Medicine Head

Medicine Head

Medicine Head are a British blues rock band from the United Kingdom, active from 1968 to 1977. They form in Stafford in 1968 and begin as a duo before developing through several line-up changes.

Career

The band comes to wider attention through the support of DJ John Peel, who signs them to his Dandelion label. Their first three albums appear on Dandelion, and the label’s only UK singles chart entry is Medicine Head’s "(And The) Pictures in the Sky", which reaches number 22 in 1971. The group records six original albums in total, although none of them chart on the UK album chart despite regular touring and frequent support slots for better-known acts.

The band’s biggest single success is "One and One Is One", which reaches number 3 on the UK Singles Chart in 1973. Another hit single, "Rising Sun", reaches number 11 in the same year, and the group has four hit singles altogether.

Members and recordings

Medicine Head is primarily built around John Fiddler and Peter Hope-Evans. The line-up also includes Roger Saunders and Mick Liber, and at different points features Tony Ashton, formerly of Ashton, Gardner and Dyke, and Keith Relf, the former Yardbirds vocalist. Their later recordings are released on Polydor. Their final album is Two Man Band in 1976, and the group ends in 1977.