Climax Blues Band - Sunday Afternoon Matinee

CLIMAX BLUES BAND - Sunday Afternoon Matinee

Founded in the 60's, by Colin Cooper, Climax Blues Band has always focused on its roots, a unique combination of jazz and blues. After 50 years, 21 albums, the classic world-wide hit "Couldn't Get It Right" and tours of the UK, Europe and the US, Climax Blues Band are now touring their Anthology Best of show.

A new album of original material is in the pipeline and they are still playing the blues in a creative way that has always been synonymous with their name.

It's the late 1960s….one wouldn't normally associate the town of Stafford with authentic blues, certainly not for a band of young lads – although already experienced players – showing an extraordinary flair of musicianship summarised by the debut 1969 LP 'The Climax Chicago Blues Band', recorded at Abbey Road for EMI's Parlophone label. Climax was formed by Colin Cooper and Pete Haycock from the ashes of Gospel Truth and Hipster Image which had set the local soul and R&B scene, but they really found their home with a change of direction to blues. Bassist Derek Holt was also an original founder member.

However, their second album 'Plays On' shot off in many directions (some of them bewildering) which revealed that they were far more than a blues band and a precedent was set for a band that would use the blues as a base, but carve their own style drawing on many influences along the way. Indeed, the 'Blues Band' part of the name was dropped for the next couple of albums.

Climax Blues Band Line up
It wasn't until the album "Rich Man' in 1973 that the band settled into a line-up which became permanent through the rest of the 70s and early 80s, comprising of Colin Cooper (saxes, harmonica and deep down vocals), Pete Haycock (guitars and vocals), Derek Holt (bass guitar and high-end vocals) and John Cuffley (drums and percussion).

'FM Live', released as a single LP in the UK and a double in the States in 1974. It was a fantastic night at New York's Academy of Music, captured as a live broadcast and its release was a real turning point for the band.

'Sense Of Direction' was the next studio album and then in 1975 'Stamp Album' saw the return of keyboard player Richard Jones who had been involved right at the start of the band.

Climax enter the US Billboard Chart and UK Top Ten
Momentum still building in the States, 1976 saw the release of 'Gold Plated'. The album stayed on the Billboard chart for 44 weeks, and the hit single 'Couldn't Get It Right' peaked at number 3 in early 1977 having reached the Top Ten in the UK in the Autumn of 1976. With the band firing on all cylinders as a five-piece unit the sound on 'Gold Plated' was slicker and smoother, but still retaining an edge. 'Couldn't Get It Right' with its immediate hooks in the chorus and the guitar/sax runs couldn't fail to impress and it became the song that music fans all over the world loved and brought the name Climax Blues Band to a new level.

The next Climax album was 'Shine On'. Richard Jones had left the band and was replaced by Peter Filleul on keyboards.

In 1979 Climax recorded 'Real To Reel' in Montserrat, the first band to use the recording studios there. 'Flying The Flag' was released in 1980 and the first single 'Gotta Have More Love' dented the charts in the UK and US. Pete Filleul had left the band and Nicky Hopkins took over keyboard role on this and the next album. A rich variation of styles filled the album, and the song that hit the heights in America was 'I Love You'. Written and sung by Derek Holt, it was an instant hit and the perfect wedding song to this very day, much in demand. Sadly it provided a rift between band members as it was seen as unrepresentative of the Climax sound.

With the 30 year experienced bedrock rhythm unit of Adams and Simpson, Climax veteran George Glover holding everything together from the keyboard stand as band leader, and Les Hunt's supreme guitar skills transcending all the musical areas Climax find themselves in. This event pulls all this together and makes a firm statement of intent: Climax Blues Band are very much still proudly flying that flag in 2025, moving forwards, blending the old with the new, and loving making music.