Tony McPhee
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Tony McPhee
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McPhee with The Groundhogs, London, September 1991
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Anthony Charles McPhee |
| Also known as | “TS” McPhee |
| Born | 23 March 1944 Humberston, Lincolnshire, England |
| Died | 6 June 2023 (aged 79) |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) | Musician |
| Instrument(s) | Guitar |
| Website | http://www.thegroundhogs.co.uk/ |
Anthony Charles McPhee (23 March 1944 – 6 June 2023) was an English guitarist. He founded the blues rock band Groundhogs, who backed Champion Jack Dupree and John Lee Hooker on UK concerts in the mid-1960s.[1] He is often credited as ‘Tony (T.S.) McPhee’. He was given this name by the producer Mike Vernon who suggested adding ‘T.S.’ to his name when McPhee released a duet single with Champion Jack Dupree in 1966 called “Get Your Head Happy!,” in order to make it look more like an official blues name. It stands for Tough Shit.[2]
The Groundhogs evolved into a blues-rock trio that produced three UK Top 10 hits in the UK Albums Chart in the early 1970s. Although they have continued to play in various line-ups to the present day, McPhee officially retired from the band in 2015.[3]
Solo album The Two Sides of Tony (T.S.) McPhee was released in 1973. Side A of this record is blues rock and Side B is a single psychedelic art rock electronic composition in four movements, featuring Arp 2600 Synthesizers, Electric Piano and The Rhythm Ace Drum Synthesizer. Entitled The Hunt, it explores McPhee’s strong stance against fox and stag hunting.[4][5] McPhee has also released many other solo acoustic blues records, as well as duets with Jo Ann Kelly.[5]
Apart from the Groundhogs, McPhee has played with Herbal Mixture, the John Dummer Band, Hapshash and the Coloured Coat, Tony McPhee’s Terraplane, Tony McPhee’s Turbo, the Tony McPhee Band[6] and Current 93.[7]
In 2009, McPhee suffered a stroke which affected his speech and ability to sing.[8][9]
McPhee’s definitive biography, written by Paul Freestone was published in 2012.[5]
McPhee died on 6 June 2023, aged 79, of complications after a fall the previous year.[10]
Solo discography[edit]
- 1966 Ain’t Gonna Cry No More – Someone to Love Me
- 1966 You Don’t Love Me When You Gotta Good Friend
- 1968 Me and the Devil – various artists
- 1969 I Asked for Water – various artists
- 1971 Same Thing on Their Minds
- 1973 Two Sides of Tony McPhee
- 1991 The Blues and the Beast
- 1993 Foolish Pride
- 1996 Slide, T.S., Slide
- 1996 Herbal Mixture-Groundhogs
- 1997 Bleachin’ the Blues
- 2000 Live in Poland at Blues Express
- 2004 Blues at Ten
References[edit]
- ^ Bruce Eder (22 March 1944). “Tony McPhee | Biography”. AllMusic. Retrieved 16 August 2015.
- ^ Brunning, Bob (1986). Blues : the British connection (1. publ. in the UK. ed.). Poole: Blandford Press. p. 97. ISBN 9780713715873.
- ^ “Interview: Ken Pustelnik”. Bristol 24/7. 19 November 2015. Retrieved 19 January 2018.
- ^ Breznikar, Klemen (9 August 2011). “The Groundhogs interview with Tony McPhee”. It’s Psychedelic Baby! Magazine. Archived from the original on 18 December 2017. Retrieved 19 January 2018.
- ^ Jump up to:a b c Freestone, Paul (2012). Eccentric Man: A Biography & Discography of Tony (TS) McPhee. Incompetent Publishing. ISBN 9780956865205.
- ^ “An Interview with Tony “TS” McPhee of The Groundhogs: A Legendary Artist of British Blues History”. blues.gr. Retrieved 19 January 2018.
- ^ “Current 93: I Am the Last of All the Field That Fell: A Channel Album Review | Pitchfork”. pitchfork.com. Retrieved 19 January 2018.
- ^ “Official Tony (TS) McPhee & The Groundhogs Web Site”. Thegroundhogs.co.uk. 13 November 2014. Retrieved 16 August 2015.
- ^ “Official Tony (TS) McPhee FaceBook Pagee”. FB. 20 August 2020. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
- ^ Beaumont-Thomas, Ben (6 June 2023). “Tony McPhee, singer and guitarist for rock band the Groundhogs, dies aged 79”. The Guardian. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
External links[edit]
