Average White Band | |
|---|---|
 Average White Band in 2013 | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as | AWB |
| Origin | Dundee, Scotland |
| Genres | Blue-eyed soul,funk,R&B,soft rock[1] |
| Years active | 1971–1982, 1989–2024 |
| Labels | Atlantic,RCA,MCA,Rhino,Arista |
| Past members | Alan Gorrie Onnie McIntyre Fred Vigdor Cliff Lyons Rocky Bryant Brent Carter Rob Aries Roger Ball Malcolm "Molly" Duncan Robbie McIntosh Michael Rosen Hamish Stuart Steve Ferrone Eliot Lewis Alex Ligertwood Tiger McNeil Peter Abbott Fred "Catfish" Alias Adam Deitch Brian Dunne Klyde Jones Morris Pleasure Monte Croft |
TheAverage White Band (also known asAWB) were a Scottishfunk andR&B band that had a series of soul anddiscohits between 1974 and 1980. They were best known for their million-selling instrumental track "Pick Up the Pieces", and their albumsAWB andCut the Cake. The band name was initially proposed byBonnie Bramlett. They have influenced others, such as theBrand New Heavies, and beensampled by various musicians, including theBeastie Boys,Public Enemy,TLC,the Beatnuts,Too Short,Ice Cube,Eric B. & Rakim,Nas,A Tribe Called Quest,Christina Milian, andArrested Development,[2] making them the 15th most sampled act in history.[3]
AWB was formed in late 1971[4] in London byAlan Gorrie,[5] andMalcolm "Molly" Duncan, with Owen "Onnie" McIntyre,[6] Michael Rosen (trumpet),Roger Ball, andRobbie McIntosh[7] joining them in the original line-up.Hamish Stuart[8] quickly replaced Rosen. Duncan and Ball, affectionately known as the Dundee Horns, studied atDuncan of Jordanstone College of Art (now part of theUniversity of Dundee, but which at the time was part of the Dundee Institute of Art and Technology, now known asAbertay University), and were previously members ofMogul Thrash. Gorrie and McIntyre had been members ofForever More. McIntyre and McIntosh were used assession musicians onChuck Berry's recording of "My Ding-a-Ling".[4]
According to Duncan, members of the band had played together before in Scotland, but had moved to London separately and met up by chance at aTraffic concert. They decided to jam together; a friend heard them and remarked: "This is too much for the average white man," which became adapted as the name of the band.[9]
The band's breakthrough was a support slot atEric Clapton's comeback concert in 1973.MCA Records released their debut album,Show Your Hand (1973), which sold poorly.[1] Bruce McCaskill, who was Clapton's tour manager, liked the band's music and agreed to manage them. He borrowed money to take them to the US and topromote them. McCaskill had many contacts from his days with Clapton and managed to getAtlantic Records to sign them. The band relocated to Los Angeles and released the follow-up,AWB, better known asThe White Album. It reachedNo. 1 and was the first of many with producerArif Mardin.[1]
McIntosh died of a heroin overdose at a Los Angeles party on 23 September 1974.[2][1] Gorrie also overdosed, butCher kept him conscious until medical help arrived.[10] TheNME reported in January 1975 that AWB played a benefit show for McIntosh's widow at theMarquee Club in London.[11] McIntosh was replaced bySteve Ferrone, previously ofBloodstone, who had replaced McIntosh before inBrian Auger's Oblivion Express.[2]
In 1975, the single "Pick Up the Pieces", taken from the No. 1AWB album, reached No. 1 on the USBillboard Hot 100 chart. The song knocked Linda Ronstadt's "You're No Good" out of No. 1 and sold over one million copies. It was awarded agold disc by theR.I.A.A. in March 1975.[12] It also promptedThe J.B.'s,James Brown's backup band, to record and release a song in reply, "Pick Up the Pieces, One by One", under the name AABB (Above Average Black Band). It was both a tribute to AWB's knowledge of funk and a tongue-in-cheek play on the Scottish band's name.
AWB followed up with theLPsCut the Cake (1975) andSoul Searching (1976), both big sellers and yielding furtherTop 40 singles.Cut the Cake was dedicated by the surviving band members to McIntosh's memory. A double live albumPerson To Person was issued in late 1976. Their next LP,Benny & Us, was a collaboration withBen E. King.[1]
After several more albums,Warmer Communications (1978),Feel No Fret (1979) and after a switch to the U.S. Arista label,Shine (1980) andCupid's in Fashion (1982), AWB's audience and sales dwindled. The group initially disbanded by 1983. Their 1980disco hit "Let's Go Round Again" (UK No. 12),[13] wascovered in the late 1990s byLouise.
