The History
Originally formed in 1986, by Val Cowell (lead vocals & rhythm guitar), and RichardHayes (lead & slide Guitar), the band has seen many line ups in the years since. Whilst Val and Richard have been the consistent driving force, the rhythm section has seen some changes. Ever since the beginning the band has toured constantly, playing in a wide variety of venues, including the now legendary Marquee Club (both Wardour St and Charing Cross Rd) on a great many occasions.
1986 - 1991 - In the beginning there is Ray Knott (Chicken Shack/Babe Ruth/Liquid Gold) and Chris Sharley (Sassafras, Mick Clarke Band). This line up records one albums worth of material (and releases it untitled in cassette format, remember them?).
1991 - Ray & Chris leave for pastures new and are replaced by Malcolm Foster on Bass (Pretenders) and Andy Wells on Drums (Meatloaf/Romeos Daughter).
1993 - Chris Taylor takes over on Bass, and Neil Salmon joins on drums. Another untitled cassette LP is recorded and sells like hotcakes at gigs.
1996 Neil Salmon leaves and Harry James (Thunder/Magnum) takes over on drums. The band records their first CD, entitled Bad Influence, released in 1997.
1998 Chris Taylor leaves and in steps Chris Childs (Then Jericho/Sam Fox/Go West/Thunder etc etc). Once again the touring goes on and on and on. By now this band has certainly paid their dues..
2000 - One Way Love is recorded. National airplay is achieved when BBC Radio 2 takes an interest (in the guise of Paul Jones), a live studio slot follows, as well as subsequent featured live concerts.
2003 Bad Influence releases their first Live LP - Here There and Everywhere Once again the sales are phenomenal, helped along by the Radio 2 airplay.
2005 Closer is the brand new CD for 2005. Release date 17th July 2005. Featuring 11 brand new songs, all written by the band, and produced by Chris Childs, its the strongest most cohesive recording to date, and shows the band is going from strength to strength.
2006 With the taking of a backseat from Chris Childs for a while due to other musical commitments, Val, Rich and Harry are very happy to welcome Peter Stroud (Papa George Band and Peter Green's Splinter Group) and Bob Skeat (Wishbone Ash) to the Bass stand. This year also marks the 20th anniversary of Val and Richard forming the band.(New album in progress).
The Style
Bad Influence is described as a Rock and Blues band and that is where they sit quite comfortably. However, this band has many musical influences and it shows in just about every song on the new CD. Val is often described as Bonnie Raitt gone raunchy or powerful like Janis Joplin. Richard squeezes every ounce of passion from the guitar, whilst Harry and Chris hold it very tightly together at the back. Val & Richard sometimes go out as a duo too, so they can tailor their show to just about any occasion.
The live show is exciting and packed full of both original songs and killer cover versions, with songs from artists as diverse as Tom Petty, Dixie Chicks and even Rory Gallagher. All are delivered in their own distinctive style, retaining the gutsy R & B flavour (in the old sense of the phrase) the band holds so dear.
Bad Influence have survived the perils of the live circuit for a number of reasons, but the most striking reason is quite simply because theyre very, very good at what they do.
© 2006 Bad Influence
