Average White Band

The Average White Band assembled in 1972 when six acquainted Scottish musicians —  bassist/singer Alan Gorrie, guitarist/singer Hamish Stuart, guitarist Owen McIntyre, tenor saxophonist Malcolm Duncan, keyboardist/alto saxist Roger Ball, and drummer Robbie McIntosh — crossed paths at a Traffic concert in London.

Gorrie and McIntyre hailed from Scottish popsters Forever More, which issued two 1970/71 albums on RCA Victor. Stuart had cut three 1970/71 Decca singles with pop-rockers the Dream Police and played on Collection, the 1972 second album by singer/songwriter Steve Tilston.

Duncan and Ball, collectively known as the Dundee Horns, were part of the brass-rock supergroup Mogul Thrash, which cut a self-titled album on RCA in 1971. McIntosh played in the 1960s R&B/beat groups The Primitives and The Senate, which backed American soul singer Garnet Mimms on a 1967 live album on UA. He then joined Brian Auger’s Oblivion Express and drummed on their first three albums.

Just prior to forming AWB, McIntyre and McIntosh (along with ex-Van der Graaf Generator bassist Nic Potter) played on “My Ding-a-Ling,” the 1972 comeback single by ’50s rock n’ roller Chuck Berry.

When the six musicians came together, a friend witnessed their first jam session and remarked “This is too much for the average white man,” which inspired their band name.^[1] The Average White Band played their first high-profile gig as the opening act for Eric Clapton‘s Rainbow Concert, held on January 13, 1973, at London’s Rainbow Theatre.

Discography:

• Show Your Hand (1973)
• AWB (1974)
• Cut the Cake (1975)
• Soul Searching (1976)
• Person to Person (live, 1976)
• Benny and Us (1977 • Average White Band & Ben E. King)
• Warmer Communications (1978)
• Feel No Fret (1979)
• Shine (1980)
• Cupid’s in Fashion (1982)

Sources:

• Discogs: Average White Band

References:

1. The Guardian: Average White Band: how we made Pick Up the Pieces