Count Bishops

The Count Bishops were a British rock band which formed in London in 1975 and broke up in 1980. Their name came from a New York street gang and was given to them by their original lead singer, Mike Spenser (of the Cannibals). He had been in a short-lived group called Chrome with guitarist Zenon DeFleur and left before their BBC sessions: he was replaced by Dave Tice.
The Count Bishops had limited commercial success, but forged an important stylistic and chronological link between the root rhythm and blues band Dr. Feelgood and the proto punk sound of Eddie And The Hot Rods, together forming the foundation of the pub-rock scene, which influenced the emergence of punk rock. The group made history in England by releasing the first record on independent label Chiswick Records. They splintered following the death of DeFleur on 18 March 1979....(Read more)
==Links to Peel==
Peel first saw the band live in a London pub in spring 1975, when he was quickly won over by their exuberant performance and blues-inspired repertoire, including a Jimmy Reed cover, bringing to mind the early days of the Rolling Stones and Yardbirds (with lower levels of technical proficiency). 
Leading players in the "pub rock" movement in the period before the punk explosion, Count Bishops released the first single on pioneering indie label Chiswick, which developed into Ace Records, a long-time Peel favourite for vintage material.
The Bishops recorded two sessions a year apart for the DJ's show. The second one featured a cover of the Strangeloves' I Want Candy which had already been recorded by Chrome and the single release of which earned them a Top Of The Pops appearance in 1978. Peel played their releases, including tracks from Good Gear, but did not revisit their material in later years.
== Festive Fifty Entries ==
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== Sessions ==
*Two sessions, neither commercially released.
1. Recorded: 1976-05-04. First broadcast: 17 May 1976. Repeated: 02 July 1976
*Takin' It Easy / Confessin' The Blues / Wang Dang Doodle / Dust The Blues
2. Recorded: 1977-07-20. First broadcast: 27 July 1977. Repeated: 23 August 1977
*Till The End Of The Day / Don't Start Me Talking / Hands On The Wheel / I Want Candy
== Other Shows Played ==
*15 January 1976: Teenage Letter (7" - Speedball) Chiswick
*J P D18: Route 66 (7" - Speedball) Chiswick
*PM013: Baby You're Wrong (7") Chiswick S 12 24 May 1977 or 25 May 1977
*05 July 1977: I Need You (album - The Count Bishops) Chiswick CWK 3006
*05 July 1977: Talk To You (album - The Count Bishops) Chiswick CWK 3006
*13 July 1977: 2 unknown tracks (album - The Count Bishops) Chiswick CWK 3006
*13 July 1977: Down In The Bottom (album - The Count Bishops) Chiswick CWK 3006
*14 July 1977: Sometimes Good Guys Don't Wear White (album - The Count Bishops) Chiswick CWK 3006
*14 July 1977: You're In My Way (album - The Count Bishops) Chiswick CWK 3006
*14 July 1977: Taste And Try (album - The Count Bishops) Chiswick CWK 3006
*18 July 1977: Baby You're Wrong (album - The Count Bishops) Chiswick CWK 3006
*18 July 1977: Don't Start Crying Now (album - The Count Bishops) Chiswick CWK 3006 
*18 July 1977: Someone's Got My Number (album - The Count Bishops) Chiswick CWK 3006
*John says that he has now played all (12) of the tracks of the above LP
*15 August 1977: Train Train (v/a LP - Submarine Tracks & Fool's Gold (Chiswick Chartbusters Volume One)) Chiswick
*22 August 1977: Train Train (v/a album - Submarine Tracks & Fool's Gold (Chiswick Chartbusters Volume One)) Chiswick
*Mike P 1970s: 'Confessin' The Blues (LP-Good Gear)' (Dynamite)
*19 September 1978: I Want Candy (7") Chiswick (as Bishops)
*03 October 1978: I Want Candy (7") Chiswick (as Bishops)
*11 April 1979: I Take What I Want (LP - Cross Cuts) Chiswick (as Bishops)
== See Also ==
*Gigography 1975
*Cover Versions
*Sounds
== External Links ==
*Wikipedia
*French fansite
*Discogs
Category:Artists