Glenn Hughes (sometimes known as The Voice of Rock) is an English rock bass… Read Full Bio ↴Glenn Hughes (sometimes known as The Voice of Rock) is an English rock bassist and vocalist, best known for playing bass and performing vocals for funk rock pioneers Trapeze, the Mk. III and IV line-ups of Deep Purple, as well as briefly fronting Black Sabbath in the mid-1980s.

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.

The Spell
Glenn Hughes Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Ooh baby can you hear me
Down the phone?
Do you still wear that precious stone?
Just maybe, you wanna talk to me?
You'll never guess where I have been

I'm livin' with an alien
Where everything is green

A simple twist of fate again
As I slip into my dream

If you're wonderin'
And you don't know where I've been
I'm on another road
I did not hear the bell
Now I'm flyin'
I'm not livin' in my skin
I'm on another code
I'm in a cosmic spell

(Why have I waited all these years?
I hesitated through my fears)

Do tell me, are you qualified?
Before I take you on this ride

I think I'll satisfy your need
Now won't you take the funky seed?

Overall Meaning

The song "The Spell" by Glenn Hughes talks about an out-of-body experience or a dream in which the singer is living with an alien where everything is green. The singer asks his beloved if she can hear him down the phone and whether she still wears the precious stone he gave her. However, the singer is on another road and is not living in his skin. He is in a cosmic spell and hesitated due to his fears but is now flying. The singer wants to take his beloved on this ride with him and satisfy her needs, inviting her to take the funky seed.

The lyrics in "The Spell" seem to be about a deep metaphysical experience or a dream, where the singer feels like he is in another dimension. The green color could represent rebirth or renewal, while the singer's desire to take others to join him could be seen as an invitation to explore new depths in their own lives. The singer also seems to be reflecting on the past and his fears that have held him back, but now he is ready to take a leap of faith and embrace the unknown.

Line by Line Meaning

Ooh baby can you hear me Down the phone?
The singer is trying to communicate with someone over the phone and wants to know if they are listening.

Do you still wear that precious stone?
The singer is wondering if the person on the other end of the phone still wears a particular piece of jewelry.

Just maybe, you wanna talk to me?
The singer is wondering if the person they are trying to contact wants to speak to them.

You'll never guess where I have been I'm livin' with an alien
The artist has been living with an alien and thinks the other person on the phone would not be able to guess where they have been.

Where everything is green A simple twist of fate again As I slip into my dream
The artist is in a world where everything is green, and they are experiencing a dream-like state due to a twist of fate.

If you're wonderin' And you don't know where I've been I'm on another road
In case the person is curious, the singer is on a different path than they were before.

I did not hear the bell Now I'm flyin'
The singer did not hear a signal to stop, and they are now metaphorically flying without control.

I'm not livin' in my skin I'm on another code I'm in a cosmic spell
The artist feels they are not in control of their physical self and are under some kind of cosmic spell.

(Why have I waited all these years? I hesitated through my fears)
The artist reflects on why they have waited so long to take certain risks and how they have hesitated due to their fears.

Do tell me, are you qualified? Before I take you on this ride I think I'll satisfy your need Now won't you take the funky seed?
The artist is questioning if the other person is qualified to take a particular ride with them and suggests that they will need to take a bold step by accepting the 'funky seed' before they proceed.

Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS

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