Biography of Johnny Kidd

Pioneering British hard-rock act in the pre-Beatles era, Kidd (real name Fred Heath) and his backing trio The Pirates had a lean, loud, muscular approach to R&B that strongly influenced The Who and the Small Faces, among other bands. When they weren't recording dross like "The Birds and the Bees" at EMI's behest, they were making history with original numbers like "Shakin' All Over" (Heath wrote it) and a brilliant set of (mostly unreleased at the time) R&B covers. Pirates guitarist Mick Green later became well known in his own right. Kidd was in the process of reviving the group in the mid '60s when his life was ended in a car crash. ~ Bruce Eder