Blue Mink
| Company type | Musical group |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1969 |
| Founder | Roger Coulam |
| Defunct | 1977 |
| Headquarters | United Kingdom |
| Products | Pop music, studio albums, singles |
Blue Mink was a British pop ensemble consisting of six members, active between 1969 and 1977. Throughout their career, they secured six singles within the top 20 of the UK Singles Chart and produced five studio albums. AllMusic highlights their legacy as a group known for a string of lively hits that positioned them among the most cherished British pop acts of the early 1970s.
Career
The formation of the band occurred in autumn 1969, initiated by keyboardist Roger Coulam. The lineup included American-born singer Madeline Bell, vocalist Roger Cook, guitarist Alan Parker, bassist Herbie Flowers, and drummer Barry Morgan. The majority of their repertoire was composed by Cook and Roger Greenaway. Prior to forming Blue Mink, Flowers, Morgan, Parker, and Coulam had collaborated at London's Morgan Studios. Coulam extended invitations to Bell and Greenaway to join as vocalists; Greenaway declined but recommended Cook instead.
Their initial single, "Melting Pot", penned by Cook and Greenaway, was released on 31 October 1969 via Philips Records, accompanied by the B-side "Blue Mink" written by Alan Parker. This track reached number three on the UK Singles Chart. An American rendition titled "People Are Together" by Mickey Murray did not achieve radio play. Early 1970 saw the release of their debut album Melting Pot, along with the follow-up single "Good Morning Freedom," which climbed to number ten.
Despite their rising prominence, band members maintained active roles as session musicians. In March 1970, Cook, Bell, Parker, and Morgan contributed to Elton John's sophomore solo album; additionally, Elton John covertly recorded "Good Morning Freedom" for a budget compilation. Cook and Greenaway briefly joined Currant Kraze and were responsible for hits like "You've Got Your Troubles" and "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing." Other side endeavors included Parker's participation in The Congregation (band), Flowers' contributions to Lou Reed's Transformer, and various sessions with Pete Atkin.
Their sophomore album Our World (released as Real Mink in the United States) alongside a third single appeared in September 1970. The subsequent single "The Banner Man", issued by Regal Zonophone in spring 1971, achieved number three on the UK charts and was distinguished by its brass band elements. Reflecting on Real Mink years later, critic Robert Christgau characterized the partnership between Bell and Cook as delivering "solid white soul" with strong commercial viability.
Following this period, other ventures took priority until January 1972 when Blue Mink held a two-week residency at London's Talk of the Town nightclub. Performances from this stint were captured on the live album Live at the Talk of the Town, which was released alongside their studio record A Time of Change (initially titled Harvest).
In summer 1972, drummer Ray Cooper and keyboardist Ann Odell joined the group, featuring on the single "Stay With Me," co-written by Herbie Flowers; this song reached number eleven in November. By their fourth album, Only When I Laugh, their lighter pop sound faced competition from the rising glam rock trend. The track "By The Devil (I Was Tempted)" peaked at number twenty-six; their last Top 10 entry was "Randy" in June 1973.
Their final album, Fruity, released in January 1974 along with singles "Quackers" and "Get Up," did not achieve commercial success. The band dissolved that autumn following a farewell tour across the United States. During their concluding performance at The Troubadour in Los Angeles, Elton John introduced them on stage.
Reunions
In 1976, the group reunited with Mike Moran joining the lineup and released multiple singles under Target Records, a label owned by Cook and Greenaway. Their standout track from this period was "Where Were You Today," penned by Greenaway and Dundas, which originally served as a commercial jingle for the department store C&A. When Capital Radio, one of the UK's pioneering independent local broadcasters, began transmission in 1973, its signature jingles were crafted by Cook and Greenaway, performed by Blue Mink, and arranged by George Martin. Prior to this, Madeline Bell had lent her voice to jingles for Radio Caroline, the offshore pirate station that contested the BBC’s radio dominance.
Following their initial breakup, members continued their careers in session work and songwriting endeavors. In 1975, both the Rimshots and Gary Toms Empire produced disco versions of Blue Mink’s "Get Up," retitled "7-6-5-4-3-2-1 (Blow Your Whistle)," with Gary Toms Empire's rendition climbing to number five on the Billboard R&B charts. Later, in 1994, Cook, Bell, and Flowers came together once more for a televised performance of "Melting Pot" on the Michael Barrymore show.
Albums
- Melting Pot (1969)
- Our World (1970)
- Real Mink (US release)
- A Time of Change (1972)
- Live at the Talk of the Town (1972)
- Only When I Laugh (1973)
- The Best of Blue Mink (1973, compilation)
- Fruity (1974, produced by Mackay)
- Attention (1975, compilation)
- Collection: Blue Mink (1978, compilation)
- Good Morning Freedom: The Anthology (2002, compilation)
Note: The track listings for Melting Pot differed between the UK and US editions.
Singles
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK | AUS | BE (FLA) | BE (WA) | CAN | GER | IRE | NL | NOR | NZ | SA | US | |||
| "Blue Mink" | 1969 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Template:N/A |
| "Melting Pot" | 3 | 10 | — | — | 79 | — | 8 | 7 | 4 | 2 | — | — | Melting Pot | |
| "Good Morning Freedom" | 1970 | 10 | 33 | 4 | 37 | 100 | 31 | 3 | 6 | — | 13 | — | — | |
| "Our World" | 17 | 99 | 30 | — | 62 | — | 19 | 10 | — | — | — | 64 | Our World | |
See also
Other sources
- The Guinness Who's Who of Seventies Music, (London: Guinness)