Mott the Hoople

Mott the Hoople were an English rock band formed in Hereford, Herefordshire in 1966. Originally named the Doc Thomas Group, the band changed their name after signing with Island Records in 1969. The band released albums at the beginning of the 1970s but failed to find any success. On the verge of breaking up, the band were encouraged by David Bowie to stay together. Bowie wrote their glam-style signature song "All the Young Dudes" for them, which became their first hit in 1972. Bowie subsequently produced their album of the same name, which added to their success.

Despite membership changes, the band experienced further commercial success with the albums Mott (1973) and The Hoople (1974). Lead singer Ian Hunter departed the band in 1974, after which the band's commercial fortunes began to diminish. They remained together with continuing membership changes until their break-up in 1980. The band have had reunions in 2009, 2013, 2018 and 2019.

The Doc Thomas Group were formed in 1966 with Mick Ralphs on guitar, Stan Tippins on vocals, and Pete Overend Watts on bass. Ralphs and Tippins had been in a local Hereford band, the Buddies, and Watts had been in a local Ross-on-Wye band the Soulents with Dale "Buffin" Griffin on drums. The Doc Thomas Group had a concert residency at a nightclub in a resort town in Italy. The group were offered a recording contract with the Italian label Dischi Interrecord, and released an eponymous album in January 1967. By 1968, Griffin and organist Verden Allen had joined the band.

Although the group toured and recorded in Italy as the Doc Thomas Group, their gigs in the UK were played under the names of the Shakedown Sound and, later, Silence. Silence recorded demos at Rockfield Studios in Monmouth, Wales, which were offered to EMI, Polydor, Immediate and Apple but with no success.

The group came to the attention of Guy Stevens at Island Records, who liked the group but not with Tippins as lead singer. Advertisements were placed ("Singer wanted, must be image-minded and hungry"), and Ian Hunter was selected as lead singer and piano player. Tippins assumed the role of road manager. While in prison for a drug offence, Stevens read the Willard Manus novel Mott the Hoople, about an eccentric who works in a circus freak show, and decided to use it as a band name. Silence reluctantly agreed to change the band's name to Mott the Hoople following their audition for Stevens in early 1969. Manus's novel's title was in turn a reference to "Martha Hoople", which was the name of a character from the comic strip Our Boarding House, which was widely syndicated in American newspapers from 1921 to 1984.

The band's debut album, Mott the Hoople (1969), recorded in only a week, was a cult success. Their repertoire included cover versions of "Laugh at Me" (Sonny Bono) and "At the Crossroads" (Doug Sahm's Sir Douglas Quintet), and an instrumental cover of "You Really Got Me" (The Kinks).

The second album, Mad Shadows (1970), sold poorly and received generally negative reviews. Wildlife (1971) fared even worse, despite gaining the highest UK album chart position of the band's pre-Glam years. It featured an overtly country-hippie stance and more acoustic instrumentation on some Ralphs-penned songs.

On 10 October 1970, Mott the Hoople, the Senator (aka the Walrus), and Bridget St John were showcased on BBC2's Disco 2. Even though the group were building a decent following, Brain Capers (1971) failed to sell well. The group decided to split following a depressing concert in a former gas holder in Switzerland. When their UK tour with The Lothringers was aborted, the band were close to breaking up.