The British band Mungo Jerry has changed several musical styles over the years of active creative activity. The band members worked in the styles of skiffle and rock and roll, rhythm and blues and folk rock. In the 1970s, the musicians managed to create many top hits, but the forever young hit In The Summertime was and remains the main achievement.
The history of the creation and composition of the Mungo Jerry group
At the origins of the team is the legendary Ray Dorset. He began his career long before the formation of Mungo Jerry. Dorset's earlier work was influenced by the repertoire of Bill Haley and Elvis Presley.
Inspired by the work of Billy and Elvis, Ray created the first band, which was called The Blue Moon Skiffle Group. But Ray didn't stop there. He was listed in such groups as: Buccaneers, Conchords, Tramps, Sweet and Sour Band, Camino Real, Memphis Leather, Good Earth.
Participation in these groups did not give the desired popularity, and only after the musical project Mungo Jerry appeared in 1969, things began to improve.
The starting line-up of the new team borrowed the name from a character from Thomas Eliot's book Practical Cat Science. The first cast included the following "characters":
- Dorset (guitar, vocals, harmonica);
- Colin Earl (piano);
- Paul King (banjo);
- Mike Cole (bass)
Signing to Pye Records
Ray, who already had "useful connections", found Pye Records. Soon the musicians signed a contract with the mentioned label. The musicians went to the recording studio to prepare their debut album for music lovers.
As the first accompanying single, the quartet wanted to release Mighty Man. However, the producer considered the track not incendiary enough, so the musicians presented something more “sharper” - the song In The Summertime.
Producer Murray was right. Music critics still consider Mungo Jerry's debut single one of the band's most popular works. The track In The Summertime did not leave the 1st position of the country's music charts for about six months.
After the presentation of the debut single, the musicians went to the Hollywood Music Festival. Since that moment, the quartet has become a real idol for many.
The band's first compilation (which did not include the track In The Summertime) took only 14th position in the music charts. There were no changes in the composition. Upon his return to England, Cole was "gently" asked to leave the group. John Godfrey took his place.
In 1971, the musicians presented a novelty. We are talking about the musical composition Baby Jump. This track was "peppered" with hints of hard rock and rockabilly.
Fans expected a softer sound from the musicians, but as a result, the minion took the 32nd position. Despite this, the song managed to take the 1st position of the music charts in the United States of America.
A little later, the team presented a new hit Lady Rose. In the same 1971, the musicians released another novelty - the anti-war country You Don't Have to Be In The Army To Fight in the War.
After the presentation of country music, criticism fell upon the musicians. Despite numerous bans, this composition was played on the air, and the compilation of the same name, recorded with the returned Joe Rush, had good sales.
Departure from the Dorset group
Popularity increased, but along with it, passions within the group ran high. The musicians played a large-scale tour of the Australo-Asian region, and then Paul and Colin announced that Ray was leaving the band.
In the mid-1970s, the Mungo Jerry group paid considerable attention to concert activity. Interestingly, the musicians were among the bands that visited all the countries of Eastern Europe.
In the early 1980s, Ray Dorset returned to the British music charts. He presented the fans with the song Feels Like I'm in Love. At first he wrote a track for Elvis Presley, Kelly Marie took the song and took 1st position in the country's music charts.
Mungo Jerry's last chart appearance was in the late 1990s. In 1999, the musicians presented Toon Army (a football anthem in support of the Newcastle United club).
In subsequent years, albums called Mungo Jerry were released, but they cannot be called top ones. The fact is that Dorset, after the onset of the 2000s, was engaged in other projects. The musician realized himself as a producer and composer, stopping the development of the Mungo Jerry group.
In 1997, Ray released a high-quality blues album Old Shoes, New Jeans, and later renamed the project Mungo Jerry Bluesband. The group's popularity declined, but the most loyal fans were still interested in the musicians' work.
To date, the compilation album From the Heart remains the last album of the band's discography. The record reflected the musicians' return to the early "mango" sound.
