Dai Shell/guitars
Ralph Evans/guitars/vocals
Terry Bennett/vocals
Ricky John Holt/bass/vocals
Steve Finn/bass/vocals
Rob Reynolds/drums
Rob Congo Jones/drums
Chris Sharley/drums
Peter Stroud/drums
Ray Jones/bass/vocals
Marco James/keys/mandolin/violin
Gary Davies/drums
Richie Galloni/vocals
Sassafras were first formed in 1970 as a three-piece band with guitarist Ralph Evans, bassist Ricky John Holt and drummer Rob Reynolds. Guitarist David (Dai) Shell, who was working in a residency in Titos nightclub in Cardiff was the first musician they drafted in to enlarge the band.
Ralph "We all thought that Dai was a wonderful guitarist so we asked him to join us...."
Dai "So it wasn’t my looks then?"
Ralph "It was probably because you had a mini-van at the time and we wanted to use it.
Sassafras found themselves an agency in Hereford and the band were finally on the road. In 1971 Dai Shell set up Ddraig (Dragon) Studios in Severn Road, Cardiff with the help of musician Peter (Jake) Jacobs and Carl Leighton-Pope. Steve (Pudding) Jones joined them at Ddraig as did John Kelly who later went on to produce Kate Bush, Chris Rea and Paul McCartney to name a few.
Dai "Draig means ’dragon’ in Welsh, but we spelt it with two ’d’s because we were a bit thick! That was when Jake came in and part financed the studios. Well, he didn’t really part finance it - he stole most of the bricks and some matresses for the walls, so he was in."
Feeling the need to expand once again, vocalist Terry Bennett from Nottingham was invited down to Ddraig to record some songs, instead he found himself being auditioned, his distinctive voice was exactly what Sassafras were looking for.
Sassafras Today
2003 Terry Bennett left Sassafras to pursue a new life in Spain, not wishing to give up performing Sassafras started auditioning for new vocalists , not an easy task for a band that had been together for so long with an outstanding frontman, Terry Bennett......
nevertheless auditions were held, along came Richie Galloni an experienced singersongwriter, mainly known as James Hogg’s frontman, he was a friend of Ray Jones , and had worked with Ray in Quest a progressive rock band from the seventies, after auditioning Richie was offered the job in Sassafras and took it, he had been a fan of the band for many years, and was thrilled at the prospect of singing with the boy’s , Richie has worked with many bands including, Killing Time,Red Sharks,The Hailers along with Mike Japp and Robert Mill’s, and Victoria Cross a southern Californian band, and Expecting Company
Hey Guys! We've got a whole new bunch of videos up!
A Lost Adoration: You may have already seen it but it's worth another look ;)
Alice In Chains Cover: Taken from an acoustic set in Cardiff last year featuring some live footage from all over the UK.
Live @ Hammerfest: Hear us playing "Purification" @ this years Hammerfest.
Hard Rock Hell Interviews: From Dec '08, at the start of our last UK tour. We answered a load of ridiculous questions asked by Gill from Metal Hammer. There's 6 videos and they're all hilarious!
Another year to remember with the outdoor Americana gig and the 30 year return to the Diamond in Sutton-in-Ash. As the Doobies said "Listen to the Music". Happy Christmas and great New Year guys. Regards John and Chris.
Hi Guys thanks for the add. I was there in the 70's, and still have the badge. Hope you still do highway skies.. cheers love and good happiness stuff. RTP
Hi Guys thanks for the add. I was there in the 70's, and still have the badge. Hope yo still do highway skies.. cheers love and good happiness stuff. RTP
Best wishes from Devils Creek - Glad to have you as a friend here on myspace. The great thing about myspace is that you can link up with kindred spirits!.
"Here's something a bit different. These guys are heavily influenced by Rory Gallagher, Status Quo and early 70's British bluesy hard rock. They've got a great groove in the rhythm section, a fine guitarist in Guy Rosewall, and their album 'Bullfrog Blues' is recommended! The album includes a rockin' take on Rory's "Seven Days". Definitely not another SRV clone"
"The band is driven beautifully by Terry Brown on drums and Tim Chapple on bass, the latter laying down a stomping beat on every number.......... on the showing of this album I would strongly recommend them" (Ian McKenzie - Blues In The South).
“The old Ten Years After classic Hear Me Calling suits Guy's heavy rock sound the best, and its the guitar sound that has a strong influence..... Guy's own foray into songwriting shows some interesting invention, particularly on the Family Song - good old 70's rock really. The others - Dead Man Walking, Poor Boy and Shadow City are built more on solid riffs, but Guy's also put in some worthwhile lyrics and not wasted the opportunity with rock cliches.... There's some worthwhile material in there" (Al Tait - Blues Matters)
HI, always good to hear your music. i still remember watching you in sheffield in the 70s,the free festivals and the black swan. happy days take care g
Hey ya just thought i would send a message to check all is well. I have been sending Science Project out and i was checking that you had recieved your song from us, i have realised that some of you haven't got the email with the song on it. If you havent or i havent asked you if you would like a song, let me know your email address and ill send it over to you. Your support means everything to me have a great week
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