Tysondog -

Tysondog was an English Tyneside hard-rock/metal band that debuted with the 1983 single “Eat the Rich” on the NWOBHM label Neat, followed by the 1984–86 albums Beware of the Dog and Crimes of Insanity and the 1985 Shoot to Kill EP. Guitarist-singer Alan Hunter preceded the band with a one-off single in punk-rockers State of Emergency. He followed Tysondog with a three-album stint in the late-Eighties thrash act Pariah.

Members: Alan Hunter (guitar, vocals), Clutch Carruthers (vocals), Paul Burdis (guitar), Kevin Wynn (bass), Ged “Wolf” Cook (drums), Rob Walker (drums), Kev Hunter (drums), Peter Reeve (drums)

Background

Tysondog formed in 1982 in Wallsend, North Tyneside, when singer and guitarist Alan Hunter teamed with bassist Kevin Wynn and lead guitarist Paul Burdis, fellow members of the local band Orchrist. Wynn rehearsed at home with Hunter as a schoolboy and switched from guitar to bass. Burdis wrote early material that included “Eat the Rich,” “Dead Meat,” and “Painted Heroes.” The musicians named the group after Tyson, a dog owned by Burdis’s girlfriend.

The musicians initially shared vocals and played their first gig at a church-hall rock disco in Wallsend. Tysondog played youth clubs and school halls, then progressed to pubs around Newcastle with original material and covers of Judas Priest, Saxon, and Black Sabbath. The group tried several drummers, including Kev Hunter, brother of Raven drummer Rob Hunter, then settled on Peter Reeve. Tysondog recorded a show at a workingmen’s club in Ashington, Northumberland, for a live demo that they sent to Neat Records. Russ Conway, the A&R representative at Neat, helped the musicians secure a recording deal.

Hunter sang “Eat the Rich,” which Tysondog recorded in July 1983 at Impulse Studios in Wallsend with producer Keith Nichol. The group recruited singer John “Clutch” Carruthers through auditions, then returned to Impulse on September 5 to record “Dead Meat” live. Carruthers sang the B-side in one take, while the musicians retained the original A-side vocal after an accident with the master tape. Tysondog replaced Reeve in November 1983 with drummer Ged “Wolf” Cook.

Cook served as a drum technician for the Newcastle metal band Venom, which his brother Eric Cook managed. He answered a drummer advertisement in The Chronicle and auditioned at the Coach and Horses pub in Wallsend. Neat issued “Eat the Rich” in 1983 (b/w “Dead Meat”) and offered Tysondog a two-album contract. The quintet rehearsed two or three times each week and entered Impulse in late March 1984 with Venom bassist and singer Conrad “Cronos” Lant as producer for the debut album Beware of the Dog.

Discography:

“Eat the Rich” / “Dead Meat” (1983)
Beware of the Dog (1984)
Shoot to Kill (EP, 1985)
School’s Out (EP, 1986)
Crimes of Insanity (1986)

Sources

Metal Forces — “Tysondog – Bite Back” (1985). Contemporary interview with Kevin Wynn and Paul Burdis. Establishes the early-1982 formation, July single session, Carruthers recruitment, master-tape accident, November drummer change, and debut-session chronology. (Metal Forces)
ClassicRockHistory — “Kevin Wynn of Tysondog: The ClassicRockHistory.com Interview” (2022). School-age rehearsals, bass switch, early Burdis songs, first Wallsend appearance, cover repertoire, Russ Conway contact, rehearsal schedule, and two-album agreement. (ClassicRockHistory)
Alikivi — “Back for Another Bite” (2017). Wynn identifies the Ashington club recording as the first demo and explains how Neat invited the band to record a single. (Alikivi)
ExtremeUndergroundMusicZine — “Tysondog Interview” (2015). Wynn explains the band name, identifies early drummer Kev Hunter, and recalls the Carruthers audition and one-take B-side vocal. (ExtremeUndergroundMusicZine)
Alikivi — “Running with the Pack” (2017). Ged Cook recounts the Venom road-crew period, newspaper advertisement, and Coach and Horses audition. (Alikivi)
Encyclopaedia Metallum — “Eat the Rich.” Single credits identify Keith Nichol, Peter Reeve, and the separate vocalists; recording notes date “Dead Meat” to September 5, 1983. (Metal Archives)
Encyclopaedia Metallum — Tysondog band entry. Cross-checks the shared Orchrist membership of Hunter, Wynn, and Burdis. (Metal Archives)