“Ooohhhhh Stone Cold Fever, yeah, so hard to see…I’ve got trouble in my backbone…”

 

 

Among the most soulful players to emerge from the late 1960s –early 1970s wave of hard rocking British bluesmen, the late Alfred Gregory Ridley was a founding member of two legendary ensembles: Spooky Tooth and Humble Pie.

 

Unlike his peer bassists who toiled in the shadows, Ridley was a showman, gravitating towards center stage with his natural finish Fender Precision adorned with abalone inlays and a floral décor. Ridley’s bold, free-form style harmonic extensions were further bolstered by his Acoustic 360 –which was among the most powerful of the era.

 

A vocalist and songwriter, Ridley essentially vanished from the music business when Pie split in 1975, though he worked sporadically over the ensuing years with Steve Marriott.

 

At the time of his passing in 2003, Ridley anchored Tea, a blues band based in Spain where he resided. Greg also helmed “Greg Ridley’s Humble Pie” repertory ensemble, albeit briefly, which belted out the best of Pie.

 

 

Greg Ridley Sound & Vision….

 

With Spooky Tooth:

 

“Old As I Was Born” / “Cotton Growing Man” / “Waiting for the Wind” / “Moriah” https://youtu.be/nExtB4Nz4Kk

 

“That Was Only Yesterday” with Luther Grosvenor https://youtu.be/u7lTzEVVItA

 

Greg Ridley’s Humble Pie Live https://youtu.be/wsxXBlxYjas

 

With Humble Pie:

 

“The Sad Bag of Shaky Jake” https://youtu.be/cbJCCrcp5G8

 

“Bang” https://youtu.be/4kPN_OJMaAg

 

“Honky Tonk Woman” https://youtu.be/kV0uV2XyIHw

 

“30 Days in the Hole” https://youtu.be/sdXjm8pZMws

 

“I Don’t Need No Doctor” https://youtu.be/mSyrf-FYKVE