Average White Band - by Curtis M. Harris
False advertising.
This was an ABOVE Average White Band composed of six Scotsmen and, eventually, one American. They are also one of my tip-top favoritest groups. Average White Band never broke any meaningfully new musical ground and their lead vocalists could be quite limited. And they also didn’t have outstanding soloists. But man could these motherbleepers create a groove and lock it in the funky pocket.
Their influences, most prominently James Brown and the J.B.’s, are quite evident, but the guys had a decently expansive music palette. Importantly, they wrote almost all their own material, so despite not being innovators, they did manage a distinctive sound during their peak years (1973-1979).
Formed in 1972, AWB released their first album in 1973, Show Your Hand.
At that point in time, the lineup was…
Roger Ball — alto saxophone, keyboards
Malcolm “Molly” Duncan — tenor saxophone
Alan Gorrie — lead vocals, guitar, bass
Robbie McIntosh — drums
Owen “Onnie” McIntyre — guitar, backing vocals
Hamish Stuart — lead vocals, guitar, bass
That initial LP initially didn’t raise any eyebrows, but it was good enough to where the band got a deal with Atlantic Records. Their second album, 1974’s AWB, was produced by the legendary Arif Mardin and spawned the #1 smash “Pick Up The Pieces”. The album eventually made its way to #1 as well and both went gold.
As that album and single were making Average White Band world famous, their drummer, McIntosh, died of a drug overdose. Black American Steve Ferrone took up his slot and AWB soldiered on for another decade.
Despite the wider pop world heralding their arrival in 1974 and 1975, AWB quickly got segregated to Black radio. I don’t think there’s been anything like it before or since where a white group popular with both Blacks and Whites just got decidedly put in the Black side of Music Town.
They were much more likely to be on Soul Train than American Bandstand.
Weird music and racial politics aside, AWB somewhat annoyingly never managed to put out back-to-back outstanding albums, but their LPs were always extremely decent in the 1970s.
I’d peg AWB, Soul Searching, and Warmer Communications as the foremost albums to own as they are all bangers from start to finish.
The lesser LPs from this era (Show Your Hand, Cut the Cake, Benny and Us, and Feel No Fret) are still pretty good to me. They have their weak spots, but there ain’t an embarrassing song among the bunch. In fact every one of those albums has some reeeeeeally good fare. I find them all very enjoyable even while acknowledging their limits.
It wasn’t until 1980 that Average White Band started to finally sound average. That year’s Shine was a disappointing flop. 1982’s Cupid’s In Fashion was even worse. With no artistic tread left on the tires, they disbanded.
Gorrie, McIntyre, and Ball reformed the group in 1989 to play the oldies circuit. Ball left for good in 1996, while Gorrie and McIntyre continue playing under the AWB name. And Ferrone became one of the most in-demand session drummers in the music biz.
Anyhoo, hope y’all enjoy my thoughts and certainly the sounds of Average White Band, one of the weirdest stories in Black music history.
Show Your Hand: C+
AWB: A-
Cut the Cake: C+
Soul Searching: B
Benny and Us: C+
Warmer Communications: B+
Feel No Fret: C+
Shine: D+
Cupid’s In Fashion: D-
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