Juicy Lucy

Juicy Lucy was an English blues-rock band that released the 1969–70 Vertigo albums Juicy Lucy and Lie Back and Enjoy It. They charted with the revved-up Bo Diddley cover “Who Do You Love?” Amid multiple lineup changes, they cut the 1971 Bronz title Get a Whiff a This and the 1972 Polydor album Pieces.

Steel player Glenn Ross Campbell (formerly of The Misunderstood) initiated Juicy Lucy, which had multiple rock journeyman, including bassist Keith Ellis (The Koobas, Boxer), saxist–keyboardist Chris Mercer (Keef Hartley Band), guitarist Mick Moody (Tramline, Snafu, Whitesnake), and bassist Andy Pile (Blodwyn Pig, The Kinks).

Members: Ray Owen (vocals, 1969-70), Glenn Ross Campbell (steel guitar, 1969-72), Chris Mercer (saxophone, 1969-72), Neil Hubbard (guitar, 1969-70), Keith Ellis (bass, 1969-71), Pete Dobson (drums, 1969-70), Paul Williams (vocals, 1970-73, 1996), Micky Moody (guitar, 1970-73, 1996), Rod Coombes (drums, 1970-72), Jim Leverton (bass, 1971-73), Bernie Marsden (guitar, 1971), Jean Roussel (keyboards, 1972-73), Andy Pyle (bass, 1972-73), Ron Berg (drums, 1972-73)

Background

Juicy Lucy formed in London in mid-1969 when saxophonist Chris Mercer teamed with American steel guitarist Glenn Ross Campbell.

Mercer (b. 1947; Blackburn) served in John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers for the 1967–68 Decca albums Crusade and Bare Wires. He then joined the soul-jazz sextet Wynder K. Frog for their 1968 second album Out of the Frying Pan. In early 1969, he joined the Keef Hartley Band for their first two albums (Halfbreed, The Battle of North West Six) and guested on titles by Locomotive (We Are Everything You See) and Martha Velez.

Campbell (b. 1949) hailed from Riverside, California, where he played in The Misunderstood, a garage-rock band with guitarist Tony Hill. They cut one local single, “You Don’t Have To Go” (b/w “Who’s Been Talkin”’) and gained the support of English DJ John Ravenscroft (aka John Peel), who hosted a breakfast show on KMEN in San Bernardino.

The Misunderstood went to London and cut two singles: “I Can Take You to the Sun” (b/w “Who Do You Love”) and “Children of the Sun” (b/w “I Unseen”). The latter appeared belatedly in February 1969, two years after external factors (visa issues, the draft) forced them to disband. Hill formed the psychedelic proto-metal band High Tide.

In May 1969, Campbell resurrected the Misunderstood name for two Fontana singles: the Junior Wells cover “You’re Tuff Enough” (b/w Willie Dixon’s “Little Red Rooster”) and “Never Had a Girl (Like You Before)” (b/w “Golden Glass”). He wrote the latter two sides with Steve Hoard of fellow South Cal garage rockers The Bush and The Light.

For their new band, Campbell and Mercer recruited singer Ray Owen, guitarist Neil Hubbard, bassist Keith Ellis, and drummer Pete Dobson. Hubbard passed through Reginald Dwight’s Bluesology and recently rubbed shoulders with Mercer in Wynder K. Frog.

Ellis spent five years in The Koobas, a Liverpool beat group that cut multiple singles and a long-awaited album that finally appeared in early 1969, months after their breakup. He recently played on the first Van Der Graaf Generator album, The Aerosol Grey Machine, but they disbanded temporarily over contract entanglements. By the time VDGG was ready for its proper launch, Ellis had already signed on with Campbell and Mercer’s project, which named itself Juicy Lucy, an American slang for cheeseburger.

Juicy Lucy

Juicy Lucy released their self-titled debut album in November 1969 on Vertigo. It features six originals: two co-written by guitarists Neil Hubbard and Glenn Ross Campbell (“Just One Time,” “Chicago North-Western”) and one that bassist Keith Ellis co-wrote with producer Nigel Thomas (“She’s Mine, She’s Yours”). Campbell co-wrote “Walking Down The Highway?” with saxist–keyboardist Chris Mercer, who joint-wrote “Are You Satisfied?” with Thomas and drummer Pete Dobson.

