BLUESMASTER ROBERT HOKUM - GUITAR/VOCALS.
GRAHAM 'FONZIE' WRIGHT - BASS/VOCALS.
NIGEL 'THE ROPE' APPLETON - DRUMS/VOCALS.
SAM ADAMS - SAX/VOCALS/RAP.
TIM PENN - KEYBOARDS.
JUAN TE BHAGGE- PERCUSSION.
MICK HUTCHINGS - GUITAR.
plus 'Honorary Guv'nor' JAMIE FISHER - DRUMS/PERCUSSION.
Influences
Funk, more funk, quite a bit of blues, a substantial amount of latin percussion, a bit more funk, some more blues, a bit of rappy type hip-hoppy stuff..................and some funky blues.
Formed in 1988 by guitarist/vocalist Robert Hokum, The Guv’nors started out as a straight Blues band. However, the eclectic tastes of the band members began to show in the music and the 1991 album ‘Un’Natchl Blues’ fused funk, jazz, avant garde and the blues. One reviewer described it as having ‘dementia praecox’ (schizophrenia to you)!
1992’s ‘Strange But Blue’ saw the band getting further into the groove with several tracks having a substantial New Orleans funk influence.
The period from 1993 to 2003 was quite unsettled for the band with numerous personal changes – yes, you’ve guessed, musical and personal differences, drugs, jealous partners, over-inflated egos, bread heads, unreliability, rock’n’roll stoopidity etc. – but, hey that makes for a great band right? However, 1995’s ‘Funky Spanking of The Blues’ and 1999’s ‘Getting to The Point of the Get Down’ continued the development of a definitive Guv’nors sound and it was during this time that the use of Latin percussion became more prominent within the band.
The current line-up came together in 2003 and the 2004 Bootleg of their performance at The Ealing Blues and Roots Party shows a band more than capable of ‘cutting it live’ with the best of them.
‘Kickin’ It Back’ was released at the beginning of 2006 to excellent reviews in the Blues Press. Subsequent ‘star billings’ at the 100 Club and several Festivals (including the prestigious Brecon Jazz Festival) saw the band firmly established as one of the country’s leading (and possibly only!) exponents of ‘funk latin blues’. 2008 is the 20th Anniversary of The Guv'nors and the DVD 'GUV'NOLOGY' is being released to commemorate this.
Hey Bob thanks for the add, good to have met you last Saturday, hope it got busy for you later on, we had to slip off to another gig, did you have them little amps singing the blues then?, hope they did the trick anyway!! Cheers Jimmy
Hey there thanks for the add! Leave a comment and send our link to all your mates, SAY NO TO ROAST POTATOES ON A FRIDAY NIGHT!!! XXXXXXX http://www.myspace.com/save_the_dandelion
Cheers again Robert, thanks for the gig. You guys rocked, had to leave early and forgot to get sound engineers number, could ya send it our way, thanx........
