Mungo Jerry

Mungo Jerry is a band from the 1970s whose line-up was initially frontman/singer/vocalist/main composer and guitarist Ray Dorset, pianist Colin Earl, vocalist banjo-/guitar-player and composer

Mungo Jerry is a band from the 1970s whose line-up was initially frontman/singer/vocalist/main composer and guitarist Ray Dorset, pianist Colin Earl, vocalist banjo-/guitar-player and composer Paul King, bass-player Mike Cole and percussion-player Joe Rush, and were famous mostly for their classic hit "In the Summertime." Dorset and Earl had previously been members of The Good Earth. They made their national debut at a festival at Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire in May 1970, the week their first single was released. It topped the British charts for seven weeks, made No. 1 in almost every other country around the world, and to date has sold around 23 million copies. After John Godfrey replaced Cole, their second single "Baby Jump" also topped the British charts in March 1971. Mungo´s next world-wide smash, "Lady Rose" (also in 1971), gave Mungo Jerry the image as a band for summer-hits.

Dorset found the group's good-time blues and jug-band repertoire a little restricting, and in 1972 he released a solo album "Cold Blue Excursion", with his songs backed by strings and brass, and in one instance a jazz band. His intention to broaden the group's appeal by recruiting a drummer led to King and Earl trying to sack him, but the management´s decision was to fire both and to give Ray Dorset, who was in the eye of media and public Mr Mungo Jerry with his outstanding voice, talent as composer and outfit, the chance to renew the band with Godfrey and other new musicians. King and Earl formed the King Earl Boogie Band, while Mungo Jerry´s hits continued through to 1976 with "Open Up" (Top Twenty in Europe and No.1 in Brazil), "Alright Alright Alright" (again a major hit worldwide), "Wild Love", "Long Legged Woman Dressed In Black", "Hello Nadine" (Continental European hit and Top Five in Canada) and "It´s a Secret" (Continental European hit). In 1975 Earl, who had played piano with Foghat in between, returned to play keyboards for Mungo Jerry, as did percussion player Joe Rush, part-time member of the band in earlier days.