Hummingbird was an English-American jazz-funk band that released three albums between 1975 and 1977 on A&M: Hummingbird, We Can’t Go On Meeting Like This, and Diamond Nights. They featured three-fifths of the second Jeff Beck Group, including keyboardist Max Middleton, who plays on Beck’s 1975–76 jazz-rock albums Blow by Blow and Wired.

Members: Bobbie Tench (vocals, guitar), Max Middleton (keyboards), Clive Chaman (bass, flute), Bernie Holland (guitar), Conrad Isadore (drums), Robert Ahwai (guitar), Bernard Purdie (drums, percussion), Linda Lewis (vocals), Madeline Bell (vocals), Liza Strike (vocals)

Background

Hummingbird formed when three members of the second Jeff Beck Group — singer–guitarist Bobby Tench, keyboardist Max Middleton, and bassist Clive Chaman — regrouped after session stints behind Hanson and Linda Lewis. They formed the first Hummingbird lineup with drummer Conrad Isadore and second guitarist Bernie Holland.

Bobby Tench (b. September 21, 1944) originated as a multi-instrumentalist and singer in The Gass, a sixties Caribbean–British band that cut three singles and served as the pit band for a London production of Catch My Soul, a rock-musical adaptation of Shakespeare’s Othello. As Gass, they released their lone studio album, Juju, in 1970 on Polydor. Along with two Gass bandmates, Tench formed Gonzalez, one of England’s first Latin-rock groups.

Before Gonzalez recorded, Tench joined the second Jeff Beck Group, which also featured bassist Clive Chaman, keyboardist Max Middleton, and drummer Cozy Powell. Tench replaced their initial singer Alex Ligertwood, whose contributions were vetoed by Epic, the band’s label. Tench sings on the 1971–72 Beck Group albums Rough and Ready and Jeff Beck Group (colloquially known as “the orange album”). Tench briefly followed Beck into a new band with the Vanilla Fudge–Cactus rhythm section, before they coalesced as the rock trio Beck, Bogert & Appice. As Bobby Gass, Tench appeared as a session guitarist (alongside Fela Kuti) on the 1972 release Stratavarious by ex-Cream–Blind Faith drummer Ginger Baker.

In February 1973, Tench (along with Chaman) reunited with Gass bassist–percussionist DeLisle Harper and Juju session guitarist Junior Marvin on Now Hear This, the first of two albums by Marvin’s funk band Hanson. Concurrently, Tench — along with Middleton and future Rod Stewart sidemen Phil Chen (bass) and Jim Cregan (ex-Blossom Toes and Stud, guitar) — backed Linda Lewis on Fathoms Deep, her second solo album.

American blues guitarist Freddie King (1934–1976) employed Tench as a rhythm guitarist on the 1974–75 RSO albums Burglar and Larger Than Life, both produced by British blues-rock entrepreneur Mike Vernon, a soundman on Blue Horizon titles by Chicken Shack and Peter Green‘s Fleetwood Mac.

Max Middleton (b. August 4, 1946) was a classically trained keyboardist who met Jeff Beck in 1970 through Chaman, the former bassist of Romeo Z. After the two Beck Group albums and Now Hear This, Middleton contributed to Streetwalkers, the 1974 album by ex-Family mainstays Roger Chapman and Charlie Whitney. As Humingbird got underway, Tench doubled in Chapman and Whitney’s subsequent band, Streetwalkers. Meanwhile, Middleton played on Hair of a Dog, the 1975 release by Scottish hard rockers Nazareth.

Clive Chaman (b. September 5, 1949, Trinidad) originated in Romeo Z with his vocalist brother, Stan Chaman. They cut the 1967 CBS single “Come Back Baby Come Back” (b/w “Since My Baby Said Goodbye”) and performed the title song in Kaleidoscope, a 1966 British chase comedy starring Warren Beatty and Susannah York. Their trombonist, Eric Allendale, joined the Ramong Sound, which evolved into The Foundations.

In 1969, Chaman played bass on Black London Blues, the second album by Guyanese–American folk-blues singer–guitarist Ram John Holder. After the two Jeff Beck Group albums and the sessions for Now Hear This, he joined Cozy Powell’s Hammer. He also appears on Donovan‘s 1973 release Cosmic Wheels and (along with Stan Chaman) the 1974 SagaPan Records remake of the 1970 rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar.

