Biography
Tymon Dogg, who was born in Liverpool and later settled in London, looked ready to break through to major success by the close of the 1960s. He stood poised to join the Beatles’ own Apple Records, only to watch those prospects collapse once the band split and the label’s activities came to a standstill. A subsequent deal with Threshold, the Moody Blues’ imprint, likewise produced nothing that reached the public.
Although two singles from the late 1960s appeared under his name—one of them “Bitter Thoughts Of Little Jane,” later anthologized on Nuggets II—widespread recognition as a solo performer continued to elude him. The most rewarding work instead grew out of his friendship with Joe Strummer of the Clash. When they first crossed paths, Dogg was busking in the London Underground and showed the young John Mellor how to play the ukulele. Strummer reciprocated years afterward by featuring Dogg’s vocals on “Lose This Skin,” a track included on the Clash’s 1980 album Sandanista.
The following year Dogg and the Clash wrote and performed on most of the songs that made up Ellen Foley’s Spirit Of St. Louis. Their paths crossed again when Dogg joined Strummer in the Mescaleros; together they composed every number on the band’s 2002 album Global A Go Go. Dogg also maintained a lengthy creative partnership with Ian Hunter, supplying key contributions to several of Hunter’s solo releases throughout the 1980s.
Although two singles from the late 1960s appeared under his name—one of them “Bitter Thoughts Of Little Jane,” later anthologized on Nuggets II—widespread recognition as a solo performer continued to elude him. The most rewarding work instead grew out of his friendship with Joe Strummer of the Clash. When they first crossed paths, Dogg was busking in the London Underground and showed the young John Mellor how to play the ukulele. Strummer reciprocated years afterward by featuring Dogg’s vocals on “Lose This Skin,” a track included on the Clash’s 1980 album Sandanista.
The following year Dogg and the Clash wrote and performed on most of the songs that made up Ellen Foley’s Spirit Of St. Louis. Their paths crossed again when Dogg joined Strummer in the Mescaleros; together they composed every number on the band’s 2002 album Global A Go Go. Dogg also maintained a lengthy creative partnership with Ian Hunter, supplying key contributions to several of Hunter’s solo releases throughout the 1980s.
Albums
