Biography of Mott the Hoople

Mott The Hoople was formed in the late 60s by Mick Ralphs (who went on to start Bad Company with former Free lead singer Paul Rodgers), Verden Allen, Overend Watts and Dale Griffen (Buffin). The band's lead singer, Ian Hunter, joined though after answering an ad in a London newspaper. The band's first four albums were spotty affairs marked by Hunter's Dylanesque rasp and a plodding hard rock beat. Although they didn't sell very well, either in the U.K. or U.S., the band became a headliner on the basis on their live shows. On the eve of the final breakup they met David Bowie who gave them a song called "All the Young Dudes" and produced an album with that songs as its centerpiece. The tune was a smash and the next two Hoople LPs, Mott and The Hoople were both smashes. Written and produced by Ian Hunter Mott and The Hoople stand as two of the greatest albums ever recorded about rock & roll. They chronicled the rise and fall of the band with an emotional honesty and an insiders outlook that was amazingly fresh and insightful. Their next album, a poor selling live set, finally put the band to rest. Ralphs left to form Bad Company, and Hunter embarked on a solo career that continues to this day, although his output has been spotty on his own as it was in the early days of Mott. ~ J. Poet