Mick Ralphs, founding member of Bad Company and Mott the Hoople, dies at 81
Mick Ralphs, singer, songwriter guitarist and founding member of the classic British rock bands Bad Company and Mott the Hoople, has died.
A statement posted to the band's official website Monday announced Ralphs' death at age 81. Ralphs had a stroke days after what would be his final performance with Bad Company at London's O2 Arena in 2016, and had been bedridden ever since, the statement said. No further details on the circumstances of his death were provided.
Ralphs is set to become a member of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Bad Company in November.
'Our Mick has passed, my heart just hit the ground," Bad Company singer Paul Rodgers said in a statement. 'He has left us with exceptional songs and memories. He was my friend, my songwriting partner, an amazing and versatile guitarist who had the greatest sense of humour.'
Ralphs wrote 1970's 'Ready for Love' for Mott the Hoople, later revamped for Bad Company's 1974 debut album, which also included the Ralphs-penned hit 'Can't Get Enough.' He co-wrote Bad Company's 1975 'Feel Like Makin' Love' with Rodgers.
Born in Stoke Lacy, Herefordshire, England, Ralphs began playing blues guitar as a teenager, and in his early 20s in 1966, he co-founded the Doc Thomas Group. The band would become Mott the Hoople in 1969. He left the group in 1973, soon after it found commercial success with the David Bowie-penned-and-produced 'All the Young Dudes."
He would form Bad Company with singer Rodgers, who had left his own band, Free. They would be joined by Free drummer Simon Kirke and former King Crimson bassist and vocalist Boz Burrell.
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CNN
37 minutes ago
- CNN
Mick Ralphs, founding member of Bad Company and Mott the Hoople, dies at 81
Mick Ralphs, a guitarist, singer, songwriter and founding member of the classic British rock bands Bad Company and Mott the Hoople, has died. A statement posted to Bad Company's official website Monday announced Ralphs' death at age 81. Ralphs had a stroke days after what would be his final performance with the band at London's O2 Arena in 2016, and had been bedridden ever since, the statement said. No further details on the circumstances of his death were provided. Ralphs is set to become a member of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Bad Company in November. 'Our Mick has passed, my heart just hit the ground,' Bad Company singer Paul Rodgers said in a statement. 'He has left us with exceptional songs and memories. He was my friend, my songwriting partner, an amazing and versatile guitarist who had the greatest sense of humour.' Ralphs wrote the 1970's song 'Ready for Love' for Mott the Hoople, later revamped for Bad Company's 1974 debut album, which also included the Ralphs-penned hit 'Can't Get Enough.' He co-wrote Bad Company's 1975 classic 'Feel Like Makin' Love' with Rodgers. Born in Stoke Lacy, Herefordshire, England, Ralphs began playing blues guitar as a teenager, and in his early 20s in 1966, he co-founded the Doc Thomas Group. In 1969, the band would become Mott the Hoople, a name taken from the title and title character of a 1966 novel by Willard Manus. The group's self-titled first album, recorded in a week, won a cult following, but the two that followed were critical and financial flops. They finally found popular success and became glam-rock giants with the 1972 David Bowie-penned-and-produced song 'All the Young Dudes.' But Ralphs felt creatively cramped in the band led by singer-songwriter Ian Hunter and left in 1973. He would soon form Bad Company with Rodgers, a singer who had left his own band, Free. The two had intended only to write songs together, and possibly to make a one-off album as a project. But when Free drummer Simon Kirke asked to sit in, they realized they were nearly a proper group already and went seeking a bassist. They found him in former King Crimson member Boz Burrell. 'We didn't actually plan to have a band,' Ralphs said in a 2015 interview with Gibson Guitars. 'It was all kind of accidental I suppose. Lucky, really.' Kirke said in a statement Monday that Ralphs was 'a dear friend, a wonderful songwriter, and an exceptional guitarist. We will miss him deeply.' Bad Company found immediate success. Its albums were full of radio-ready anthems, and its live sound was perfectly suited to the 1970s height of arena rock. Their self-titled debut album went to No. 1 on Billboard's album chart. And Ralphs' 'Can't Get Enough' — often mistakenly called 'Can't Get Enough of Your Love' because of its chorus lyrics — would be their biggest hit single, peaking at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100. 'We actually did the whole thing in one take live,' Ralphs said in the Gibson interview. 'It wasn't perfect, but we just said, 'Yeah, that's great, it's going to capture the moment.' That's what I like to do in recording. It doesn't have to be perfect as long as it captures the moment. That's what it's all about.' Bad Company's 1975 follow-up, 'Straight Shooter,' was also a hit, going to No. 3 on album charts in both the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S. and the UK Albums Chart. Its opening track, 'Good Lovin' Gone Bad,' written by Ralphs, was a modest hit, and the song that followed it, 'Feel Like Makin' Love,' was a big one that would remain in rotation on classic rock radio for decades. The band's statement says Ralphs is survived by 'the love of his life,' his wife Susie Chavasse, along with two children, three step-children and 'beloved bandmates' Rodgers and Kirke. 'Our last conversation a few days ago we shared a laugh,' Rodgers said. 'But it won't be our last.'
