Spedding was raised by adoptive parents in Sheffield before moving to Birmingham. During the late 1960s and early 1970s he became known as a guitar player on sessions for Alan Price, Jack Bruce, Pete Brown's Battered Ornaments and others. During this time he was also playing jazz with Nucleus and recorded and toured with Mike Gibbs. He was a session player on Harry Nilsson's breakthrough album, Nilsson Schmilsson, recorded in London.
During 1972-74 Spedding played a central role in Sharks, initially with ex-Free bassist Andy Fraser. They recorded two albums and toured with Roxy Music. After that, he toured and recorded with John Cale. He also played with Roy Harper's occasional backing band Trigger, notably on 1975's HQ album.
In 1975 Spedding had a Top Twenty solo hit in the UK with "Motor Bikin'", but subsequently became better known as a session guitarist, appearing and recording with Bryan Ferry, Roxy Music, Elton John, Brian Eno, Jack Bruce, Nick Mason and Katie Melua, amongst others. During the mid 1970s, he even took part in the Wombles' UK tour in full furry costume, whilst wielding his trademark Gibson Flying V.
Spedding recorded a version of the American singer-songwriter Garland Jeffreys' song, "Wild In The Streets", on his own Hurt album. The song has since been covered by the Circle Jerks and is featured on Tony Hawk's American Wasteland.
He also was the producer of the Sex Pistols first demos, which were recorded on 15 May 1976. The three tracks recorded were "Problems", "No Feelings" and "Pretty Vacant".
He made an appearance in Paul McCartney's Give My Regards to Broad Street in 1984, playing guitar in a session with McCartney and his wife, Linda. In 1995, he played on Willy DeVille's Big Easy Fantasy, and later that year, on his album Loup Garou.
Spedding was producer of the first two albums by Canadian rockabilly band "The Razorbacks" entitled "Go to Town"(1988) and "Live a Little"(1989).
Spedding has had a long association with rockabilly legend Robert Gordon recording the classic albumn 'Live at the Lonestar' in 1989. Their cover of Springsteen's 'Fire' is reported to be the Boss' favorite version.
In 2011 Spedding and Steve Parsons (aka "Snips", former vocalist with Sharks) are back together with Martin Chambers (Pretenders) on drums, Glen Matlock (Sex Pistols) on bass, and a new mysterious guitarist named Sixteen, making a five-piece band called King Mob.
Guitar Jamboree
Chris Spedding Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The Guitar Jamboree's in town
Musicians come from miles around
And everybody goes
To see their guitar heroes
Here's Albert King
No one can get within a mile of him
When he plays the blues
See the men that made music history at the Guitar Jamboree
Chuck Berry was here too with his famous duck walk
But that ain't all he can do 'cause he makes a guitar talk
See the men that made music history at the Guitar Jamboree
The night they still talk about
Was when Jimmy Hendrix played
Now, Jimmy will be sadly missed
For the sound he made
See the men that made music history at the Guitar Jamboree
Here they come, hear
Jack Bruce
Pete Townshend
Keith Richards
George Harrison
Here's Eric
Jimmy Page
Jeff Beck
Paul Kossoff
Leslie West
Dave Gilmour
Come on, it's the Guitar Jamboree
Everybody's here
All the guitar heroes
Let's hear it
Chris Spedding's "Guitar Jamboree" is a tribute to the greatest guitarists of all time. He invites the listener to join in the celebration of the greatest guitar festival in the town, where legendary guitarists from all over the world come to perform. The song opens with the anticipation of the gathering and the enthusiasm of the crowd. The lyrics introduce the headlining guitarists, their unique styles, and their significant contributions to the guitar universe. The lyrics mention Albert King, Chuck Berry, Jimmy Hendrix, Jack Bruce, Pete Townshend, Keith Richards, George Harrison, Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, Paul Kossoff, Leslie West, and Dave Gilmour, all of whom are considered the greatest guitarists of all time. Chris Spedding notes that the Guitar Jamboree was a night to remember for everyone who attended and that the world lost Jimmy Hendrix, a legend whose sound will continue to inspire generations.
