Tiger

Tiger was an English rock band led by veteran session guitarist Big Jim Sullivan. In 1976, they released Tiger on Warner, followed with Goin’ Down Laughing on EMI.

Members: Big Jim Sullivan (guitar), Nicky Moore (vocals), Les Walker (vocals), Ray Flacke (guitar), Phil Curtis (bass), Billy Rankin (drums), Dave MacRae (keyboards), Bill McGillivray (guitar, keyboards), Alan Park (keyboards), Andy Brown (bass), Percy Jones (bass), Simon Phillips (drums)

Background

Tiger formed in London in mid-1975 when guitarist Big Jim Sullivan assembled bassist Phil Curtis, drummer Billy Rankin, keyboardist Dave MacRae, and singers Nicky Moore and Les Walker.

Sullivan was born James George Tomkins on February 14, 1941, in Uxbridge. He took up guitarist fourteen and found work by sixteen in Vince Taylor & the Playboys and the Vince Eager Band. In 1959, rock ‘n’ roll singer Marty Wilde drafted Sullivan into The Wildcats, which appeared on the ITV show Oh Boy! and backed Eddie Cochran and Gene Vincent on their 1960 UK tour.

Between 1964 and 1966, Sullivan played on the first two Marianne Faithfull albums and singles by Gerry & The Pacemakers (“Ferry Cross the Mersey”), Dave Berry (“The Crying Game”), Dusty Springfield (“I Just Don’t Know What to Do with Myself,” “You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me”) and the Walker Brothers (“Make It Easy on Yourself,” “The Sun Ain’t Gonna Shine Anymore”). In 1967, Sullivan played 12-string guitar on “Itchycoo Park” by Small Faces. Donovan brought Sullivan into 1968 sessions for newly recorded versions of “Catch the Wind” and “Colours” on Donovan’s Greatest Hits. 

In 1968, Sullivan played bass on the George Harrison soundtrack album Wonderwall Music. He joined the Tom Jones touring organization in 1969 and remained with the Welsh singer for five years. Sullivan played on 1971 albums by Serge Gainsbourg (Histoire de Melody Nelson) and Frank Zappa (200 Motels), followed by the 1972 Gilbert O’Sullivan hit “Clair.”

Meanwhile, Sullivan pursued parallel solo work with the 1967 Mercury release Sitar a Gogo (aka Sitar Beat), followed by the 1973 Lord Sitar project and Sullivan Plays O’Sullivan.

Moore spent 1969–74 with Hackensack, which released Up the Hard Way on Polydor. Walker sang with Warm Dust across three early-1970s albums, from And It Came to Pass through the self-titled Warm Dust. Curtis recorded two albums as bassist for Kingdom Come led by Arthur Brown, then joined the Kiki Dee Band for I’ve Got the Music in Me. Rankin joined Kippington Lodge in 1968 and continued through their run as Brinsley Schwarz, then joined the final Ducks Deluxe tour and July 1975 farewell show at the 100 Club. MacRae worked with Matching Mole and Nucleus, then played on recordings by Back Door.

Guitarist Ray Flacke joined immediately prior to the first album sessions, which gave Tiger a two-guitar lineup with Sullivan. With Flacke in place, Tiger entered the studio with Sullivan and Lawrence as co-producers for Tiger.

Discography:

• Goin’ Down Laughing (1976)
• Tiger (1976)