Budgie

BIOGRAPHY

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Budgie (1970-1988, 1995-1996, 1999-2010): a Heavy Metal band from Cardiff, Wales, UK.

elsh heavy metal band Budgie originally started in 1967 as Hills Contemporary Grass, and the following year recorded a demo. In 1971, their first album of blues-oriented hard rock was released by 'MCA' now under the name of Six Ton Budgie. The band, a classic power trio with the occasional keyboard player, eventually released ten albums, with 'MCA', 'A&M', and 'RCS', between 1971 and 1982, attracting a fair number of fans and achieving modest commercial success.

Budgie were one of the earliest heavy metal bands being noted as among the heaviest within that the style of the day, and became an influence on many acts of that scene, particularly the NWOBHM style, and later acts such as Metallica.

Their original line-up consisted of Burke Shelley on vocals and bass, Tony Bourge on guitar and vocals, and Ray Phillips on drums. After performing several gigs in 1968, the band changed their name to Budgie and recorded their first demo after briefly considering the name Six Ton Budgie, but decided the shorter single word variant was preferable. Burke Shelley has said that the band's name came from the fact that he, "loved the idea of playing noisy, heavy rock, but calling ourselves after something diametrically opposed to that".

Their debut self-titled album of strong, blues-oriented hard rock was recorded at Rockfield StuDios with Black Sabbath producer Rodger Bain and released in 1971, followed by Squawk in 1972. The third album, Never Turn Your Back on a Friend (1973), contained the track Breadfan, covered by Metallica later in 1987, an act who also covered another Budgie song, Crash Course in Brain Surgery, earlier in their career. Phillips left the band before the fourth album In for the Kill! was recorded and subsequently released 1974; he was replaced by Pete Boot.

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In late 1974, Boot left and was replaced by Steve Williams for the album Bandolier (1975). For concerts promoting this album (and the follow-up, If I Were Brittania I'd Waive the Rules in 1976), the band were augmented by second guitarist Myf Isaac. Music from the follow-up 1978 LP Impeckable would be featured in the 1979 film J-Men Forever now considered a cult classic. Both Bourge and Isaac left in 1978 to be replaced by ex-Trapeze guitarist Robert Kendrick and ex-Hawkwind guitarist Huw Lloyd-Langton. Langton's stint was short lived when Kendrick convinced the band to fire him. In late 1978, having been dropped by 'A&M' and with no new recording contract, this line up floundered, and after 12 months Kendrick was replaced by "Big" John Thomas in late 1979. This line up recorded two albums for Kingsley Ward's 'Active' label: Power Supply (1980) and Nightflight (1981). 1982 saw them signed to 'RCA' for Deliver Us from Evil; their final recording for a major label.

The band continued to have success during the new wave of NWOBHM period, playing the Reading Festival in 1980 and then headlining that festival in 1982. The band stopped gigging in 1987 with members going into stuDio production, occasionally guesting on other projects.

Although the group had little commercial success in America, they have enjoyed regional success most notably in Texas, USA where they relocated for a time, as well as charting in Australia and in their homeland of UK.

The band reformed using various drummers for one-off gigs in 1995 and 1996 in the US (Texas, New York and New Jersey states mostly), and concerts in 2002-2006 mostly in the UK after a 1999 reformation.

In 2006, Budgie undertook a 35 date UK tour and released a new album, You're All Living in Cuckooland on 7 November that year.

On 4 July 2007, Lees announced his departure from the band to concentrate on teaching and a solo career. Following the departure of Lees, Dio lead guitarist and songwriter Craig Goldy offered his services while Ronnie James Dio was completing commitments with Heaven & Hell. In February 2008, Craig Goldy accompanied Budgie on their first tour of Australia, and continued playing with the band as 'guest guitarist' for all their shows.

Budgie's November 2010 tour of Eastern Europe had to be cancelled when Shelley was hospitalised on 9 November in Wejherowo, Poland with a 6 cm aortic aneurysm. After surgery, he returned to Britain for recovery. Later that year the band decided to retire.

On 3 March 2016, former guitarist John Thomas died at the age of 63 after being admitted to the hospital with pneumonia. The news of his death was confirmed by drummer Steve Williams on Facebook saying, "My friend and fellow Budgie band member John Thomas sadly passed away last night. My thoughts are with the loved ones he left behind."

In February 2018, former drummer Pete Boot died at the age of 67 after suffering from Parkinson's disease.

In April 2018, founder member and original drummer Ray Phillips released his autobiography.

After more than a decade of health issues, including an aortic aneurysm and Stickler syndrome, Shelley died on 10 January 2022, at the age of 71.

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