The Flying Saucers
The Flying Saucers were an influential Teddy Boy rockabilly band from Barnet, Hertfordshire, England. The group formed in 1972, released six albums and disbanded in 1992.
Biography
The Flying Saucers were formed in 1972 by bassist Pete Pritchard, drummer Terry Earl, guitarist Nigel "Nigsy" Owen, vocalist Alan Jones and saxophonist Jacko Buddin. Jones left the group in 1975 and was replaced by vocalist Sandy Ford, who remained with the group. With help from a renewed interest in Rockabilly music and The British subculture movement known as Teddy Boy, The Flying Saucers toured the width and breadth of Europe and earned major label recording contracts with EMI Music.
The Flying Saucers established a fan base in North America by touring the United States and Canada and with help from the 1950s nostalgia craze which popularised the doo-wop revival group Sha Na Na, the Broadway MusicAL Grease and the TV show Happy Days.
The Flying Saucers are best known for performing in the back of a truck during The Famous 1976 Teddy Boy March in London. This march was part of a successful plan to promote the airplay of rockabilly music on BBC national Radio One. Within a matter of weeks, BBC disc jockeys Stuart Colman and Geoff Barker presented "It's Rock ‘n’ Roll," an hourly show which featured the music of bands making music in the style of 1950s rock music and a long list of guest performers including The Flying Saucers, Dave Edmunds and Crazy Cavan & The Rhythm Rockers amongst many others. The 1976 Teddy Boy March is often credited as the spark which ignited the Rockabilly revival and explosion in popularity of younger rockabilly acts such as Stray Cats and The Blasters during the early 1980s. Due to polished production and strategic artist promotion from EMI, the band's major label releases are often associated with the new wave scene, which embraced an entirely new generation of rockabilly-inspired groups. In 1980, The Flying Saucers appeared in the film "Blue Suede Shoes," which was a documentary on rock and roll directed by Curtis Clark.
Pritchard was a co-founder of the independent blues record label Alligator Records, which showcased seasoned artists and offered several new acts their first chance to record.
After numerous personnel changes, The Flying Saucers disbanded during the early 1990s. Pritchard went on to become a session player and touring bassist, back guitarist Alvin Lee of Ten Years After and playing bass for Chuck Berry on UK & European tours. As the only original member of the group, Ford continues to tour and record with a reconstituted version of The Flying Saucers, billed as "The Flying Saucers featuring Sandy Ford."
Discography
LPs
- 1976 Planet Of The Drapes (Charly)
- 1977 Diana And Other Hits From The Sixties' (Charly)
- 1978 Keep On Coming (Charly)
- 1981 Some Like It Hot (Charly)
- 1982 Flying Tonight (Charly)
- 1983 Live At The Pickett's Lock (Charly)