Juicy Lucy features covers of Buddy Miles (“Train”) and Chuck Berry (“Nadine”). Ray Owen sings lead on “Chicago North-Western,” “Train,” and the Bo Diddley cover “Who Do You Love?” (not the same song as the 1966 b-side, a Misunderstood original). Owen (an implied sixth wheel) has co-writing credits on “Highway?” and the group-written opener “Mississippi Woman.”

Campbell sings the remaining songs and plays steel guitar, mandolin, and marimba on Juicy Lucy, which features Hubbard on lead electric and acoustic guitars and Mercer on tenor sax, organ, and piano.

1. “Mississippi Woman”
2. “Who Do You Love?”
3. “She’s Mine, She’s Yours”
4. “Just One Time”
5. “Chicago North-Western”
6. “Train”
7. “Nadine”
8. “Are You Satisfied?”
9. “Walking Down The Highway?”

Sessions took place in September 1969 at London’s IBC Studios with Thomas and co-producer Gerry Bron. 

Juicy Lucy was the second Vertigo album release (VO 2), slotted between titles by Colosseum (Valentyne Suite, VO 1) and Manfred Mann Chapter Three (self-titled, VO 3). Campbell and Thomas co-conceived the album’s gatefold cover, which shows burlesque dancer Zelda Plum reclined on her backside and covered in fruit. The photographer, Peter Smith, also has credits on Bare Wires, Valentyne Suite, and 1969 albums by Little Free Rock and Pentangle.

In February 1970, Vertigo lifted “Who Do You Love?” as a single (b/w “Walking Down the Highway”). It reached No. 14 on the UK Singles Chart. Atco issued Juicy Lucy stateside in May 1970 with an alternate cover that shows Plum’s face behind a wall of fruit.

Lineup Change

Before sessions commenced on the second album, Hubbard and Dobson cleared out for guitarist Mick Moody and drummer Rod Coombes.

Moody (b. 1950) first played in The Roadrunners, an unsigned beat group with (future Free, Bad Company) singer Paul Rodgers and (future Quiver, Attractions) bassist Bruce Thomas. He then formed the blues-rock combo Tramline, which cut two albums in 1968–69 on Island. Coombes played in a pre-LP lineup of Trifle.

Meanwhile, Owen formed his own band, Ray Owen’s Moon, which cut the 1971 Polydor album Moon. It features a re-recorded “Mississippi Woman” and the Owen originals “Hey Sweety” and “Ouiji,” plus the Jimi Hendrix cover “Voodoo Chile” and multiple songs by bassist–keyboardist Sid Gardner.

Juicy Lucy continued with English blues-rock singer Paul Williams, who did beat-era stints in The Wes Minster Five (a Colosseum precurssor) and Zoot Money’s Big Roll Band. Recently, he sang in Aynsley Dunbar‘s Retaliation and Blue Whale.

Lie Back and Enjoy It

Juicy Lucy released their second album, Lie Back and Enjoy It, in October 1970 on Vertigo.

The album marks a shift from the swampy blues-rock of the debut toward a broader blend of blues, hard rock, psychedelia, and early progressive elements. Paul Williams’s vocals and Micky Moody’s guitar work anchor the sound, while Glenn Ross Campbell’s steel guitar and Chris Mercer’s saxophone provide distinctive textures.

Paul Williams wrote the opener, the title track, and “Pretty Woman” (not the Roy Orbison song). He co-wrote “Whisky in My Jar” with bassist Keith Ellis and guitarist Mick Moody, who also co-wrote “That Woman’s Got Something” with steel-player Glenn Ross Campbell, a co-writer on “Changed My Mind.” Lie Back includes covers of Willie Dixon (“Built for Comfort”), Frank Zappa (“Willie the Pimp”), and Alex Harvey (“Hello L.A., Bye Bye Birmingham”).

