Ian Dury & The Blockheads

Please note the following is 'to be completed'

In the late seventies Ian Dury & The Blockheads were one of Britain’s best loved and respected live bands selling out venues in Britain and abroad.  Their record sales were also impressive, the single Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick released in November 1978 sold over a million copies worldwide and went to number one in the UK singles chart, the follow-up Reasons To Be Cheerful (Part 3) also sold big reaching number three in August 1979 and What A Waste had also been a top ten hit in early summer 1978.  The albums New Boots & Panties (technically an Ian Dury solo album) released in September 1977 was to spend 90 weeks on the UK album chart, and if sales had not be so ‘spread’ I suspect it would have topped the chart – as it was it only went to number five, the follow-up Do-It-Yourself peaked at number two in early 1979.  Without doubt Ian Dury & The Blockheads were a headlining act at the end of the seventies, with their mix of rock, pop, funk, reggae, punk and vaudeville topped with Ian’s sublime, clever and often humorous lyrics. 

In the early seventies Ian Dury enjoyed some success on the pub-rock scene fronting Kilburn & The High Roads, unfortunately record sales and the big-time eluded this highly entertaining live band and it finally disbanded in June 1975 having survived many changes of personnel over the years.  Four months later Ian was back playing London pubs, this time fronting a band called Ian Dury & The Kilburns, which included just one member from the final line-up of Kilburn & The High Roads, pianist Rod Melvin and when he left in January 1976 a 23-years old musical genius from Stanmore by the name of Chas Jankel took his place, six months later The Kilburns called it a day.