Streetwalkers

The Streetwalkers came together after Family dissolved, launched by that band’s principal architects Roger Chapman and Charlie Whitney. Where Family had merged art-rock with blues-rock, the new outfit revived an earlier approach as a blues-rock unit that placed Chapman’s singular voice at its core. In contrast to their previous work, the Streetwalkers projected a studied quality, evidently hoping to profit from the pre-punk hard-rock visibility attained by groups such as Bad Company and Thin Lizzy. They remained consistent with Family, however, in finding success across England while attracting almost no notice in America. Though a dependable and occasionally outstanding concert act, the Streetwalkers disbanded in the early ’80s after issuing an unexpectedly uninspired live album that clearly fulfilled a contractual requirement. Among blues-rooted rock bands they produced standout moments and one genuinely exceptional record, Red Card, yet their songwriting lacked the consistency of Family’s output; Whitney’s guitar increasingly resembled Jeff Beck’s style, and Chapman’s lyrics displayed blatant sexism of the sort one might expect from a bald, overweight, middle-aged man convinced that membership in a rock band preserves his attractiveness to much younger women.