Hughes has carved a distinctive vocal style blending the finest elements of hard rock, soul and funk. That astonishing voice is Hughes' calling card. He's known as a singer's singer: in fact, Stevie Wonder once called Hughes his favorite white singer.
Hughes, a native of Cannock, England, absorbed all kinds of influences, including early British hard rock, the Beatles and, most importantly, American soul and R&B. The sleek Motown sound from Detroit and the gritty Stax/Volt sound from Memphis left their mark on him.
The first important band Hughes was a member of that achieved notable success was Trapeze, while in 1973 he joined one of the most popular bands in the world, Deep Purple. The trailblazing hard-rock legends had just weathered the departure of vocalist Ian Gillan and bass guitarist Roger Glover, but guitarist Ritchie Blackmore, keyboardist Jon Lord and drummer Ian Paice continued with the addition of Hughes and David Coverdale. Any skepticism was squelched with the 1974 release of Burn. This stunning album rejuvenated the band and stands tall among Deep Purple classics.
In the halcyon days, Purple headlined at the famous California Jam in 1974 in front of quarter of a million people. World tours via Purple's own jet plane, 'The Starship' and two more studio albums later, (the Hughes influenced Stormbringer and Come Taste the Band), Deep Purple finally split in 1976.
Now living in Los Angeles, Hughes' first solo album Play Me Out was released in 1977. He joined former Pat Travers guitarist Pat Thrall to form Hughes/Thrall, which released an acclaimed self-titled album in 1982. Throughout the '80s and '90s, Hughes made countless guest appearances (both credited and un-credited) as a vocalist, bass guitarist or songwriter on other artists' albums, in particular he appeared on the vastly underrated Seventh Star, was officially credited as 'Black Sabbath Featuring Tony Iommi'. Hughes and Iommi remained friends and in the past few years they have released one brand new studio album together.
More commercial recognition came when the KLF dubbed Hughes 'The Voice of Rock', proudly featuring him on their international best selling hit single America- What Time is Love'
Since 1992, Hughes has toured extensively in Europe, Japan and South America in support of solo albums such as Blues, From Now On..., Feel, Addiction, The Way It Is, Return Of Crystal Karma, Building The Machine, Songs In The Key Of Rock, Soul Mover and Music For The Divine.
Soul Mover saw the continuation of the successful creative partnership with Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith that began with Glenn's live DVD Soulfully Live in the City of Angels (2004). Soul Mover was voted 12th best album of the year by highly influential UK magazine CLASSIC ROCK.
After the release of his album Music For The Divine in 2006, 2007 saw Hughes make successful tours of Russia, South America, Italy, Norway and Spain, along with solo dates in London - at the prestigious Shepherds Bush Empire - Bulgaria and Greece. 2007 also saw Hughes headline at festival appearances in France and Norway. Hughes also took part in the Rock and Roll Fantasy Camp in New York, which was highly successful and he also appeared as a guest presenter at the Classic Rock Awards in both 2006 and 2007. Another highlight of a diverse and colorful year were the 2 sold out solo shows at the famous Whisky in Los Angeles and BB King's in New York.
2008 saw Hughes undertake another extensive European tour; including a month long trek across Russia, festival appearances, and his first live shows in Belarus, Estonia and Romania. Another highlight was Hughes' appearance in London at the Childline Charity concert in March 2008 where he performed a short set of Deep Purple classics with Purple drummer Ian Paice. This was particularly poignant as it was the first time the pair had played together since the Purple days. Ironically, in June 2008, Hughes played in Liverpool, England for the first time in over 30 years; a triumphant and emotional return to the city where Deep Purple Mark IV played their final ever concert before disbanding in 1976.
Other highlights of 2008 include Hughes' live on air performance on the USA radio show Rockline, and his first appearance in New Zealand since 1975 with Deep Purple, when Hughes brought the house down at the G-Taranaki Festival in July.
Hughes' album, the 2008 release "First Underground Nuclear Kitchen"
Chad Smith again plays out of his skin on the drums, and Hughes has rarely - if ever - sounded more inspired, written with such grace, or sung with more passion.
Another world jaunt accompanied the release, carrying on into 2009 with tours of Europe, Russia, South America and selected shows in the States including sell out shows in LA and NYC.
2010 was one of the most exciting and prolific years in Hughes' career as it saw him recording and touring in a new supergroup project, BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION with guitar star Joe Bonamassa, keyboard player Derek Sherinian (Dream Theatre) and drummer Jason Bonham, son of the late Led Zeppelin legend John Bonham. The band released their debut album on September 20th, 2010. The album went to #13 in the Official UK Album Chart and #1 in the Official UK Rock Album Chart. Produced and mixed by Kevin Shirley (Aerosmith, Iron Maiden, The Black Crowes, Jimmy Page and Robert Plant, Journey etc), this is yet another world-class musical statement that raises the bar for rock singing.
In November 2010, Hughes was awarded the ChildLine Award at Classic Rock's Roll of Honour.
Hughes and Black Country Communion released their second album, "2", in 2011, followed shortly afterwards, by their debut live tour encompassing the USA, UK and Europe. Their third release, "LIVE OVER EUROPE", recorded live while on the European leg of their debut tour, reached the Top 5 spot world-wide with releases on DVD, CD, Blu-ray and Vinyl.