In summary, "Guitar Jamboree" is a celebration of the world's greatest guitarists, an event in which guitar heroes have come together to rock the stage, leaving the audience awestruck. The song provides a nostalgic experience for anyone who has ever attended a music festival.
Line by Line Meaning
The Guitar Jamboree's in town
The celebration of guitars is taking place in our town
Musicians come from miles around
Musicians travel from faraway places
And everybody goes
Everyone attends the event
To see their guitar heroes
To witness their guitar idols perform live
Here's Albert King
Albert King is on stage
He's playing his (?)
He's playing his guitar or a particular song, which the lyrics do not specify
No one can get within a mile of him
The crowd is enraptured and stands far away from Albert King, not daring to come too close
When he plays the blues
Albert King is known for his blues guitar playing style
Chuck Berry was here too with his famous duck walk
Chuck Berry was also present on stage and performing his iconic duck walk during his act
But that ain't all he can do 'cause he makes a guitar talk
Chuck Berry is not just known for his dance moves but also for the way he plays his guitar, which sounds like it's 'talking'
The night they still talk about
The night that everyone still remembers and speaks of fondly
Was when Jimmy Hendrix played
The night in question was when Jimi Hendrix performed
Now, Jimmy will be sadly missed
Jimi Hendrix has passed away and is now being remembered fondly
For the sound he made
Jimi Hendrix is being remembered for the unique and impactful sound he produced on his guitar
Here they come, hear
A group of famous guitarists are up next
Jack Bruce
Jack Bruce is the first guitarist of this group
Pete Townshend
Pete Townshend follows Jack Bruce
Keith Richards
Keith Richards is up next
George Harrison
George Harrison is the fourth guitarist to appear
Here's Eric
Eric Clapton is next up on stage
Jimmy Page
Jimmy Page is the sixth guitarist to take center stage
Jeff Beck
Jeff Beck is the seventh guitarist to perform
Paul Kossoff
Paul Kossoff is the next guitarist in line
Leslie West
Leslie West, the ninth guitarist, is about to perform
Dave Gilmour
The final guitarist of the group is Dave Gilmour
Come on, it's the Guitar Jamboree
The singer is inciting the audience to join in the event and partake in the celebration
Everybody's here
The event has attracted a large crowd, and everyone is present
All the guitar heroes
All the iconic guitar players are present in one place
Let's hear it
The singer urges the audience to enjoy the show and listen attentively
Contributed by Daniel B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
rotttterdarned
This was such a phenomenal gig, too - what a great video capture! Chris is the player's player for sure and one of the best. Thanks for this rare gem, pokopen.
Giulio Luzzardi
Best guitar tone I have heard in ages , loud and no gizmos.
Daniel Simon
And only one pickup...blows my mind. "Tone is in your hands" - Jimmy Page
Martin Henry
A seriously underrated guitarist. His work on Jeff Wayne;'s War of the Worlds was legendary.
Wheelie55
I remember that Concert! I'd never heard of Chris up until then. Him backing Cale made that one the best concerts I have ever attended. As I recall, the drummer was also on fire...
Doc Loco
Love him - he doesn't only play the notes, he manage to replicate the specific touch of all the greats, that's why he "sound" like them, even with a single P90 guitar instead of the many different guitars used on the original recordings.
Peter Nawalan
Thanks for posting this video. I just dug out "Hurt" and the "Green Oldsmobile" from my LP collection to convert to MP3. Both are quite good records. Amazing how some musicians become popular idols on charisma (or brown nosing) while other accomplished guitarists such as Chris never really hit it big.
mickd01
Been a huge Chris Spedding fan since I was introduced to his music by members of the first band I was in outta school. That was '81. Went through 2 copies of that first album, and have everything he's done up to the 90's. Would play Guitar Jamboree for all my friends to show how great he is. Got to meet him in '81 at a punk club in Milwaukee called The Starship. This performance rocks!
Angel Maria Altolaguirre Ariz
Always Chris Spedding, sound and elegance.
John Hearn
I saw Chris in Robert Gordon's band for the Rockabilly Boogie show. THAT was a guitar jamboree. A true guitar hero and he still is.🙏😷🎵🎶☕❗👀