Ian Hunter
Ian Hunter (born Ian Hunter Patterson on June 3 1939 in Oswestry, Shropshire, England) was the lead singer of the band Mott the Hoople from 1969 until the band broke up in 1974. He has since worked as a solo artist.Hunter began his musical career on the bass guitar. An early foray into music was as an entrant in a talent competition at one of Butlin's holiday camps, performing "Blue Moon" as part of a skiffle group with Colen York and Colin Broome. York and Broome came from Northampton, and were in a band called The Apex, which Hunter soon joined. In 1963, while living in Northampton, he formed his own band, Hurricane Henry and the Shriekers. In 1966 Hunter moved to London, where he joined The Scenery, but in early 1968 he joined a new group, At Last The 1958 Rock and Roll Show. As the short-lived rock and roll revival began to wane, At Last the 1958 Rock and Roll Show changed its name to Charlie Woolfe and released a final single, "Dance, Dance, Dance". Hunter played sporadically in various other bands throughout the 60s, including The New Yardbirds, and backed Billy Fury, Freddie "Fingers" Lee, The Young Idea and David McWilliams. He also worked as a journalist and staff songwriter for the firm Francis, Day & Hunter (no relation). Other jobs he took during these years included road-digging for a local council and reporting for a local newspaper. By 1969 Hunter was married and had two children, but was still hoping for a return to making music full time. That year he auditioned for and joined yet another band, Silence. Silence soon renamed themselves after a novel by Willard Manus, published in 1967: Mott The Hoople. By this time Hunter had taken to wearing the sunglasses that have long since become his trademark (photos of him without his "shades" are rare). Mott the Hoople did not achieve sustained success and after a concert in Switzerland in 1972 they announced their disbandment. David Bowie, long a fan of the band, offered them a song he'd just written, "Suffragette City". Mott declined it, but accepted his second offering, "All the Young Dudes". They had a number 3 hit with the song and decided to continue performing together. Mott the Hoople had considerable commercial success with the albums "All the Young Dudes" (1972), "Mott" (1973) and "The Hoople" (1974). However, Hunter left the band in October 1974 and it broke up for good as a result. Hunter has written a memoir, ''Diary of a Rock'n'Roll Star'', detailing a U.S. tour with Mott the Hoople.In March 1975 Ian Hunter formed the short-lived Hunter-Ronson Band with the late Mick Ronson, formerly the leading member of Bowie's backing band. His first single from his eponymous solo album was the UK Top 20 hit "Once Bitten Twice Shy". Hunter's best selling solo album was "You're Never Alone With A Schizophrenic" released in 1979 with Ronson and several members from Bruce Springsteen's E-street band. During his solo career since then Hunter frequently worked with Ronson until the latter's death in 1993, but he has also had musical connections with many other artists, including Queen, Mick Jones (The Clash), Clarence Clemons of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, Jaco Pastorius, Dennis Elliot (Foreigner), and David Bowie. His most recent studio album, Rant (2001), was received to wide critical acclaim and he won Classic Rock Magazine Songwriter's Award in October 2005.
Ian Hunter Solo Discography (Selected)
* ''Ian Hunter'' (1975)- ''All American Alien Boy'' (1976)
- ''Overnight Angels'' (1977)
- ''You're Never Alone With A Schizophrenic'' (1979)
- ''Welcome To The Club'' (1980)
- ''Short Back 'n' Sides'' (1981)
- ''All Of The Good Ones Are Taken'' (1983)
- ''YUI ORTA'' (1989)
- ''The Artful Dodger'' (1996)
- ''Missing In Action'' (2000)
- ''Once Bitten Twice Shy'' (2000)
- ''Rant'' (2001)
- ''Strings Attached'' (DVD and CD) (2004)