Conrad Isadore (b. 194?, Dominica) got his start in Joe E Young & The Toniks, a London-based soul-rock band with Antiguan migrants Calvin “Fuzzy” Samuels (bass) and Colin Young (vocals). They morphed into the Sundae Times,^> which cut three singles on Toast Records, a subsidiary of Major Minor. Equals frontman Eddie Grant produced their 1968 album Soul Buster and used the Isadore co-write “Instant Love” as a 1969 Equals b-side. Young joined the Foundations for their transatlantic hit “Build Me Up Buttercup.” Samuels later surfaced in Stephen Stills’ Manassas.

Meanwhile, Isadore cut a 1969 Fontana album as part of the soul-psych septet One, which featured (future Zzebra) Alan Marshall. In 1970, he drummed on “Happy Being Me,” the fifteen-minute centerpiece of Volume Two by Manfred Mann Chapter Three. Aside from Now Hear This and Fathoms Deep, he notched credits on 1971–74 albums by Stills, Joe Cocker, Paul Kossoff, Reebop Kwaku Baah, Terry Reid, Vinegar Joe, and Stills’ French wife Veronique Sanson.

Bernie Holland had brief stints in Bluesology and Linda Lewis’s Ferris Wheel. He joined Jody Grind for their 1970 second album Far Canal and did subsequent sessions for The Humblebums, Meic Stevens, Stealers Wheel (Ferguslie Park), and Stomu Yamash’ta’s East Wind (One by One). For Patto, he deputized bassist Clive Griffiths on a March 1971 Pop Deux broadcast.

1975

Jeff Beck jammed briefly with Hummingbird but didn’t contribute to their recordings. As the band secured its A&M deal, Middleton contributed to Blow by Blow, Beck’s first of two instrumental jazz-rock albums, both produced by Beatles soundman George Martin, who worked concurrently with Stackridge and America. Meanwhile, Hummingbird linked with America’s original producer, Ian Samwell, a onetime guitarist in Cliff Richard‘s pre-Shadows band The Drifters.

Hummingbird

Hummingbird released their self-titled debut album in 1975 on A&M. Conrad Isadore composed five of the album’s nine songs: “Music Flowing,” “Such a Long Ways,” and everything on Side Two apart from “Maybe,” a joint composition by Bobby Tench, Clive Chaman, Max Middleton, and songwriter Mike Finesilver, who wrote psychedelic-era hits for the Crazy World of Arthur Brown (“Fire”) and Love Sculpture (“In the Land of the Few”).

Side One also contains Bernie Holland’s “Horrors” and the group-written “You Can Keep the Money,” plus the Stevie Wonder cover “I Don’t Know Why I Love You.”

Linda Lewis appears as a guest vocalist. “For the Children’s Sake” features backing vocals by Sandra Akanke Isidore, a prior Ginger Baker sessionist. Gonzalez percussionist Godfrey McLean plays congas on “Island of Dreams.”

A1. “Music Flowing” (4:25)
A2. “You Can Keep the Money” (3:16)
A3. “Such a Long Ways” (4:12)
A4. “Horrors” (3:40)
A5. “I Don’t Know Why I Love You” (5:55)

B1. “Maybe” (5:25)
B2. “For the Children’s Sake” (3:50)
B3. “Ocean Blues” (5:37)
B4. “Island of Dreams” (7:33)

Sessions occurred in London at Scorpio Sound, AIR, and Apple Studios, where Hummingbird co-produced the album with Ian Samwell, who worked most recently with the folk trio Prelude. Hummingbird was engineered by Scorpio’s Dennis Weinreich (Jack Bruce, Michael Mantler) and Apple’s Phil McDonald (Argent, Claire Hamill, Life, Stealers Wheel). AIR’s John Punter engineered the first two Side B tracks amid work on 1975 albums by A Raincoat, Curved Air, Nazareth, and the Sensational Alex Harvey Band.

Hummingbird displays the creature on a sheet of postage stamps designed by John Kosh, whose graphics also grace 1974/75 covers for Andy Fairweather Low, Badfinger, Chris Rainbow, Hudson–Ford, King Crimson (Red), Rod Stewart, Rory Gallagher, and T. Rex.

Lineup Change

Conrad Isadore cleared for American drummer Bernard Purdie, who played in James Brown‘s late-sixties backing band and served as Aretha Franklin‘s music director. As a sessionist, he played on more than 150 albums between 1969 and 1975. In 1974, he scored a jazz-funk soundtrack for the blaxploitation film Lialeh.