Ferrone went on to work withDuran Duran and later withTom Petty and The Heartbreakers from 1994 until Petty's death in 2017. Hamish Stuart joinedPaul McCartney's touring group.[1] In 1985 Gorrie released a solo album,Sleepless Nights.
The classic lineup of Gorrie, McIntyre, Ball, Stuart, Duncan and Ferrone reunited for one last time at the Atlantic Records 40th Anniversary in 1988. Gorrie, McIntyre, and Ball then continued in 1989 to recordAftershock.[14]Alex Ligertwood (ex-Santana,Jeff Beck Group and another veteran of Brian Auger's Oblivion Express) also appeared on this album, replacing lead singer Hamish Stuart, along with Eliot Lewis who co-wrote with Gorrie and joined the band. Ligertwood left after the album's recording and drummer Tiger McNeil joined for the reunited band's live shows. McNeil was with the group until 1994. He was then succeeded by Peter Abbott (ex-Blood, Sweat & Tears), who in turn was replaced by Fred "Catfish" Alias in September 1998. DrummerAdam Deitch did a two-year stint with AWB from 1999 to 2001.
Average White Band has continued recording (1997'sSoul Tattoo, 1999'sFace to Face) and touring since. Ball worked onSoul Tattoo with the group but was replaced by Fred Vigdor (aka Freddy V.) in 1996.
Brian Dunne took over the drum chair in 2001 and when Eliot Lewis left the band in September 2002 to pursue other musical opportunities (including a stint withHall and Oates), he was replaced by Klyde Jones.[15]
Their line-up as of 2002 became Alan Gorrie (bass guitar, guitar, lead and backing vocals), Klyde Jones (keyboards, bass guitar, guitar, lead and backing vocals), Onnie McIntyre (guitar, vocals), Freddy V (sax, keyboards, vocals), and Brian Dunne (drums).
Dunne was replaced by Rocky Bryant as drummer as of the 2006 tour. After Jones left in 2011 to join Hall and Oates, Monte Croft (keyboards, bass, guitar) and formerEarth, Wind & Fire memberMorris Pleasure (keyboards, bass, guitar) came in to do brief stints before Rob Aries arrived in 2013.
Brent Carter (ex-Tower of Power) has been singing with AWB since 2011.
In July 2015, Malcolm 'Molly' Duncan, Steve Ferrone and Hamish Stuart reunited to form The 360 Band. This is in essence one half of the classic AWB. They released an album titledThree Sixty in 2017 and performed live together along with supporting musicians. As of 2019, Alan Gorrie and Onnie McIntyre are the only two original members left in the Average White Band.
Original tenor sax player Molly Duncan died on 8 October 2019, shortly after it had been announced that he had been diagnosed with terminal cancer.[16]
In June 2023, AWB announced their final tour, Let's Go Round Again One Last Time.[17] "That it's finally coming to an end is going to mean a highly emotional tour next year, but one which will mean we bow out at the top level," Gorrie said. "Please join us in a final celebration of that journey, and to a last hurrah of epic proportions with your presence and your aye-ready appreciation!"[18]
The final concert will be made into a concert film titled "Final Note," which will be released in 2025.[19]
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | Certifications | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK [20] | AUS [21] | US [22] | US R&B [22] | CAN | |||
| 1973 | Show Your Hand | — | — | 39[A] | 39[A] | 69[A] | |
| 1974 | AWB | 6 | 22 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| 1975 | Cut the Cake | 28 | 71 | 4 | 1 | 11 |
|
| 1976 | Soul Searching | 60 | 81 | 9 | 2 | 20 |
|
| 1977 | Benny & Us (withBen E. King) | — | — | 33 | 14 | — | |
| 1978 | Warmer Communications | — | 85 | 28 | 12 | 31 |
|
| 1979 | Feel No Fret | 15 | 99 | 32 | 30 | 86 |
|
| 1980 | Shine | 14 | — | 116 | 38 | — | |
| 1982 | Cupid's in Fashion | — | — | — | 49 | — | |
| 1989 | Aftershock | — | — | — | 69 | — | |
| 1997 | Soul Tattoo | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 2003 | Living in Colour | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 2018 | Inside Out | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory. | |||||||
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US [22] | US R&B [22] | ||
| 1976 | Person to Person(double album) | 28 | 9 |
| 1999 | Face to Face | — | — |
| 2006 | Soul & the City | — | — |
| 2011 | Live at Montreux 1977 (recorded at the Montreux Jazz Festival, 10 July 1977) | — | — |
| 2013 | Times Squared (recorded at B. B. King's, New York, NY, 18 March 2009) | — | — |
| 2015 | Access All Areas (recorded at Nottingham's Theatre Royal, summer 1980) | — | — |
