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Last updated
8/7/2010 (shop)

LATEST NEWS

ALBUM
The Groundhogs are now in the studio working on a new album. Watch this space for details, or get your name added to the newsletter list.

LATEST RELEASES

Come on McPhee, we are waiting............. : )

MCPHEE..........THE CHAT...............

MYSPACE
We have a myspace site 'The Groundhogs and Tony McPhee www.myspace.com/tonymcpheethegroundhogs, If you want to have a look, there are 4 full Groundhogs tracks to listen to, including a track to download from the new album and a few pics.

FACEBOOK
I've also set up a facebook 'page' where you can become a fan and get latest comments & details....

MICKY JONES of 'MAN' : BENEFIT CONCERTS
A SERIES OF CONCERTS TO CELEBRATE THE LIFE AND MUSIC OF MICKY JONES AT PONTERDAWE ARTS CENTER.

Jones was born on 7th June 1946 in the Welsh town of Merthyr Tydfil. In 1963 he formed his first professional band, the Bystanders, who recorded harmony pop for Pye. In 1968 they added Deke Leonard, Micky's guitar partner for some three decades, embraced the counterculture and became Man.

Man inhabited the upper second division of British rock, placing four albums in the UK Top 40 between 1973 and 1976 but proving an even greater concert draw, especially in continental Europe. Their West Coast ethos also meant the band was welcomed and appreciated when they went to the United States.

Micky Jones was the only ever-present member of Man, who split in 1976 and re-formed in 1983, until a brain tumour caused his departure in 2002. He returned briefly two years later but retired from touring in 2005 and spent his last years in residential care.

His son George was his immediate replacement, but he is now pursuing his own musical ideas away from Man. Says George: "I was so proud of him as a father and as a performer. To share a stage with him and be part of that legacy is one of the proudest moments".

Jones led his own bands in the 1977-82 hiatus including Manipulator and the Flying Pigs but was always happiest in tandem with Leonard. The combination of Deke's angular rhythms and Micky's inspired improvisation led to some magical musical moments, many of which happened live rather than in the recording studio.

One example is the 22-minute live version of 'Spunk Rock' recorded at Man's spiritual home, the Roundhouse in Camden, London, in 1972 for the Greasy Truckers Party (recently reissued by EMI as a 3CD set). This also features Micky's evocative tenor voice, as much a trademark of Man's music as his guitar-playing.

Micky Jones was a naturally gifted guitarist whose improvisational skills astounded Deke Leonard nightly. "I played with him for about 30 years, all told, and I've never heard him play the same thing twice, apart from lead lines. He'd play something which sounded so melodic you think he must have sat in his room last night and worked it out, but you know he hasn't because you've been sharing with him and all he's done is snore!"

Witty and self-deprecating, the diminutive Jones was a giant among guitarists who bore comparison to the very best. Among them Frank Zappa, who named Micky as one of the 10 best guitarists in the world.

Tickets £12.50 adv / or £15 on the door Special Deal, tickets for both Shows £20, booking fees not included.
Tickets avaliable from Ponterdawe Arts Center and Derricks Records, Swansea