As sessions commenced on the second Hummingbird album, they invited Fathoms Deep sessionist Robert Ahwai as an auxiliary third guitarist. Along with Holland and Middleton, he plays on Linda Lewis’s 1975 Arista release Not a Little Girl Anymore. Ahwai also plays on Our Only Weapon Is Our Music, the 1975 second album by Tench’s former band, Gonzalez.

Meanwhile, Chaman played on Reinforcements, the 1975 release by Brian Auger’s Oblivion Express. Elsewhere, Holland backed Joan Armatrading on her second album Back to the Night, her first for A&M. Tench did his parts on the 1975–76 Vertigo titles Downtown Flyers and Red Card, the first two albums by Chapman–Whitney’s Streetwalkers. Holland played on two Back Door tracks for their 1975 third album Another Fine Mess.

1976

Middleton plays on Wired, the 1976 second album in Jeff Beck’s instrumental jazz-rock series. It features drummer–composer Narada Michael Walden and ex-Mahavishnu Orchestra keyboardist Jan Hammer. Middleton wrote the opening track, “Led Boots.”

Tench sings backing vocals on Bloodletting, the second-recorded album by Boxer, the third and final joint-band of Mike Patto and Ollie Halsall. Bloodletting remained vaulted until 1979 when Virgin released it (after their 1977 third-recorded album Absolutely) after Patto’s death. Tench also sings backing vocals on Widowmaker, the post-Mott the Hoople project of Ariel Bender (aka Spooky Tooth guitarist Luther Grosvenor).

Meanwhile, Purdie earned credits on 1976 titles by Essra Mohawk, Jorge Dalto, Mongo Santamaria, Roy Ayers Ubiquity, Saundra Hewitt, Steely Dan (The Royal Scam), and The Tymes.

Ahwai, likewise, earned concurrent credits with the Martyn Ford Orchestra, Birmingham funksters the J.A.L.N. Band, Liverpool soulsters the Real Thing, and Pilot keyboardist William Lyall.

We Can’t Go On Meeting Like This

Hummingbird released their second album, We Can’t Go On Meeting Like This, in August 1976 on A&M.

Clive Chaman composed three songs (“The City Mouse,” “A Friend Forever,” “Snake Snack”) and co-wrote “Fire and Brimstone” with Ian Samwell, who also collaborated with Bobby Tench on “Trouble Maker” and “Heaven Knows (Where You’ve Been).”

Bernie Holland helped them on “Let It Burn” and submitted “Scorpio.” Max Middleton third-wrote the title track and contributed “Gypsy Skys.”

Robert Ahwai joins on “The City Mouse,” “Snake Snack,” and the first two tracks. The album features backing vocals by Blue Mink vet Madeline Bell, R&J Stone half Joanne Williams, and Pink Floyd/Cockney Rebel sidewoman Liza Strike.

A1. “Fire and Brimstone” (4:57)
A2. “Gypsy Skys” (5:20)
A3. “Trouble Maker” (3:14)
A4. “Scorpio” (4:14)
A5. “We Can’t Go On Meeting Like This” (4:19)

B1. “The City Mouse” (4:49)
B2. “A Friend Forever” (5:30)
B3. “Heaven Knows (Where You’ve Been)” (4:05)
B4. “Snake Snack” (4:29)
B5. “Let It Burn” (5:02)

Hummingbird recorded the album at Scorpio Sound with Ian Samwell and Dennis Weinreich, who also engineered 1976 albums by Alain Renaud, Easy Street, East of Eden, Michael Mantler (Hapless Child), The Real Thing, and ex-Pilot singer William Lyall.

We Can’t Go On Meeting Like This shows a sexual rendezvous image by John Thorton, who photographed the seductive cover to Lynsey De Paul‘s second album, Taste Me… Don’t Waste Me. Here, a high-class woman in a veil, slip, and stockings adjusts here earrings while her shirtless clandestine lover checks through the blinds of their red-lighted hotel room. Thorton employed equally risque visuals on the 1976 Be-Bop Deluxe album Sunburst Finish, which shows a cylinder-encased nude woman propping a guitar aflame in a red-lit space.

Ahwai took over from Bernie Holland, who played on 1976 albums by the Ian Gillan Band, Harvey Andrews, and one track (“Carnival”) on Go, a collaborative effort by Stomu Yamash’ta, Steve Winwood, and Automatic Man percussionist Michael Shrieve with Al Di Meola and Klaus Schulze.

