Mott the Hoople

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Mott the Hoople are an English rock band from Hereford, formed in 1966. They started as the Doc Thomas Group and, after signing with Island Records in 1969, changed their name to Mott the Hoople. They released several albums in the early 1970s but didn’t find big success at first. Their fortunes changed when David Bowie encouraged them to stay together and wrote their glam-rock signature song “All the Young Dudes” for them in 1972. Bowie also produced the All the Young Dudes album, which helped raise the band’s profile.

The band soon found more success with the albums Mott (1973) and The Hoople (1974). Their songs “Honaloochie Boogie” and “All the Way from Memphis” became big UK hits, with Mick Ronson contributing strings on the latter. In 1974, lead singer Ian Hunter left the band, and although they kept performing, the group’s commercial wave began to decline. The Hoople continued with many lineup changes and shortened their name to Mott.

From 1974 to 1976 the group experimented with new members and styles. New members included guitarist Ariel Bender (Mick Bolton, who changed his name) and keyboardist Morgan Fisher, along with Ray Majors on guitar and Nigel Benjamin as the frontman. They released Drive On (1975) and Shouting and Pointing (1976), but neither album sold well. After Benjamin quit in 1976, the band briefly brought in Steve Hyams before eventually becoming British Lions with a new lineup and a different name.

Mott the Hoople officially broke up in 1980, though they regrouped for occasional reunions in later years. They returned for concerts in 2009 at the Hammersmith Apollo in London, followed by a 2013 show at the O2 Arena in London. A 2014 live release captured part of the 2013 reunion, and two founding members, Dale Griffin and Pete Overend Watts, passed away in 2016 and 2017.

In 2018 the band announced European dates with Ian Hunter joined by former members Morgan Fisher and Ariel Bender, plus new musicians. In 2019 they promoted a brief UK tour called “Tax the Heat” and toured the US for the first time in 45 years as Mott the Hoople ’74, celebrating the 45th anniversary of their 1974 US tour and the Hoople era. The lineup for these performances included Hunter, Bender and Fisher, along with several touring musicians. The US shows were later cancelled in part because Ian Hunter suffered tinnitus.

Mott the Hoople are remembered for helping define glam-era rock and for their late-early-1970s collaborations with David Bowie. Their song All the Young Dudes remains the best-known track from their classic period, and their 1973–74 albums are regarded as their peak by many fans.