Medicine Head

Formed in Stafford, England during 1968, the British blues duo Medicine Head consisted of vocalist and multi-instrumentalist John Fiddler alongside Peter Hope-Evans on harmonica and jew's harp. They first assembled while attending art college and soon became regulars on the surrounding club scene, cutting a demo that reached influential BBC broadcaster John Peel, who promptly began promoting the track "His Guiding Hand." Additional DJs quickly picked up the recording, placing the pair on the verge of widespread recognition.

Supported by Peel, the duo tracked their debut album New Bottles Old Medicine, issued in 1970. Their approach grew more layered on the 1971 follow-up Heavy on the Drum, overseen by ex-Yardbirds member Keith Relf; after the surprise success of the single "(And the) Pictures in the Sky," Hope-Evans departed, with Relf and drummer John Davies stepping in for 1972's The Dark Side of the Moon. Hope-Evans returned ahead of 1973's One and One Is One, whose title track climbed to the U.K. singles chart's upper reaches.

Expanded to a five-piece that also featured guitarist Roger Saunders, former Family drummer Rob Townsend, and bassist George Ford, the band scored further hits with "Rising Sun" and "Slip and Slide," yet 1974's Thru' a Five made no impression on the charts and internal fractures began to surface. By 1976's Two Man Band only Fiddler and Hope-Evans remained, and after releasing one final single, "Me and Suzy Hit the Floor," Medicine Head disbanded. Fiddler subsequently appeared with the British Lions, later joined Box of Frogs, and eventually pursued solo work, while Hope-Evans played on Pete Townshend's Empty Glass and White City.