| 2016 | AWB R&B | — | — |
| 2024 | Live At The Rainbow Theatre 1974 | — | — |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory. | |||
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | Certifications | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK [20] | US [22] | |||
| 1980 | Volume VIII(contains 5 hits and 4 unreleased songs) | — | 182 | |
| 1992 | Pickin' Up The Pieces: The Best of Average White Band | — | — | |
| 1994 | The Best Of The Average White Band - Let's Go Round Again | 38 | — |
|
| 1997 | Pick Up The Pieces and Other Hits | — | — | |
| 2005 | Greatest & Latest | — | — | |
| 2006 | The Very Best Of | — | — | |
| 2009 | Pick Up The Pieces (The Very Best Of) | — | — | |
| 2014 | All The Pieces - The Complete Studio Recordings 1971–2003 | — | — | |
| 2019 | Gold | 99 | — | |
| 2020 | Anthology | — | — | |
| 2024 | '50’ – A 50th Anniversary Celebration | — | — | |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory. | ||||
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK [20] | US [27] | US R&B [22] | US Dance [22] | AUS [21] | CAN | ||||
| 1973 | "Put It Where You Want It" | — | — | — | — | — | — | Show Your Hand | |
| "Show Your Hand" | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "This World Has Music" | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| 1974 | "The Jugglers" | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "How Can You Go Home" | — | — | — | — | — | — | Put It Where You Want It[B] | ||
| "You Got It" | — | — | — | — | — | — | AWB | ||
| "Nothing You Can Do" | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Pick Up the Pieces" | 6 | 1 | 5 | 11 | 38 | 4 | |||
| 1975 | "Cut the Cake" | 31 | 10 | 7 | 13 | — | 16 | Cut the Cake | |
| "If I Ever Lose This Heaven" | — | 39 | 25 | — | — | — | |||
| "School Boy Crush" | — | 33 | 22 | — | — | 41 [29] | |||
| 1976 | "Cloudy" | — | — | 55 | — | — | — | ||
| "Everybody's Darling" | — | — | — | — | — | — | Soul Searching | ||
| "I'm the One" | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Queen of My Soul" | 23 | 40 | 21 | — | — | 83 [30] | |||
| "A Love of Your Own" | — | — | 35 | — | — | — | |||
| 1977 | "Goin' Home" | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Get It Up"(withBen E. King) | — | — | 21 | — | — | — | Benny and Us(withBen E. King) | ||
| "A Star in the Ghetto"(with Ben E. King) | — | — | 25 | — | — | — | |||
| "Fool for You Anyway"(with Ben E. King) | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Imagine"(with Ben E. King) | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Get It Up for Love"(with Ben E. King) | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| 1978 | "One Look Over My Shoulder (Is This Really Goodbye?)" | — | — | — | — | — | — | Warmer Communications | |
| "Your Love Is a Miracle" | — | — | 33 | — | — | — | |||
| "Big City Lights" | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Same Feeling, Different Song" | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "She's a Dream" | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| 1979 | "Walk on By" | 46 | 92 | 32 | — | — | — | Feel No Fret | |
| "When Will You Be Mine" | 49 | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Atlantic Avenue" | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Feel No Fret" | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| 1980 | "Let's Go Round Again" | 12 | 53 | 40 | 24 | — | — | Shine | |
| "For You, for Love" | 46 | — | 60 | — | — | — | |||
| "Into the Night" | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| 1982 | "Easier Said Than Done" | — | — | — | — | — | — | Cupid's in Fashion | |
| "Cupid's in Fashion" | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "You're My Number One" | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "I Believe" | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| 1986 | "Cut the Cake"(re-issue) | — | — | — | — | 66 | — | — | |
| 1988 | "The Spirit of Love"(featuringChaka Khan andRonnie Laws) | — | — | 47 | — | — | — | Aftershock | |
| 1989 | "Sticky Situation" | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1994 | "Let's Go Round Again"(re-issue/remix) | 56 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 1996 | "Every Beat of My Heart" | — | — | — | — | — | — | Soul Tattoo | |
| 1997 | "Back to Basics" | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory. | |||||||||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
| Other | |
