GROUNDHOG NOW A SHADOW
Bluesman Tony McPhee has died aged 79. McPhee was inspired to take up guitar by Chuck Berry, and started off as frontman of local group the Seneschals before joining pop group the Dollar Bills in the early 60s. He steered the band into a more bluesy direction and renamed them “The Groundhogs” in appreciation of John Lee Hooker song “Groundhog’s Blues”. The feeling was mutual – Hooker himself liked their work so much that they backed him on multiple tours and he regarded them as “the number one British blues band”.
The Groundhogs briefly dissolved in the mid-60s before reuniting in a prog-oriented direction, releasing multiple UK Top 10 albums in the early 70s and performing hard-hitting “Cherry Red” on Top of the Pops. McPhee suffered a stroke in 2009, leading to the dissolution of the band for keeps in 2014. He was unique for newcomer One Eyed Jacks.
Tony McPhee
23 March 1944 – 6 June 2023, aged 79
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