CNN
39 minutes ago
- CNN
Mick Ralphs, founding member of Bad Company and Mott the Hoople, dies at 81
Mick Ralphs, a guitarist, singer, songwriter and founding member of the classic British rock bands Bad Company and Mott the Hoople, has died. A statement posted to Bad Company's official website Monday announced Ralphs' death at age 81. Ralphs had a stroke days after what would be his final performance with the band at London's O2 Arena in 2016, and had been bedridden ever since, the statement said. No further details on the circumstances of his death were provided. Ralphs is set to become a member of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Bad Company in November. 'Our Mick has passed, my heart just hit the ground,' Bad Company singer Paul Rodgers said in a statement. 'He has left us with exceptional songs and memories. He was my friend, my songwriting partner, an amazing and versatile guitarist who had the greatest sense of humour.' Ralphs wrote the 1970's song 'Ready for Love' for Mott the Hoople, later revamped for Bad Company's 1974 debut album, which also included the Ralphs-penned hit 'Can't Get Enough.' He co-wrote Bad Company's 1975 classic 'Feel Like Makin' Love' with Rodgers. Born in Stoke Lacy, Herefordshire, England, Ralphs began playing blues guitar as a teenager, and in his early 20s in 1966, he co-founded the Doc Thomas Group. In 1969, the band would become Mott the Hoople, a name taken from the title and title character of a 1966 novel by Willard Manus. The group's self-titled first album, recorded in a week, won a cult following, but the two that followed were critical and financial flops. They finally found popular success and became glam-rock giants with the 1972 David Bowie-penned-and-produced song 'All the Young Dudes.' But Ralphs felt creatively cramped in the band led by singer-songwriter Ian Hunter and left in 1973. He would soon form Bad Company with Rodgers, a singer who had left his own band, Free. The two had intended only to write songs together, and possibly to make a one-off album as a project. But when Free drummer Simon Kirke asked to sit in, they realized they were nearly a proper group already and went seeking a bassist. They found him in former King Crimson member Boz Burrell. 'We didn't actually plan to have a band,' Ralphs said in a 2015 interview with Gibson Guitars. 'It was all kind of accidental I suppose. Lucky, really.' Kirke said in a statement Monday that Ralphs was 'a dear friend, a wonderful songwriter, and an exceptional guitarist. We will miss him deeply.' Bad Company found immediate success. Its albums were full of radio-ready anthems, and its live sound was perfectly suited to the 1970s height of arena rock. Their self-titled debut album went to No. 1 on Billboard's album chart. And Ralphs' 'Can't Get Enough' — often mistakenly called 'Can't Get Enough of Your Love' because of its chorus lyrics — would be their biggest hit single, peaking at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100. 'We actually did the whole thing in one take live,' Ralphs said in the Gibson interview. 'It wasn't perfect, but we just said, 'Yeah, that's great, it's going to capture the moment.' That's what I like to do in recording. It doesn't have to be perfect as long as it captures the moment. That's what it's all about.' Bad Company's 1975 follow-up, 'Straight Shooter,' was also a hit, going to No. 3 on album charts in both the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S. and the UK Albums Chart. Its opening track, 'Good Lovin' Gone Bad,' written by Ralphs, was a modest hit, and the song that followed it, 'Feel Like Makin' Love,' was a big one that would remain in rotation on classic rock radio for decades. The band's statement says Ralphs is survived by 'the love of his life,' his wife Susie Chavasse, along with two children, three step-children and 'beloved bandmates' Rodgers and Kirke. 'Our last conversation a few days ago we shared a laugh,' Rodgers said. 'But it won't be our last.'
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Mick Ralphs, Bad Company Guitarist Behind ‘Feel Like Makin' Love' and ‘Movin' On,' Dies at 81
Mick Ralphs, founding guitarist for the rock supergroup Bad Company whose warm power chords and understated melodies punctuated global mega-hits like 'Feel Like Makin' Love,' 'Ready for Love' and 'Movin' On,' has died, his family and bandmates announced Monday. He was 81. 'Our Mick has passed, my heart just hit the ground,' Bad Company singer Paul Rodgers wrote. 'He has left us with exceptional songs and memories. He was my friend, my songwriting partner, an amazing and versatile guitarist who had the greatest sense of humor. Our last conversation a few days ago we shared a laugh but it won't be our last.' The statement said Ralphs passed away peacefully and surrounded by loved ones. No cause or place of death was given. Before Bad Company, Ralphs was also the founding guitarist of Mott the Hoople, the pioneering British glam-rock band formed in 1969. The band had a hit in 1972 with 'All the Young Dudes,' written and produced by David Bowie, but after years of lineup changes and internal strife, Mott the Hoople disbanded the year after Ralphs left to form Bad Company in 1973. After a single spirited jam- and song-sharing session with former Free singer Rodgers, drummer Simon Kirke and bassist Boz Burrell, Bad Company was off and running. Their self-titled debut album, released in 1974, was an immediate success with classics like 'Can't Get Enough,' which Ralphs wrote, 'Feel Like Makin' Love,' and of course, 'Bad Company.' With the help of Led Zeppelin's legendary manager Peter Grant, Bad Company became the first band signed to Zeppelin's Swan Song label. The band sold millions of albums and filled arenas around the world, with Ralphs' punchy-yet-melodic guitar front-and-center. 'He was a dear friend, a wonderful songwriter, and an exceptional guitarist. We will miss him deeply,' Kirke wrote. Ralphs' later years were marked by health challenges. He suffered a stroke in 2016 that forced him to retire from touring. He is survived by partner Susie Chavasse, two children, three step-children and his bandmates. The post Mick Ralphs, Bad Company Guitarist Behind 'Feel Like Makin' Love' and 'Movin' On,' Dies at 81 appeared first on TheWrap.
