J.J Bedsore (real name James Cantwell) was born in Charlton, South London in 1960. He began playing guitar at age 14 playing along to Richie Blackmore of Deep Purple and Zal Cleminson of the sensational Alex Harvey band. It was then that he earnt his nickname 'Bedsore' due to his habit of staying in bed for days at a time noodling on the guitar or watching horror movies.
J.J's first band of note was 'The Tripe Hounds' where he wrote songs that were later to morph into 'Megalomania' and various other early Blood classics. It was after witnessing a Damned/Motorhead show in '78 that JJ knew he had to form a new band mixing together the (at that time...) opposing styles of punk and hard rock.
Originally named 'Coming Blood' (by original manager and band friend Gary Bellingham) JJ had pulled together the first of many line ups. Now known simply as The Blood, they made their first recording ' Such Fun' (produced by Mickey Gegus of the Cockney Rejects) for the oi,oi thats your lot' compilation album, followed by the classic 'Megalomania' single and then the 'False Gestures For A Devious public' album. During this period The Blood were also gigging up and down the UK, furthering their reputation as drunken uncontrollable bastards.
Following 'False Gestures', The Blood changed musical direction and line up keeping only JJ and Vocalist Cardinal Jesus Hate from the early line ups, and recorded 'Se Parare Nex', a more Alex Harvey/Alice cooper record than the speed and cider influenced early material. More gigs followed, then.........NOTHING!
The Cardinal (as well as the rest of the line up) was gone, and it seemed The Blood was finished.
As being in another band was out of the question, JJ soldiered on, eventually finding a new sparring partner and co-writer in bass player Gaz De Grout. After various line up changes (And the cardinal sporadically appearing and vanishing) The Blood began recording again.
The 'Def Till Death' and 'Boots' singles and the 'Smell Yourself' album all showed the band moving more towards a scumbag rock direction but without ever losing the irreverant humor that the band had right from the start. Gigs throughout Europe followed.
Recruiting a new drummer The Blood became a three piece for the recording of The Bloods final studio album 'Spillage', then went on a two week piss up, sorry, tour of America and recorded (sort of) a live album (An Aural History Of The Toilet Tour) upon returning it was clear thats JJ's health was in decline due to his larger than life-style and other than a gig at H.I.T.s in 2002 and a last recording session (which has never been made available) The Blood was finally over as JJ had become simply too unwell.
His health continued to spiral until his unfortunate death in July 2004.
J.J Bedsore was undoubtedly one of the greatest musical talents to have arisen from the UK's second wave of punk, (ask any guitar player) and no amount of Acoustic balaad-ering or socio-political 'punk mini operas' could ever be as entertaining as one of JJ's off the cuff one liners.
HE WAS THE BLOOD, AND THE BLOOD WAS JJ.R.I.P J.J BEDSORE
R.I.P THE BLOOD
This site is dedicated to the works and memory of JJ Bedsore and is run and maintained by his friends and former band mates Brad Sims and Gaz de Grout.
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