MUD


Between 1973 and 1976 MUD were hardly ever out of the UK charts, notching up eleven top ten hits, including three number ones (Tiger Feet, Lonely This Christmas, and Oh Boy). But to find out more about the band behind the hits, we must take a trip to 1960s Surrey...

1961-67
It was around 1961 when Rob and Dave first played together in THE APACHES. They continued to work together for the next few years in bands such as THE BARRACUDAS and REMAINDER.

When Remainder needed to find a new bass player, in stepped Ray Stiles, whose father worked with Rob.

Meanwhile, Les Gray was cultivating his liking for trad jazz in his own band, the MOURNERS. But gradually the Mourners began to play more and more rock and roll, until there came a day when they needed a lead guitarist - and in stepped Rob Davis.

And for a year Les and Rob in the Mourners and Ray and Dave in Remainder were Micham’s top rival bands.

Eventually the Mourners changed their name to MUD and Ray left Remainder to join them. At this time, Les’s brother Pete was the drummer. In 1968 received an offer of a recording contract and the boys had to decide whether to become professional or not. Les, Rob and Ray were in favour, but Pete decided to leave to pursue a career as a draughtsman and Dave mount was brought in to replace him.

1968-71
The line up was now complete, and the boys played their first professional gig on 31st March 1968 at the Marquee Club.

MUD’s first single for CBS was a Rob Davis penned tune called “Flower Power”. It was recorded just before Dave joined the band and was an attempt to cash in on the hippie and flower children image of the time - it didn’t work! Although it was (and still is) an interesting tune, the single was a flop. MUD released one more single for CBS in 1968 called “Up The Airy Mountain”, another Rob Davis song, which once again failed to chart.

MUD then switched to Philips releasing “Shangri-La” in 1969 and what was their closest to a hit first time around, “Jumping Jehosaphat” in 1970. Although “Jumping Jehosaphat” received a lot of airplay and got the name MUD known for a little while, the record failed to make the top thirty.

1972-75
By now MUD had been professional for three years and had still failed to make the big time. It was a frustrating time for the band, but they continued gigging all over the country. Then, in late 1972, they got the break they so desperately needed. Songwriter/Producer team Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman, who had already had successes with the SWEET and SUZI QUATRO, were looking for a new band to write for and manage. Les, Ray, Dave and Rob leaped at the opportunity and signed a contract with RAK records. They were given a new imaged, new suits and a new song written especially for them - “Crazy”. The single was released in January 1973 and got to number 12 in the UK charts. MUD had made it at last!

“Crazy” and their next record “Hypnosis” were both based on a tango beat. MUD admit that they weren’t too keen on the idea at first and it was touch and go whether they would catch on.

In October 1973 the image changed with the introduction of teddy-boy gear and a rock and roll sound. Their third RAK single “Dynamite” reached number 4 in the charts. The new look and sound caught on and MUD were quickly becoming one of the hottest new bands around.

January 1974 saw the release of MUD’s biggest hit, “Tiger Feet”. An instant hit, “Tiger Feet” shot to number on in the UK charts for four weeks in February and became the number one selling record of 1974. It was knocked of the number one slot by fellow RAK artist Suzi Quatro with “Devil Gate Drive”.

In May 1974 “The Cat Crept In” got to number two, followed by “Rocket” in August which reached number six. At this time MUD also released their first album “Mud Rock”.

By now MUD had become regular guests on BBC’s Top Of The Pops and other music shows of the time. They continued to tour extensively throughout the UK and Europe.

Their second number one single came in December 1974 when “Lonely This Christmas” shot to the top of the charts. The single stayed at the number one slot for four weeks. Their appearance on the Top Of The Pops Christmas special is almost legendary, with stage hands climbing step ladders to pour imitation snow on the band as they sang. Anyone who has seen the clip will also note Les’ use of a ventriloquist dummy during the spoken part. As Les told a recent TV interviewer, miming the singing parts was relatively easy, but miming to a spoken part was almost impossible, so he didn’t try!

MUD’s next single, “The Secrets That You Keep”, was released on 14th February 1975 and reached number three in the UK. During March and April MUD were on the road in the UK, Ireland and East Germany and Belgium, where they were voted Number One Pop Attraction. MUD came up against censorship laws for the first time in East Germany where the authorities banned Rob’s costume because he was showing too much bear chest!

On 20th May 1975 the GTO film “You’re Never Too Young To Rock” was released. The film featured MUD, alongside the Rubettes and the Glitter Band. The film itself was not particularly well received. The music was, as you’d expect, good, but the plot and acting are best described as poor, even from the professionals.