The album opens with “Thinking of My Life,” a mid-tempo track built around Williams’s expressive vocals. “Built for Comfort” reinterprets Dixon’s blues standard with a weightier electric approach. “Whisky in My Jar” layers steel guitar and mandolin over driving rhythms. “Willie the Pimp” / “Lie Back and Enjoy It” combine as a medley with extended guitar passages. Other tracks range from soulful (“Hello L.A., Bye Bye Birmingham”) to blues-rock originals with funk and country-rock inflections.

A1. “Thinking of My Life” (4:27)
A2. “Built for Comfort” (6:00)
A3. “Pretty Woman” (3:12)
A4. “Whisky in My Jar” (4:00)

B1. “Hello L.A., Bye Bye Birmingham” (4:15) is a song by Mac Davis and Delaney Bramlett, first recorded by Alex Harvey for his 1969 album Roman Wall Blues.
B2. “Changed My Mind” (3:07)
B3. “That Woman’s Got Something” (2:53)
B4. “Willie the Pimp” / “Lie Back and Enjoy It” (7:08)

Sessions occurred with producers Gerry Bron and Nigel Thomas.

Lie Back and Enjoy It appeared as a six-fold poster cover with candid closeup photos of each member on the front spread and a monochrome live shot on the back.

The single “Pretty Woman” was released on September 18, 1970, backed with “I’m a Thief.”

After Lie Back, Keith Ellis cleared for bassist Jim Leverton, a Dover native whose background included multiple beat groups (The Burnettes, The Loving Kind) with guitarist Noel Redding. After Reddings’ bassist gig in the Experience, they reunited in Fat Mattress.

Ellis resurfaced in Boxer, the third band of Timebox–Patto singer Mike Patto and guitarist Ollie Halsall.

Get a Whiff a This

Juicy Lucy released their second album, Get a Whiff a This, in June 1971 on Bronze.

The album shifts toward country-rock and bar band boogie, mixing originals with covers. Paul Williams’s growling vocals and Mick Moody’s guitar work provide a consistent thread through the stylistic changes, while Glenn Ross Campbell’s steel guitar adds texture.

The album includes covers of Spirit (“Mr. Skin”), the Allman Brothers (“Midnight Rider”), and Bob Darin (“The Harvest”). Paul Williams wrote three songs and co-wrote “Sunday Morning” with outsider James Thakitt, who submitted “Future Days.” Side B contains “Big Lil,” an uptempo track joint-credited to Mercer, Campbell, and Coombes.

A1. “Mr. Skin” (3:44) – a 1970 Spirit song written by Jay Ferguson.
A2. “Midnight Sun” (3:40) – bar band boogie with acoustic slide guitar and anti-war lyrics
A3. “Midnight Rider” (3:10) – a faithful rendition of the Allman Brothers classic
A4. “The Harvest” (3:50) – swamp-rock tones with spoken-style vocals
A5. “Mr. A. Jones” (3:15) – acoustic country-folk ballad

B1. “Sunday Morning” (3:47) – country-flavored ballad emphasizing steel guitar
B2. “Big Lil” (4:22) – opens with a funky riff and slide guitar 
B3. “Jessica” (4:13) – country-tinged rock showcasing slide guitar
B4. “Future Days” (4:00) – country-rock with steady pacing

Sessions occurred with Juicy Lucy and Nigel Thomas producing.

In August 1971, Juicy Lucy performed at the Weeley Festival near Clacton-on-Sea, Essex. Creative and personnel changes followed, with co-founders Glenn Ross Campbell, Chris Mercer, and Rod Coombes departing before the next album.

Pieces

Juicy Lucy released their second album, Pieces, in 1972 on Polydor.

The album contains five songs co-written by Paul Williams and non-performing collaborator John Edwards, plus covers of Chuck Berry (“Promised Land”), Zoot Money (“It Ain’t Easy”), Blind Alfred Reed (“How Can a Poor Man Stand These Times and Live”), and a band arrangement of the traditional “Cuckoo.”

Discography:

• Juicy Lucy (1969)
• Lie Back and Enjoy It (1970)
• Get a Whiff a This (1971)
• Pieces (1972)

Sources:

• Discogs: Juicy Lucy
• 45worlds: Juicy Lucy
• 45cat: Juicy Lucy
• TVRDb.com: Top of the Pops – Juicy Lucy