Diamond Nights

Hummingbird released their third album, Diamond Nights, in 1977 on A&M. This was their second album with Bernard Purdie and only full release with Ahwai, who joined co-founders Max Middleton, Clive Chaman, and guitarist/singer Bobby Tench.

The album opens with “Got My “Led Boots” On,” an arrangement of Middleton’s Wired opener (“Led Boots”) with lyrics added by onetime Black Cat Bones singer Brian Short (a Rough and Ready song contributor). Max also composed the Side B bookends “Anaconda” and “Anna’s Song.”

Tench co-wrote “Spirit” and “Madatcha” with Streetwalkers bandmate Roger Chapman, who gifted Hummingbird with “Spread Your Wings,” a co-write with producer Ian Samwell.

Diamond Nights also contains covers of songs by Creative Source (“You Can’t Hide Love”), Melba Moore (“She Is My Lady,” gender switched from “I Am His Lady”), Troy Seals (“Cryin’ for Love”), and onetime Tremeloes songwriter Jules Freedman (“Losing You”). Airto Moreira plays guest percussion along with Aretha sideman Pancho Morales.

A1. “Got My “Led Boots” On” (3:41)
A2. “Spirit” (3:35)
A3. “Cryin’ for Love” (3:14) was an unrecorded song by American country singer Troy Seals; co-written by Hoy Lindsey.
A4. “She Is My Lady” (5:01) originated as “I Am His Lady” by songwriter Morgan Ames; first recorded in 1975 by Melba Moore (after a vaulted 1974 Peggy Lee version) and also covered in 1977 by Eric Gale (as “She Is My Lady”).
A5. “You Can’t Hide Love” (4:25) originated as a 1973 song by Creative Source, written by Skip Scarborough and covered in 1975 by Earth Wind and Fire.

B1. “Anaconda” (5:50)
B2. “Madatcha” (3:48)
B3. “Losing You (Ain’t No Doubt About You)” (3:57)
B4. “Spread Your Wings” (4:15)
B5. “Anna’s Song” (3:28)

Sessions rook place at A&M Recording Studios in Hollywood, where Hummingbird co-produced the album with Samwell, who worked in tandem with Alfalpha, an EMI folk trio with future Dream Academy frontman Nick Laird-Clowes. Purdie and Horace Ott co-arranged the strings and brass, performed by saxophonists Quitman Dennis, multi-reedist Jim Horn, and trumpeter Chuck Findley.

Diamond Nights features six backing vocalists: onetime Ikette Venetta Fields, recent Harlette Paulette McWilliams, Saint Tropez participant Lisa Freeman Roberts, Waters sisters Maxine Willard and Julia Tillman, and serial sessionist Stephanie Spruill, a presence on 1976/77 albums by Billy Preston, Brothers Johnson, Donald Byrd, Gene Harris, Harvey Mason, Johnny Hammond, King Errisson, and Side Effect.

Diamond Nights displays an offshore lunar hummingbird illustration by Trey Aven, a promo artist for KATT-FM in Oklahoma City.

Post-Hummingbird

Clive Chaman played bass on 1977 albums by Lenny White (Big City), Brian Auger’s Oblivion Express (Happiness Heartaches), and recent Cockney Rebel keyboardist Duncan Mackay (Score). He and Max Middleton played on the soundtrack to the 1978 Bee Gees film adaptation of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.

Bob Tench fulfilled his Streetwalkers role on their 1977 swan song Vicious But Fair. He played on Chapman’s 1979 solo debut, Chappo, and regrouped with Charlie Whitney on Boast of the Town, the 1980 second album by Axis Point, a Streetwalkers spinoff with Eddie Hardin. He also backed Van Morrison on the singer’s 1979 release Wavelength.

Middleton and Robert Ahwaii (along with assorted Streetwalkers) backed British folk duo the Rhead Brothers on their 1977/78 EMI albums Dedicate and Black Shaheen. Max also played on late-Seventies albums by Annette Peacock, Chris Rainbow, Cozy Powell, Flora Purim, Lenny Zakatek, and Roy Harper.

In 1979, Middleton and Ahwaii collaborated on Another Sleeper, a jazz-rock album on Harvest. Concurrently, they played on Cape Wrath, the second album by Morrissey–Mullen (who employed Tench on their 1981 release, Badness). Max backed Kate Bush on her 1980 third album, Never For Ever, and joined the backing band of Chris Rea, starting with his 1982 fourth album.

Discography: