= 272 | id= CN 5585 McIntosh was replaced by Steve Ferrone (previously of Bloodstone (band)|Bloodstone , and, like McIntosh, previously with Brian Auger 's Oblivion Express).
In 1975, the Single (music)|single " Pick Up the Pieces (song)|Pick Up The Pieces " - taken from the #1 AWB (album)|AWB album - reached #1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. The song knocked Linda Ronstadt's "You're No Good" out of #1 and sold over one million copies. It was awarded a music recording sales certification|gold disc by the Recording Industry Association of America|R.I.A.A. in March 1975.cite book | first= Joseph | last= Murrells | year= 1978 | title= The Book of Golden Discs | edition= 2nd | publisher= Barrie and Jenkins Ltd | location= London | page= 341 | isbn= 0-214-20512-6 The band followed up with Gramophone record|LP s Cut the Cake (album)|Cut the Cake (1975) and Soul Searching (Average WhiteBand album)|Soul Searching (1976), both big sellers and yielding further Top 40 singles. Cut the Cake was dedicated by the surviving band members to McIntosh's memory. Their next LP, Benny&Us , was a collaboration with Ben E. King .
After several more albums, AWB's audience and sales dwindled. Their 1980 disco hit "Let's Go Round Again" (UK #12),& Albums"/> was cover version|covered in the late 1990s by Louise Nurding|Louise . The group initially disbanded by 1982. Ferrone went on to work with Duran Duran whilst Hamish Stuart joined Paul McCartney 's touring group. In 1985 Gorrie released a solo album, Sleepless Nights . Gorrie, McIntyre, and Ball reunited in 1989 to record Aftershock (Average WhiteBand album)|Aftershock , but Ball left the band shortly after its release. and was replaced by Fred Vigdor (aka Freddy V). Eliot Lewis co-wrote with Gorrie on this album and joined the band, replacing lead singer Hamish Stuart.
Average WhiteBand has continued recording ( Soul Tattoo 1997, Face to Face , 1999) and touring since. When Eliot Lewis left the band in September2002 to pursue other musical opportunities, he was replaced by Klyde Jones.cite web|url= http://www.averagewhiteband.com |title=Averagewhiteband.com |publisher=Averagewhiteband.com |date= |accessdate=2011-08-17 Their line-up then included Alan Gorrie (bass, lead vocals), Klyde Jones (guitar, keyboard, lead vocals), Onnie McIntyre (guitar, vocals), Freddy V (sax, keyboard, vocals) and Brian Dunne (drums). Gorrie and McIntyre are the only remaining original members of the band.
Dunne was replaced by Rocky Bryant as drummer for the 2006 tour.
Band members
Onnie McIntyre (born Owen McIntyre, 25 September 1945, Lennoxtown , Scotland ) & mdash; human voice|vocals / rhythm guitar .
Alan Gorrie (born 19 July 1946, Perth, Scotland|Perth , Scotland) & mdash; guitar , bass guitar and vocals.
Malcolm Duncan (musician)|Malcolm "Molly" Duncan (born Malcolm Duncan, 24 August 1945, Montrose, Angus|Montrose , Scotland) & mdash; tenor saxophone .
Roger Ball (musician)|Roger Ball (born 4 June 1944, Broughty Ferry , Scotland) & mdash; Keyboard instrument|keyboards / saxophonist - up to 1989.
Hamish Stuart (born 8 October 1949, Glasgow , Scotland) & mdash; guitar, bass guitar and vocals - up to 1982.
Robbie McIntosh (drummer)|Robbie McIntosh (born 6May 1950, Dundee , Scotland& mdash; died 23 September 1974) & mdash; ( drumkit|drums ) - up to 1974.
Steve Ferrone (born 25 April 1950, Brighton , England) & mdash; Drum kit|drummer - 1974 to 1982.
Discography
Studio albums
Show Your Hand (album)|Show Your Hand (1973) (re-issued in 1975 asPut It Where You Want It ) Billboard 200|US #39 (1975)
AWB (album)|AWB (1974) UK Albums Chart|UK #6, Billboard 200|US #1
Cut the Cake (album)|Cut the Cake (1975) UK #28, US #4
Soul Searching (Average WhiteBand album)|Soul Searching (1976) UK #60, US #9
''Soul & the City, Recorded Live at B. B. King's (2006)& Albums">cite book
| first= David | last= Roberts | year= 2006 | title= British Hit Singles & Albums | edition= 19th | publisher= Guinness World Records Limited | location= London | isbn= 1-904994-10-5 | page= 34
''Times Squared, Recorded Live at B. B. King's (2009)
Charted singles
" Pick Up the Pieces (song)|Pick Up the Pieces " (1974) UK Singles Chart|UK #6, Billboard Hot 100|US Pop #1, Hot R& B/Hip-Hop Songs|US R& B #5
"Cut the Cake" (1975) UK #31, US Pop #10, US R& B #7
"If I Ever Lose this Heaven" (1975) US Pop #39, US R& B #25
Average WhiteBand navbox DEFAULTSORT:Average White Band, The Category:Musical groups established in 1972 Category:Scottish musical groups Category:British funk musical groups Category:British soul musical groups
