Mighty Baby

Originating from the Action, a North London R&B outfit that George Martin signed to Parlophone in 1965, the British psychedelic band Mighty Baby took shape. Long viewed as one of Martin's strongest finds outside the Beatles, the Action lineup included Reggie King on vocals, Alan King and Pete Watson on guitars, Mike Evans on bass, and Roger Powell on drums. Pete Watson's exit in 1967 brought in keyboardist Ian Whiteman and blues guitarist Martin Stone, the latter a Savoy Brown Blues Band veteran. This revised group moved past the R&B and soul approach of the earlier Action into experimental territory, embracing extended jams along with folk and blues influences drawn from the West Coast bands then circulating worldwide.

They connected with Giorgio Gomelsky, former manager of the Yardbirds, in 1967 and recorded an album's worth of material that stayed unreleased. Reggie King departed early in 1968 to cut a solo album, after which the remaining members underwent several name changes, including a period as Azoth. In 1968 they aligned with the management team representing Pink Floyd and T. Rex, producing a fresh set of demos that featured Ian Whiteman, who composed most of the material, and Alan King sharing lead vocals. These recordings proved more ambitious than the 1967 sides, stretching song structures through long, graceful guitar progressions and soaring choruses. Their temperament and inclinations suited them to the psychedelic style, unlike many R&B groups that attempted the transition without success.

The president of their new label, Head Records, selected the name Mighty Baby for reasons known only to him. The resulting self-titled album emerged as a late psychedelic rock masterpiece marked by fluid extended guitar lines and radiant harmonies, though sales remained modest even as live audiences responded with enthusiasm. After the label folded in 1970, the group signed with Blue Horizon and released A Jug of Love, an album of some merit that ultimately proved uneven. Their moment had clearly passed both personally and professionally by then. Mighty Baby disbanded in 1971, yet several members reconvened from time to time on other projects, with Evans and Whiteman serving as backup musicians for Richard & Linda Thompson in the late 1970s.