Supercharge -

Supercharge was an English R&B big band from Liverpool led by saxophonist Albie Donnelly. They debuted with the 1974 album Between Music and Madness on Stag Music, followed by five albums through 1979 on Virgin. Donnelly guested on albums by City Boy, Graham Parker, The Boomtown Rats, and The Members. After their 1977 release Horizontal Refreshment, drummer Dave Irving departed for Sad Café.

Members: Albie Donnelly (vocals, saxophone, flute), Dave Irving (drums, percussion, vocals), Allen “Gaz” Gaskell (tenor saxophone, guitar, bass, harmonica, vocals), Pete Newton (bass), Alan Peters (trumpet), Iain Bradshaw (keyboards), Les Karski (guitar, vocals), Ozzie Yue (guitar, vocals), Tony Dunmore (bass, vocals), Bob Robertson (baritone saxophone, vocals), Andy Parker (vocals, keyboards, tenor saxophone), Mike Snow (trumpet), Dick Hanson (trumpet), John Burke (trumpet), Tony Winders (guitar), Phil Loughran (guitar), Mickey Kearns (baritone saxophone, guitar, vocals), Bob Hardy (keyboards, guitar, vocals), Dave Shepley (guitar, bass, vocals), Paddy Chambers (guitar, vocals), Steve Grant (drums, vocals), Pete Wingfield (keyboards), Pete Wilkinson (bass), John ‘”Fat Ted” Lewis (guitar, vocals), Colin Frost (guitar, vocals), Brendan O’Connor (bass, programming), Tony Judge (keyboards, vocals), Steve Snow (trombone), Paul Ambrosius (bass, vocals), Dave Dover (bass), Kenny Shearer (bass), Tony “Trumpo” Peers (trumpet), Steve Crane (trombone, vocals), Mike Crane (trumpet, vocals), Paul Latham (trombone), Graham Price (bass), Lenni Zaksen (tenor saxophone), Terry Kennaugh (guitar), Mal Bowers (keyboards), Paul Hetherington (bass), Dave “The Frug” Hormbrey (drums), Tony Lunney (drums), Greg Barrett (keyboards, vocals), Paul Owens (saxophone, keyboards, vocals), Roy “The Boy” Herrington (guitar, vocals), Jürgen “Big Jay” Wieching (saxophone), “Crazy” George Mahr (Hammond organ, keyboards), Tommy Schneller (tenor saxophone, vocals), Mike Rafelcyk (trombone, blues harp, vocals), Sasha Kühn (organ, piano), Wolfgang “Bolle” Diekmann (bass), Uwe Petersen (drums)

Background

Supercharge formed in early 1974 in Liverpool when singer–tenor saxophonist Albie Donnelly and drummer Dave Irving left cabaret group the In Crowd to organize a new R&B band. Early personnel included guitarist–singer Ozzie Yue, multi-instrumentalist Allen “Gaz” Gaskell, trumpeter Alan Peters, baritone saxophonist–guitarist Bob Robertson, bassist Pete Newton, and bassist Tony Dunmore.

Donnelly was born Albert Edward Donnelly on Aug. 12, 1947, in Huyton, Liverpool. He played saxophone with the St. Louis Checks, Terry Hines Sextet, The Fix, and the Clayton Squares across the mid-Sixties Liverpool circuit. Irving and Newton also worked in The Fix, which linked three Supercharge members through an earlier Liverpool R&B group.

Yue co-founded The Hideaways with school friends in 1963 and became a regular performer at the Cavern with that group. He also worked with The Merseybeats. Peters formed Almost Blues with Mike Haralambos in the mid-Sixties and backed Junior Walker and Lee Dorsey at the Cavern. Robertson also played saxophone in Almost Blues, where he worked alongside Peters.

Supercharge built an early Liverpool following through regular Sunday shows at the Sportsman in the city centre. The band shifted that booking to Monday nights and also played the Dove and Olive in Speke. Supercharge expanded onto the British college circuit. The band arranged a one-off album deal with Liverpool label Stag Music and entered Abbot Sound Studios in Chester with producer Dave Roylance and engineer Mick John to record Between Music and Madness.

Discography: