Savoy Brown

Savoy Brown

Savoy Brown is a British blues band from Battersea, United Kingdom, active from 1966 to the present. The group begins as the Saveloy Brown Blues Band and later shortens its name. Its core style sits in blues, blues rock and British blues.

History

The band forms in the 1960s and becomes one of the British blues acts associated with that period. Its 1969 single Train to Nowhere, featuring singer Chris Youlden, is widely regarded as one of the final high points of the blues scene in Great Britain. Although the band does not achieve major acclaim in Britain, it builds a loyal following in the United States and reaches the Billboard Hot 100 in the 1960s and 1970s.

Line-up and membership

Savoy Brown is marked by frequent line-up changes, and Kim Simmonds is the only founding member to remain with the group from the start. Members associated with the band include Martin Stone, Bob Brunning, Chris Youlden, Rivers Jobe, Andy Silvester, Dave Walker, Jackie Lynton, Ian Ellis and Garnet Grimm. Other early members include guitarist “Lonesome” Dave Peverett, bassist Tony Stevens and drummer Roger Earl, who later form Foghat. Original member and harmonica player John O'Leary also remains active on the British blues circuit with The John O'Leary Band.

First album and later connections

The band’s first album, Shake Down, features lead vocalist Bryce Portius. Portius is among the first Black blues musicians to appear in a British rock band. Dave Walker later joins Fleetwood Mac and Black Sabbath.