MUD’s last number one single, “Oh Boy” was released in April 1975, at about which time MUD’s split with Chinn and Chapman and RAK became common knowledge. On 14th June, RAK released “Moonshine Sally”, which had been recorded several years earlier but kept ‘in the can’. It reached number 10 in the charts.

MUD’s second album, “ Mud Rock II”, was released in July 1975, along with their last single for RAK, “One Night”.

1975-76
This marked the bands split with RAK and Chinn & Chapman and they went into the studio in July to start work on their own songs for their new label, Private Stock. The boys announced that ex-Candlewick Green keyboard player ANDY BALL was to join the band on stage and in the studio.

In September, RAK released “Mud’s Greatest Hits”, while MUD released their first single for Private Stock, “L’L’Lucy”. The new single was written by Rob Davis and Ray Stiles and did well, reaching number 10 in the charts, proving that the boys could make it on their own.

“Show Me You’re a Woman”, their next single, entered the charts just as “L’L’Lucy” left. It reached number 8.

Their third album “Use Your Imagination” was released at the beginning of December. The album contained six of their own songs, showing Rob and Ray’s diverse song writing talents.

MUD continued to have minor chart successes during 1976 - the disco inspired “Shake It Down” (May) and the more basic rocker “Nite on The Tiles” (October). Their biggest hit of the year and their last top ten, was an excellent cover of the Bill Withers song “Lean On Me”, which reached number 7 in November.
The ‘glam’ period was by now well and truly over, and like many of their contemporaries, MUD found themselves out of favour with the younger audience who were by now more interested in the ‘disco’ beat or the upcoming new sound - punk rock.

MUD were once again in the studio during 1976 and released their fourth album, “ It’s Better Than Working”, in November. Produced by Pip Williams (producer of Status Quo’s Rocking All Over The World), the album contained all new songs and introduced a very different sound from any of their previous recordings. The album also featured Ray Stiles on lead vocal for two of the tracks.

1977-78
In 1977 Les Gray signed to Warner Brothers as a solo artists, releasing his own version of the Mindbender’s “Groovy Kind Of Love” in March.

1977 also saw MUD change labels again, this time signing to RCA. Several singles followed, along with two further albums, “Mud Rock On” and “As You Like It”.

The last single to make any kind of impact was “Cut Across Shorty” released in March 1978. Although it was not a great chart success, it did get a lot of airplay and secured the band some of their last TV appearances.

Details of this period in MUD’s career are incomplete. I know that Les Gray left in 1978, and the level of his involvement in the recording of the last album is not clear.

What appears to have been MUD’s last single, “Drop Everything And Run” was released on Carrer Records in 1978 and featured a female vocalist Margo Henderson.

Life after MUD
Les Gray assembled a new version of MUD in the early 1980s. For a short time Dave Mount and Rob Davis worked with the band, but eventually went their own ways.

Les also released several singles as a solo artist, sometimes using the name Tulsa Mclean. He also appeared on Jack Good’s 1979 album “Oh Boy”

Les Gray’s Mud continue to tour throughout Europe. Although a recent illness forced Les off the road for a time, the band are now touring again.

Rob and Ray worked together under then name of ROLY, releasing two singles for Logo Records in 1978. I have no other information about this ‘group’.

Rob Davis continues to play, write and produce dance records. [see biographies for more details]

After leaving MUD, Ray Stiles joined the Hollies and is still with them.

Dave Mount has left the music business entirely. He now lives in London with his family, and works in insurance. Dave has three boys Callum, Alex and Fraser, and a step-son, Ruairi.(Thanks to Dave’s nephew Tom Bennet for the info and picture)

Bits and Pieces

I did hear in 1975 that Ray and Rob were writing songs for a female group called ELLIE who featured on the MUD ROCK II (Oh Boy) album. So far I only know of one single released by the band, but I have never seen or heard it myself - “My Love Is Your Love” (b side “Let Me Shout It out”) on Fresh Air Records.

(I would be grateful for any further information on this band if anyone knows anything).


MUD have featured in several retrospectives of the 1970s broadcast on BBC2. Both Les and Rob were featured being interviewed for the “I Love 1974” programme which went out at the end of the summer (August/September 2000). The guys also featured in another retrospective which showed their mid-70s “Green Cross Code” advert - but unfortunately I missed it, so I still have never seen it! (did anyone record it?).

From: http://www.dspdesigns.co.uk/mud/index.htm