Blackfoot Sue

Blackfoot Sue was an English hard-rock/pop band led by rhythm twins Tom and David Farmer. They made six singles and the 1973 JAM/DJM album Nothing to Hide. In the UK, they charted with “Standing in the Road” and “Sing Don’t Speak.” Their intended 1974/75 albums Strangers and Gun Running appeared as later archival discs. The twins regrouped with guitarist Eddie Golga in the 1979 one-off Liner and cut two mid-Eighties albums as Outside Edge.

Members: Tom Farmer (bass, vocals), David Farmer (drums), Eddie Golga (guitar), Alan Jones (guitar)

Background

Blackfoot Sue formed in 1972 in west London when bassist/singer Tom Farmer, drummer David Farmer, lead guitarist Eddie Golga, and guitarist Alan Jones renamed their long-running Birmingham group Gift.

The Farmer twins met Golga in a Birmingham park in the early 1960s through a shared interest in music. The three formed the Virus with guitarist Phil Smith and learned their instruments at Shard End Boys’ Club. David Farmer chose drums when the family sold a shared electric guitar; Tom Farmer chose bass. Gift recruited Jones from the Zanties around Christmas 1966–67 to replace Smith. The group turned professional within six months of the lineup change while the Farmer twins and Golga remained at school.

Gift moved to a cottage near Hereford in 1969 for six months of full-time rehearsals. The quartet returned to Birmingham when gig income no longer covered living costs. Gift next tried London with a base in Mill Hill, but the quartet soon returned to Birmingham. The group later rented a house in Streatham and again returned to Birmingham when the musicians could not cover rent. Gift returned to London in November 1970 to film the BBC children’s drama What Kind of Life? The quartet appeared as itself in the March 23, 1971 broadcast and played the original “Celestial Plain.”

Gift later settled in Brentford and signed with London booking agent Derek Savage for a £100 weekly guarantee. Savage booked as many as eight engagements per week across Britain. The quartet reserved one weekly night for self-booked Blackfoot Sioux dates built around original material and selected covers. United Artists staff producer Noel Walker brought Gift to the label for first sessions with Roy Thomas Baker. The quartet recorded the Phillip Goodhand-Tait song “Jonathan Joe” and group originals. Gift left UA but retained Walker as their manager, whosecured a contract with Dick James Music and JAM Records.

David Farmer brought a dreamed drum pattern to a January 1972 rehearsal in the Hounslow house. Gift developed the pattern into “Standing in the Road” through an extended rehearsal jam. Walker chose the song for the first single and took the quartet back into the studio. Gift kept the old name on club bills until the Blackfoot Sue launch.

JAM issued “Standing in the Road” (b/w “Celestial Plain”) on June 2, 1972, as the first Blackfoot Sue single. Blackfoot Sue promoted the record through club dates and August appearances on Top of the Pops. The quartet issued “Sing Don’t Speak” (b/w “2 B Free”) in November and earned a second UK chart entry. Blackfoot Sue used breaks in the Hounslow schedule to write material for Nothing to Hide, then re-entered the studio with Walker for the debut-album sessions.

Discography:

• “Standing in the Road” / “Celestial Plain” (1972)
• “Sing Don’t Speak” / “2 B Free” (1972)
• Nothing to Hide (1973)
• “Summer” / “Morning Light” (1973)
• “Get It All to Me” / “My Oh My” (1973)
• “Bye Bye Birmingham” / “Messiah” (1974)
• “You Need Love” / “Tobago Rose” (1974)
• Gun Running (unreleased, recorded 1975)
• Strangers (1977, recorded 1974)
• “When Will I See You Again” / “Lay the Real Thing on Me” (1977)

Sources:

• Official Blackfoot Sue biography, Part 1 — Virus and Gift origins, Phil Smith, Jones and the Zanties, Hereford, London moves, Derek Savage, United Artists, Roy Thomas Baker, Noel Walker, DJM/JAM, Blackfoot Sioux, and the name change. (Blackfoot Sue)
• Official Blackfoot Sue timeline — November 1970 BBC filming, March 23, 1971 transmission, January 1972 composition date, June 2 single release, and early Blackfoot Sue gigs. (Blackfoot Sue)
• Official “Standing in the Road” history — David Farmer rhythm idea, group development of the song, Walker choosing the single, recording sequence, and 1972 release campaign. (Blackfoot Sue)
• Forgotten Television Drama: What Kind of Life? — independent confirmation that Gift appeared as the performing group in the surviving BBC Television Club episode. (Forgotten Television Drama)
• MusicBrainz: The Albums — confirms June and November 1972 singles and the April 1973 release of Nothing to Hide. Qobuz credits Noel Walker as producer on the album material. (musicbrainz.org)