The Groundhogs

The Groundhogs forged a path through rugged, guitar-driven rock, launching as a forceful British blues outfit before shifting toward bolder progressive explorations while preserving their core intensity and visceral punch. Serving as the primary outlet for guitarist Tony McPhee—the only unchanging member across a run from the mid-1960s into the 2010s—the group held a devoted audience through an arc that started in blues roots, passed through extended experimental phases, and circled back to the sounds that first shaped them. Early tapes of the band supporting John Lee Hooker in 1965 surfaced on the 1996 release Hooker and the Hogs, while 1970's Thank Christ for the Bomb signaled the arrival of progressive elements; after a nine-year studio break, 1985's Razors Edge steered them into harder rock territory, 1996's Who Said Cherry Red? captured a live set of rarely performed fan favorites, 2012's Blue and Lonesome paired them with blues artist Billy Boy Arnold, and 2021's Roadhogs (Live from Richmond to Pocono) gathered forceful concert recordings from 1969 and 1972.

The group's origins trace to 1962, when bassist Pete Cruickshank and his brother—singer and harmonica player John Cruickshank—started a band called the Dollar Bills. Seeking a guitarist, John approached his colleague Tony McPhee, who was then active with a group called the Seneschals; more drawn to blues than the Dollar Bills' pop leanings, McPhee persuaded the others to pivot their style. They adopted the name Groundhogs, inspired by John Lee Hooker's "Groundhog's Blues," and quickly gained traction on Britain's thriving blues scene, with Dave Boorman on drums and Bob Hall on keyboards rounding out the lineup. During John Lee Hooker's 1964 U.K. tour, John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers served as his initial backing band until circumstances forced them to withdraw with a week of dates remaining; the Groundhogs stepped in for those shows. (John Cruickshank had already departed by then, leaving McPhee as lead singer.) Impressed, Hooker retained the Groundhogs for a 1965 U.K. tour and enlisted them as session players on his 1966 album Seven Nights; those recordings later reappeared in various editions, most notably on 1996's Hooker and the Hogs. Their work with Hooker opened doors to further touring behind visiting American blues figures such as Jimmy Reed, Little Walter, and Champion Jack Dupree.

Following two standalone singles, the Groundhogs secured a deal with Liberty Records' British division, now featuring Tony McPhee, Pete Cruickshank, drummer Ken Pustelnik, and harmonica player Steve Rye. Their debut album under their own name, Scratching the Surface, arrived in 1968, followed by 1969's Blues Obituary, which found them reduced to the core trio of McPhee, Cruickshank, and Pustelnik. As psychedelic and progressive currents reshaped many British blues acts, the Groundhogs adapted accordingly, with McPhee pursuing a more expansive, high-volume approach and extending song lengths. Thank Christ for the Bomb, released in 1970 and incorporating their evolving outlook alongside several anti-war themes, climbed to the British Top 10 and launched a busy stretch that included 1971's Split and 1972's Who Will Save the World? The band maintained a heavy touring schedule, highlighted by a 1971 U.K. run supporting the Rolling Stones; one of those performances later surfaced as the 2002 release Live at Leeds '71.

Although many enthusiasts regard the McPhee-Cruickshank-Pustelnik lineup as definitive, Pustelnik exited in mid-1972 and Clive Brooks—previously of the prog-rock band Egg—assumed drumming duties. Hogwash, issued in November 1972, marked their first album with Brooks and their debut on United Artists after the British Liberty imprint folded. Solid followed in 1974 on the short-lived WWA label; despite modest commercial results, it prompted McPhee to disband the group that year. The hiatus proved brief: a refreshed lineup surfaced in 1975, adding second guitarist Dave Wellbelove, bassist Martin Kent, and drummer Mick Cook. This configuration recorded 1976's Crosscut Saw, which tempered progressive tendencies in favor of blues emphasis, and closed the year with Black Diamond after Rick Adams replaced Wellbelove. Another lull followed until the Groundhogs resurfaced in 1982 with an entirely new roster of McPhee, bassist Alan Fish, and drummer Wilgar Campbell.

Fish remained until 1994 while drummers and guitarists cycled through in subsequent years. The 1985 studio album Razors Edge introduced a harder rock edge, echoed on 1986's Back Against the Wall. Hogs on the Road, a 1988 live set captured in Germany and England, inaugurated a run of concert releases that dominated output from the 1990s forward. Hogs in Wolf's Clothing arrived in 1998 with covers of Howlin' Wolf material, followed by the similarly themed Muddy Waters' Songbook in 1999. For the 40th anniversary of the band's earliest gigs, the classic McPhee-Cruickshank-Pustelnik trio reunited in 2003 for a year of touring before another pause. McPhee turned to acoustic performances, often alongside singer Joanna Deacon, until the Groundhogs returned in 2007 with bassist Dave Anderson and drummer Marco Anderson. As before, drummers rotated while Anderson stayed constant; starting in 2011, Joanna Deacon joined as vocalist after a stroke affected McPhee's singing. Further health issues prompted McPhee to step away from the road in 2015. From 2018 onward, Fire Records began reissuing key catalog titles on vinyl and CD—beginning with Scratching the Surface and Blues Obituary, then Thank Christ for the Bomb, Split, and Who Will Save the World? In 2021 Fire released the archival collection Roadhogs (Live from Richmond to Pocono), documenting two concerts by the McPhee-Cruickshank-Pustelnik lineup, one from 1969 and the other from 1972, which stood as the classic trio's final show before their 2003 reunion. Tony McPhee died on June 6, 2023, at age 79, marking the close of a singular chapter in British blues.