Jim Cregan

Infobox musical artist
Name = Jim Cregan
Img_capt = Rock musician Jim Cregan, circa 2004.
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Background = non_vocal_instrumentalist
Birth_name = James Cregan
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Born = Birth date and age|1946|3|9|mf=y
Died =
Origin = Yeovil, Somerset, England
Instrument =
Voice_type =
Genre =
Occupation =
Years_active = 1960s - present
Label =
Associated_acts = Blossom Toes
Family
Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel
Rod Stewart
URL =
Notable_instruments =

Jim Cregan (born March 9, 1946 in Yeovil, Somerset, England) is a rock guitarist and bassist who has played with Family, Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel, and Rod Stewart. He was with Stewart from 1977 to 1995. Although Family, Harley's Cockney Rebel group, and Stewart are his most famous associations, Cregan has played with numerous bands and solo artists.He is the ex-husband of singer Linda Lewis.

Early years

Cregan first joined with future Traffic frontman Dave Mason, in Julian Covay and the Machine in 1967. Shortly thereafter, Cregan joined a hippie-rock band called the Blossom Toes. But while their debut album, "We Are Ever So Clean", was regarded as a pure "flower-power" record, their second LP, "If Only For a Moment" from 1969, went more in a heavy metal direction Cregan sang many lead vocals and played guitar for the band, often in twin leads, which became a Blossom Toes trademark.

After working on the 1971 self-titled album from Julie Driscoll, Cregan joined Stud, a humorously misnomered band that was more folk than heavy rock. The group began as a trio featuring Cregan and the bassist and drummer from the original line-up of Rory Gallagher's band Taste, and soon they were joined by former Family bassist John Weider. Stud broke up after recording two albums with Weider on board; they were only released in Germany, where Stud had their largest audiences.

Family and Linda Lewis

Cregan joined Family in September 1972, replacing John Wetton on bass guitar. Cregan had in fact never played bass before, but as a rhythm guitarist, he could adapt to bass easily. (He has not played bass, however, since Family broke up). Right after Cregan joined Family, the band toured North America as the warm-up act for Elton John in the autumn of 1972. In 1973, Family would record two singles and an album, "It's Only a Movie", which would be their last. Family leaders Roger Chapman and Charlie Whitney felt the group had run its course, and a final tour of the United Kingdom that autumn brought the group to an end. Cregan would briefly reunite with Chapman and Whitney by contributing to the first album of their new group, Streetwalkers, and he would rejoin Chapman for a few concerts in the early 2000s.

Cregan had already undertaken a few projects by the time Family broke up. He mostly worked with his girlfriend, British soul singer Linda Lewis, whom he was later married to. Cregan appears on four of her albums, including "Not A Little Girl Anymore" from 1975. That album gave Cregan the opportunity to work with the Tower of Power horn section, which he considered a privilege.

teve Harley and Cockney Rebel

Cregan got a more permanent gig when British glam rocker Steve Harley's Cockney Rebel backing group resigned en masse on him, forcing Harley to form a new Cockney Rebel; Cregan was enlisted as a guitarist. Ironically, after suffering what must have seemed a fatal blow to his career, Harley and his "new" Cockney Rebel group recorded a single that would become Harley's biggest hit ever. "Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me)", a catchy pop tune recorded at the famous Abbey Road Studios, topped the UK Singles Chart in 1975. Cregan's guitar solo was originally done as a sound check but was recorded and used on the record itself.