Hughes had his AUTOBIOGRAPHY published in 2011, in both hard and soft cover editions. The Number 1 best seller is available at all good retailers, both online and at traditional brick & mortar stores!
In November 2011, Black Country Communion won the prestigious Classic Rock Breakthrough Artist of the Year award at the Classic Rock Awards in London, with Glenn collecting the award on behalf of the band.
2012 saw Hughes touring Russia as a solo artist and also South America as a member of the Rock and Roll AllStars, featuring his good friends Gene Simmons, Matt Sorum, and Joe Elliot amongst others. Hughes also did solo shows and guest appearances in the UK, Israel, Poland, Bulgaria, Hungary, Russia, Ukraine, China and Armenia but his main focus in 2012 was the writing, recording and press promotion for the third Black Country Communion album, "AFTERGLOW". Released worldwide in late October 2012, and again produced by Kevin Shirley, the album was another huge success for the band, and is possibly the most Hughes dominated album of the three, with many of the songs written solely by Glenn.
2013 saw Hughes embarking on some exciting new projects, with the best yet to come from this most eclectic, talented and inspired musician and songwriter.
Better Man
Glenn Hughes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When the mountains crumble and fall
And I was outta my head
That's when I heard you call
I can feel a change in the weather
I put my feet on the ground
I had to pull myself together
Better man - I know
I'm a better man
Better than before
Won't you let me go
And let the river flow
When the sea did cover the land
And you did not believe in fate
Came to me and gave me your hand
Only a fool would hesitate
Now you can tell me brother
'Cause I've been away too long
There's one way or another
'Cause I never felt so strong
So walk with me my friend
'Cause I want you to see
And I cannot pretend
'Cause I just gotta be...
Glenn Hughes's "Better Man" is a song that is dedicated to growth and self-improvement. The opening lines "When the sky was burnin' red, When the mountains crumble and fall, And I was outta my head, That's when I heard you call" indicate a moment when the singer was going through a difficult time and feeling lost. However, in the midst of this turmoil, they heard a call, which served to anchor them to the ground and made them more aware of their surroundings. The chorus, "Better man - I know, I'm a better man, Better than before, Won't you let me go," conveys that the singer has changed for the better and desires to move forward.
The lyrics "When the sea did cover the land, And you did not believe in fate, Came to me and gave me your hand, Only a fool would hesitate" show a time when the singer's partner did not believe in fate, yet they came to the singer regardless. The singer seems to imply that only a fool would hesitate to take this golden opportunity. The call to "walk with me my friend, 'Cause I want you to see" is an invitation to the listener to no longer be passive or indifferent and to join the singer on the path of growth and self-improvement.
Line by Line Meaning
When the sky was burnin' red
In a time of chaos and destruction
When the mountains crumble and fall
During a time of great upheaval and uncertainty
And I was outta my head
When I was lost and unsure of myself
That's when I heard you call
You came to me and offered support when I needed it most
I can feel a change in the weather
I sense a new beginning
I put my feet on the ground
I am regaining my footing
I had to pull myself together
I needed to gather my strength and focus
I'm gonna tell you what I found
I discovered something important
Better man - I know
I have become a better version of myself
I'm a better man
I have grown and improved as a person
Better than before
I am stronger and wiser than I was previously
Won't you let me go
Please allow me to move forward and continue to improve
And let the river flow
Allow things to happen naturally and progress forward
When the sea did cover the land
During a time of great change and upheaval
And you did not believe in fate
You were skeptical of things happening for a reason
Came to me and gave me your hand
You reached out to support and comfort me
Only a fool would hesitate
It would be foolish to turn down help and support
Now you can tell me brother
You can confide in me as a friend or equal
'Cause I've been away too long
Because I have been absent or disconnected for too long
There's one way or another
There is a solution to every problem
'Cause I never felt so strong
I feel more empowered than ever before
So walk with me my friend
Join me on my journey
'Cause I want you to see
I want to share my progress and growth with you
And I cannot pretend
I can't hide or fake my changes
'Cause I just gotta be...
I must be true to myself and embrace my new self
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: GLENN HUGHES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
superrmariow
I hope they make a new HTP album :) They are two of my favorite singers :)
psixotis
Glenn totally rocks here! So much groove!
Manny Ruiz
Best song on the album.
Corrosive1
WOW! PERFECT SOLO
aitech nasus
Better Man Is A Great Straight Up Rock Song And Fantastic Wonderful Masterpiece By Glenn Hughes And Joe Lynn Turner.
perrymercury116810
Nice Groooooooooooove!!(*´∀｀*)
deb rago
Eat your hearts out Red Hot Chili Peppers!
Purple Ace
This song is inspired and based on David Bowie's "Fame".
Vivian Purple
🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🎤🎙️🔦🎹🥁🎸🙋🇺🇦 .
1stSaintsFan
Sounds like a leftover Mel Galley rift...Trapeze was one of my favorite bands in the early 70s....I just wonder G Hughes...is this a Mel Rift.???