* En anglais uniquement
Wolverhampton, England hard rock outfit
Trapeze formed in 1968, teaming lead vocalist John Jones and guitarist/keyboardist
Terry Rowley (both ex-members of
the Montanas, famed for the hit "You've Got to Be Loved") with singer/guitarist
Mel Galley, bassist
Glenn Hughes, and drummer
Dave Holland. Signing to
the Moody Blues' Threshold Records imprint,
Trapeze issued its self-titled debut album in 1970; Jones and
Rowley returned to
the Montanas soon after, and in 1970 the remaining trio resurfaced with
Medusa. The group toured extensively both at home and abroad, and although their fusion of rock and funk was cited as a prime influence on bands like
ZZ Top, their commercial success was minimal. In the wake of the third
Trapeze album, 1972's
You Are the Music...We're Just the Band,
Hughes replaced
Roger Glover in
Deep Purple. Guitarist Rob Kendrick and bassist
Pete Wright signed on for
Trapeze's 1974 effort
Hot Wire, followed a year later by a self-titled LP; in 1976, the core trio of
Galley,
Hughes, and
Holland reunited, although no new recordings were forthcoming.
Hughes again exited prior to 1978's Hold On, which featured
Wright in addition to new guitarist
Pete Goalby;
Trapeze then disbanded, with
Galley joining
Whitesnake, while
Holland tenured with
Judas Priest.
Galley,
Hughes, and
Holland re-formed once more in 1991, with a May 1992 London gig yielding the Welcome to the Real World live album. ~ Jason Ankeny