Biography
Emerging amid the late-1960s surge of British blues-rock that spawned dozens of heavy outfits, Leaf Hound traced its roots to two separate London circles. Rhythm guitarist Derek Brooks and sibling Stuart Brooks had previously played in the South London unit Black Cat Bones, whose lineup once included Free guitarist Paul Kossoff. Meanwhile vocalist Peter French and his cousin, lead guitarist Mick Halls, moved through a succession of local bands—Switch, Erotic Eel, Joe Poe, and the Brunning Sunflower Blues Band that featured bassist Bob Brunning. When Black Cat Bones lead guitarist Rod Price departed in the second half of 1970 to join Foghat, the Brooks brothers recruited Halls, French, and novice drummer Keith George Young. They christened the new ensemble Leaf Hound after a title found in an anthology by horror author Herbert Van Thal.
Although the group had already cut the track “Barbed Wire Sandwich” for Decca’s Nova imprint in 1969, the newly formed Leaf Hound began gigging across England, on several occasions reportedly upstaging headliners UFO. A full Decca contract followed, prompting an eleven-hour session at Mayfair’s Spot Studios that yielded Growers of Mushrooms. Before the album appeared at home, the band toured Germany, where Telefunken licensed the recording; that earlier continental pressing omitted both the title track and the opening “Freelance Fiend.” Telefunken also issued the single “Drowned My Life in Fear,” backed by the non-album cut “It’s Going to Get Better.” Only in October 1971 did Decca finally issue the complete Growers of Mushrooms domestically, by which time Leaf Hound had already disbanded.
French enjoyed the highest subsequent profile. After a brief stint in Big Bertha he joined Atomic Rooster for the period surrounding 1971’s In Hearing of Atomic Rooster, then relocated to the United States to sing with the boogie band Cactus alongside ex-Vanilla Fudge members Tim Bogert and Carmine Appice. Returning to Britain, he appeared in a later configuration of Randy Pie around 1977, contributed to the controversial German rock opera Der Fuhrer, and recorded the solo album Ducks in Flight for Polydor Germany in 1978, supported by guitarist Brian Robertson and drummer Kenney Jones. Long deleted and fetching collector sums as high as 1,300 dollars, Growers of Mushrooms resurfaced on CD via Repertoire in 1994 and See for Miles the following year.
Although the group had already cut the track “Barbed Wire Sandwich” for Decca’s Nova imprint in 1969, the newly formed Leaf Hound began gigging across England, on several occasions reportedly upstaging headliners UFO. A full Decca contract followed, prompting an eleven-hour session at Mayfair’s Spot Studios that yielded Growers of Mushrooms. Before the album appeared at home, the band toured Germany, where Telefunken licensed the recording; that earlier continental pressing omitted both the title track and the opening “Freelance Fiend.” Telefunken also issued the single “Drowned My Life in Fear,” backed by the non-album cut “It’s Going to Get Better.” Only in October 1971 did Decca finally issue the complete Growers of Mushrooms domestically, by which time Leaf Hound had already disbanded.
French enjoyed the highest subsequent profile. After a brief stint in Big Bertha he joined Atomic Rooster for the period surrounding 1971’s In Hearing of Atomic Rooster, then relocated to the United States to sing with the boogie band Cactus alongside ex-Vanilla Fudge members Tim Bogert and Carmine Appice. Returning to Britain, he appeared in a later configuration of Randy Pie around 1977, contributed to the controversial German rock opera Der Fuhrer, and recorded the solo album Ducks in Flight for Polydor Germany in 1978, supported by guitarist Brian Robertson and drummer Kenney Jones. Long deleted and fetching collector sums as high as 1,300 dollars, Growers of Mushrooms resurfaced on CD via Repertoire in 1994 and See for Miles the following year.
Albums
