Verden Allen

Born on May 26, 1944 in South Wales, Terence "Verden" Allen first gained notice as Mott the Hoople's original keyboardist. His earliest group, the Inmates, formed in 1964, and he departed two years later to join Lee Starr & the Astrals. Late in 1966 the ensemble relocated to London and became the touring unit behind reggae vocalist Jimmy Cliff, prompting the name change to Shakedown Sound. Successive personnel shifts eventually transformed that ensemble into Mott the Hoople. Allen's signature Hammond organ anchored the band's dense glam-rock texture, yet none of his songs reached an album until Brain Capers appeared in 1971; the delay prompted his departure from the lineup early in 1973. He next recorded for Polydor under the pseudonym Mooni, releasing the single "Wine Ridden Talks." His subsequent band Cheeks included guitarist James Honeyman-Scott and drummer Martin Chambers, both of whom later founded the Pretenders. After Cheeks disbanded in 1976, Allen launched High Mileage and later Verden Allen's Seven Inches; in 1978 he also paired with ex-Mott guitarist Luther Grosvenor for the single "On the Rebound." Four years of inactivity ended when he issued the solo track "Colleen" on his Spinit imprint in 1982, followed by "This Way Now" the next year. He remained largely absent from recording until 1994, when he joined Thunderbuck Ram for their only album, Long Time No See. The solo set For Each Other surfaced in 1999, with further releases arriving as 20 Year Holiday in 2002 and My Masochistic Side in 2009.