Rod Stewart

Cregan, however, did not stay with Harley for long. In 1977, he joined Rod Stewart's backing group and became Stewart's right-hand man as a bandleader, co-producer and co-writer. Among guitarists, only Jeff Beck and Ronnie Wood have been more important to Stewart's career.Fact|date=February 2007

Cregan co-wrote many of Stewart's hits from the late 1970s and 1980s, including "Passion" and "Tonight I'm Yours," winning an award from the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) for outstanding songwriting for each. Critics, however, faulted Stewart for his complacent, calculated sound of the time, a far cry from his raw, honest recordings of the early 1970s, and Cregan was thus unable to get much respect for his contributions. Cregan's own reputation was compromised, in fact, when Stewart released his single "Forever Young" in 1988. The song shared much of its melody line and many of its lyrics with the 1974 Bob Dylan song of the same name, yet the song's authorship was co-credited to Stewart, Cregan, and fellow band member Kevin Savigar. Cregan was thus involved in a potential plagiarism case, but no such suit was ever filed against his boss; apparently there were not enough similarities between the two songs to warrant one. ASCAP seemed unconcerned as well, for Cregan picked up a third ASCAP "outstanding songwriting" award for his efforts in co-writing the Stewart song.

Later years

Cregan stayed with Stewart until 1995; during the early nineties, Stewart had appeared to recoup his artistic abilities, as his albums from this time were considered his best work in two decades. Cregan quit after eighteen years, and he soon formed Farm Dogs with Elton John's lyricist Bernie Taupin, which released two albums. He joined Katie Melua's backing band, and is credited with guitar playing on her "Piece by Piece" album. [http://www.dramatico.com/releases/piecebypiece.html]

Cregan married Hollywood fashion figure Jane Booke, and they and their daughter lived in Los Angeles for many years. Recently, though, Cregan has spent more time in London; on Steve Harley's BBC Radio 2 show in January 2004, he explained that he had grown tired of "the B.S." in Los Angeles culture.

He recently reunited with former Family vocalist Roger Chapman, first for several shows with Chapman and more recently to produce Chapman's solo album "One More Time For Peace", which was released in the United Kingdom in April 2007.

Discography

(Recordings Jim Cregan has appeared on, or contributed to, between 1967 and 2007.)

Blossom Toes
*"We Are Ever So Clean" (1967)
*"If Only For a Moment" (1969)

Julie Driscoll
*"1969" (1971)

Shawn Phillips
*"Second Contribution" (1971)

Stud
*"September" (1972)
*"Goodbye Live at Command" (1973)

Family
*"It's Only a Movie" (1973)

Linda Lewis
*"Lark" (1972)
*"Fathoms Deep" (1973)
*"Not a Little Girl Anymore" (1975)
*"Woman Overboard" (1977)

Streetwalkers
*"Chapman/Whitney - Streetwalkers" (1974)

Murray Head
*"Say It Ain't So" (1976)

Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel
*"Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me)" (1975)
*"Timeless Flight" (1976)
*"Love Is a Prima Donna" (1976)
*"Closer Work" (1976)
*"Face to Face" (1977)
*"Hobo with a Grin" (1978)

Rod Stewart
*"Foot Loose & Fancy Free" (1977)
*"Blondes Have More Fun" (1978)
*"Foolish Behaviour" (1980)
*"Hot Rods" (1980)
*"Tonight I'm Yours" (1981)
*"Body Wishes" (1983)
*"Camouflage" (1984)
*"Every Beat of My Heart" (1986)
*"Rod Stewart" (1986)
*"Out of Order" (1988) (also producer)
*"Storyteller: The Complete Anthology, 1964-1990" (1989)
*"Vagabond Heart" (1991)
*"Unplugged... and Seated" (1993)
*"Spanner in the Works" (1995)

Bruce Roberts
*"Bruce Roberts" (1978)

Mike Batt
*"Tarot Suite" (1979)
*"Waves" (1980)

Rita Coolidge
*"Love Lessons" (1992)

Glass Tiger
*"" (as producer) (1993)

Various artists
*"Tribute to Curtis Mayfield" (1994) (with Rod Stewart)

Farm Dogs
*"Last Stand in Open Country" (1996)
*"Immigrant Sons" (1998)

Katie Melua
*"Closest Thing to Crazy"

Roger Chapman"One More Time For Peace" (producer) (2007)

References

* [http://members.aol.com/songforme/ Strange Band: The Family Home Page]
*Interview with Steve Harley, BBC Radio 2, January 27, 2004.