Chilli Willi And The Red Hot Peppers

Chilli Willi and the Red Hot Peppers were one of the main British pub rock groups of the early 1970s. Later managed by Jake Riviera, who first worked for the band as a roadie, they reached their peak as part of the "Naughty Rhythms Tour" of 1975, along with other stalwarts of the same scene, Dr. Feelgood and Kokomo, each band alternately headlining on different dates.
The band has its origins in a folk-rock duo formed by ex-Junior's Blues Band members Martin Stone and Philip C. Lithman. Lithman moved to San Francisco in the late 1960s, leaving Stone to play with Savoy Brown and Mighty Baby. The duo reunited in the early 1970s, recording ‘Kings of the Robot Rhythm’ with vocalist Jo-Ann Kelly and various members of Brinsley Schwarz. The album was released in 1972; the same year, the duo expanded, adding Paul "Dice Man" Bailey, Paul "Bassman" Riley, and Pete Thomas to the line-up. In 1974, they released their final album, 'Bongos Over Balham', which sold poorly; the band split in 1975.
After the band's breakup, Thomas became the drummer for Elvis Costello's backing band, The Attractions; Riley played with Graham Parker; Bailey formed Bontemps Roulez; and Stone played with the Pink Fairies, before concentrating on his book business but later played with Wreckless Eric, Almost Presley and Deep Fix. Lithman moved back to San Francisco where he began to work with his former associates, The Residents, under the name Snakefinger.
(Read more at Wikipedia.)
== Links To Peel ==
One of the better-known groups of the pub-rock era, Chilli Willi and the Red Hot Peppers appealed to Peel's taste for the back-to-the-roots music typical of that genre. As shown above, members of the band had previously worked with other acts who did Peel sessions (Savoy Brown, Mighty Baby, Jo-Ann Kelly, Brinsley Schwarz). Guitarist Martin Stone had been praised by Peel in 1967 on the Perfumed Garden alongside Eric Clapton and Peter Green, as one of the leading British blues guitarists.
Among their gigs was a 1974 Roundhouse concert to celebrate the fifth anniversary of Zigzag magazine, with the bill including a number of artists who did Peel sessions during the era - Starry Eyed And Laughing, Help Yourself - or were Zigzag favourites (Michael Nesmith, John Stewart). It was issued as a 5 CD box set in 2010 and gives an idea of what music was viewed as "hip" by London audiences at that time.
But the music scene of the mid-1970s was in transition, so Chilli Willi and the Red Hot Peppers split up in 1975, with individual members of the band continuing their careers, some with "New Wave" acts who did sessions for Peel (Elvis Costello, Graham Parker, Wreckless Eric).
== Festive Fifty Entries ==
*(none)
== Sessions ==
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Three sessions. No known commercial release. Pete Thomas also four sessions with Elvis Costello.
1. Recorded 1973-04-09. First broadcast 19 April 1973. Repeated 10 May 1973.
*Friday Song / Goodbye Nashville, Hello London Town / Desert Island Woman / Truck Driving Girl
2. Recorded 1974-02-21. First broadcast 28 February 1974.
*The Natural Evolution Of The Human Life Form As We Know It From St. / All In A Dream / Choo Choo Ch'Boogie / Fiddle Diddle
3. Recorded 1974-07-25. First broadcast 08 August 1974. Repeated 05 September 1974.
*Fiddle Diddle / Just Like The Devil / Nine To Five Songwriting Man / Streets Of Baltimore
== Other Shows Played ==
*18 August 1978: Breathe A Little (album - Bongos Over Balham) Mooncrest
== See Also ==
*Gigography 1974
*Sounds
== External Links ==
*Wikipedia
*Discogs
Category:Artists