Skid Row/Brush
Shiels Photo Gallery
Photo Gallery -
Band Lineups -
Discography
- Audio samples -
Where Are They Now?
The Story
Brendan "Brush" Sheils, started his career as the bass player with
Dublin beat group, The Up Town Band which he left in 1967 to form
his own group. In a December, 1968 interview in Spotlight, he
said he got the nickname "Brush" from Barry Blackmore, the
road manager for the Up Town Band because of his long hair and
moustache. Although he claimed in the article that he "didn't really
like it" it has stuck for the last 40 plus years! The original name of the new group was "Your Father's
Moustache" but in October, 1967, Brush announced he was renaming the
group, Skid Row. In the following years, Skid Row would become one
of the best known of the new Irish Rock Groups, along with bands like
Rory Gallagher's Taste and Phil Lynott's Thin Lizzy.
The original lineup featured Brush on bass, Noel Bridgeman on drums,
Bernard Cheevers on guitars and future Thin Lizzy star, Phil Lynott
on vocals. By 1968, Noel was replaced by Robbie Brennan and Gary
Moore had taken over the guitar spot. The band built a steady
reputation on the Dublin beat scene and was soon hailed as the top
group in Ireland. During 1968 many beat group musicians had joined
the ranks of the showbands, but the Brush was not interested. An
article in the December 7th issue of Spotlight wondered why
Phil Lynott had not landed a spot with a showband, like many of his
peers and several top entertainment managers in Ireland, including
Oliver Barry and Jim Hand thought he would not get an offer (despite
his obvious talent) because of his colour.
The following year, Phil left
to form Orphanage (a precursor to Thin Lizzy which included Brian
Downey) and Skid Row was reduced to a three piece with
Brush taking on the lead vocal spot. In his column in Spotlight
in early October, 1969, Pat Egan reported that Gary Moore had been
"loaned" to Granny's Intentions to help out on their latest
recording effort and had decided to stay with the band, leaving Skid
Row without a guitarist. The same column also announced that a Skid
Row "Farewell Dance" would be held the following Sunday in the
Crystal with both Phil Lynott and Gary Moore in attendance. Robbie
Brennan left the band and was replaced by Noel Bridgeman who
returned to the band. In the end, Gary did not leave and a few weeks
later, Pat was touting the band as "Ireland's Best Hope for
International Success."
The lineup of of Shiels, Bridgeman and Moore would
stay together for a short time the first time around. In early 1970, the band was
managed by Brian Tuite and Peter Bardon (who also looked after the
newly formed Thin Lizzy). The band had reached the top of the scene
in Dublin and been back and forth to London recording and playing in
an attempt to break big in the UK. They recorded their first album
which would be titled simply, Skid. At the time, the band was
being touted as Ireland's next Taste which Rory Gallagher had lead
to success in England and the continent. Brush Shiels was adamant in
interviews that despite the fact that both bands were trios, the
similarities ended there. Said Brush in Spotlight, "Don't compare us
with Taste. The only similarities are that we are both two guitar
with drums groups and Gary Moore's hair is about the same lengths as
Rory Gallagher's. That's as far as it goes."
Their first album was all
original material with numbers contributed by all three members of
the band. They had high hopes of making the album charts in England.
Around this time, the band more or less emigrated to London, coming
home to Ireland only for the occasional gig. They also undertook
their first trip to the States, which Gary Moore commented was an
influence on their music, adding, "We heard lots of good music over
there." A June, 1971 Spotlight interview reported that they had
recorded an album, "34 Hours," a few months earlier. Brush referred
to their musical style as "controlled freedom."
In the November 21, 1971 issue of
Spotlight, rock guru, Pat Egan hinted that Gary Moore may be
considering a change of scenery. Less than a month later, it was
reported that Gary had left to form his own group and Eric Bell from
Thin Lizzy stood in for a couple of gigs as Paul Chapman had not yet
joined the band.
Six months later, in August, 1972, the band split. Paul
Chapman returned to his native Wales while Noel Bridgeman would soon
join the Gentry. In an interview in Spotlight in October, 1972, Noel
recounted the split of the band. "It was money that caused the the
break up of Skid Row. At the end, when Paul Chapman was in the band,
we were beginning to play ridiculously well. But there was no money.
For two weeks, we didn't get a penny."
In the meantime, Brush Shiels
returned to Ireland from London and formed a new band with John
Wilson, formerly of Taste, on drums and Adrian Fisher on guitar. The
band, called "Brush" played its first gig on September 1st
in London's Marquee Club and it's first Irish dates were in early
October, 1972. John Wilson had formed the band Stud after leaving
Taste. Originally, the band was to be called Stud Row (for obvious
reasons), but soon settled on Brush. Managed by Eddie Kennedy, the
band would make a good effort to break in Europe, but it was not to
be. Playing music that was described as a cross between Taste and
Slade, the band would not last long.
In May, 1973 a feature in
Spotlight reported that "Skid Row Lives Again." The article reported
that Brush Sheils was reforming the band. He said that "business
hassles split Skid Row" and "Brush was just got together to
finish off Skid Rows' old dates." The article went on to say
the new band would be a four or five piece with "two guitars, bass,
drums and organ." The band took some time to get together,
but it finally happened in late August of 1973. The lineup featured:
Eamonn Gibney (vocals), Ed Dean (guitar), and John Wilson
(drums). Managed by Ollie Byrne, Brush was quoted as saying the band
was firmly focused on making it in the USA, as opposed to England,
as Brush surmised "anyway that scene is dead in England."
In his December 27th, 1973 "Let It
Rock" column, Pat Egan reported that the band had added a keyboard
player, Kevin McAlea (brother of Miami's Des Lee) to Skid Row's
lineup. Kevin had previously played with The Gentry, among others.
In March, 1974 a blurb in Spotlight announced "Brush Quits Rock
Scene." It reported that he had called it a day after the
reformed Skid Row experienced many personnel and management
problems.
At this point, the band continued
to flounder somewhat. A report in Pat Egan's column in mid January
stated manager Ollie Byrne had "fired" the band over a dispute to
which an unnamed member of the group was reported to say, "We're out
on our own now and intend to stay that way." At this time John
Wilson left the group and was replaced by Paddy Freeney. It was
rumoured John was joining the Freshmen. In the end, Ollie and the
band patched things up and Skid Row went back on the road, but not
for long.
A few months later, in April,
1974, Brush
teamed up with Eric Bell (after he left Thin Lizzy) and they formed
the Bell/Brush band along with Tim Creedan (drums) who had
previously been with Orphanage. The band played their first gig in
the Carlton, Kilkenny.
In the October 3, 1974 issue of
Spotlight, the RockOn column (edited by Smiley Bolger and
Colin McClelland) reported that Brush and Tim Creedon were off to
London with former Skid Row vocalist Eamonn Gibney to play with
ex-Sparks guitarist A.D. Fisher. In the same column, the question
was asked, "what now for Eric Bell," so we assume the Bell-Brush
Band came to an end only six months after it was formed. However, a
blurb in the same column a few weeks later said the Bell/Brush band
would be playing a gig in the New University of Ulster on Friday,
November 8, 1974. It also mentioned that Eamonn Gibney had joined
the band.
In the December 12, 1974 issue of
Spotlight it was announced that Skid Row (Shiels, Moore and
Bridgeman) would be reuniting for a series of gigs. However, Gary
Moore said it was not a permanent outfit and they would simply be
coming together from time to time.
More to come.....
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