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 Way It Is
Glenn Hughes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In the silence of the morning
Comes a burnin' yellow light
A brand new day is dawnin'
And nothin' felt so right
Inside I feel the spirit
As I face and turn the sun
Now my life has just begun
I don't want you, I don't want you
I don't want you anyway
And I could never, I could never
Hurt you the way that you hurt me
And I don't understand
How could anyone have the right
To try and take my freedom
I don't want you, I don't want you
I don't want you anyway
Push your boat out into the water
As the tide comes rushing out
Your mother's only daughter
Now there seems to be some doubt
As you walk across the wasteland
That you seem to be proud of
You lay shackled in your fortress
That you look down from above
I COULD NEVER HURT YOU
I'M NOT THAT KIND OF MAN
by AleisterCrowley
The song "The Way It Is" by Glenn Hughes is a powerful anthem about moving on from a toxic relationship and finding the strength to stand on one's own two feet. From the first verse, we see the contrast between the darkness of the night and the brilliance of the morning sun, symbolizing a new beginning. The singer expresses a sense of freedom and fulfillment that was missing when they were still tied to their former partner. The chorus, with its repetition of "I don't want you," speaks volumes about the singer's determination to let go of past hurts and move forward.
In the second verse, we see a contrast between the singer's willingness to embrace life and the other person's apparent resignation to a bleak "wasteland." The singer asserts that they will not be held captive in someone else's fortress and will continue to push forward despite any doubts or obstacles. The emotional climax of the song comes with the line, "I could never hurt you, I'm not that kind of man." This is a powerful statement about the singer's character and values, contrasting with the other person's apparent disregard for their feelings. In essence, the song is a declaration of independence and self-respect.
Line by Line Meaning
In the silence of the morning
At the start of the day, when everything is still and quiet
Comes a burnin' yellow light
The sun rises and shines brightly
A brand new day is dawnin'
A new beginning, a fresh start
And nothin' felt so right
This is a good feeling, it seems right
Inside I feel the spirit
Something deep within
As I face and turn the sun
Looking towards the sun, taking on the new day
And you were nowhere near it
The singer is not with someone who was once important to them
Now my life has just begun
The start of a new life, moving on from the past
I don't want you, I don't want you
The artist wants to make it clear they do not want this person
I don't want you anyway
Regardless, the artist is rejecting this person
And I could never, I could never
It is not in the singer's nature to do something
Hurt you the way that you hurt me
Someone else had hurt the artist, but the artist would never do the same in return
And I don't understand
The singer does not comprehend something
How could anyone have the right
The singer is questioning how someone could believe they have the right to do something
To try and take my freedom
Another person is trying to take away the singer's freedom
Push your boat out into the water
The artist is giving advice, telling someone to try something new
As the tide comes rushing out
At the right time, when the tide is low for example
Your mother's only daughter
Referring to someone's mother
Now there seems to be some doubt
Uncertainty and questioning
As you walk across the wasteland
Going through a difficult period, a bad place
That you seem to be proud of
The person seems to be ok with their situation
You lay shackled in your fortress
The person is metaphorically trapped in a comfortable place, a place where they are hiding
That you look down from above
They see things from a high position, not truly experiencing life
I COULD NEVER HURT YOU
The artist is making it clear that they would never hurt someone
I'M NOT THAT KIND OF MAN
The singer does not have it in them to hurt someone else
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Errol Cuthbert
Great tune, solid musicianship and Glenn's golden throat!
Cornucopia
The best Glenn's album. He wasn't copy anybody and anything here. It is not Sabbath's Hughes, it is not Purple's Hughes. Not even RHCP's Hughes. It is Glenn Hughes. And don't forget great JJ Marsh.
Keith Hendrix
Excellent song... Glenn is one of my long time favorites!!
Georg Hägglund
2016 is here and Glenn Hughes is active. Very much so. He will soon be out with a record called "Resonate". You can already find the first single/video called "Heavy" and another song called "My Town" from it!
Kim Christiansen
Great song
plod
It sure the hell is
Jacqueline Franskoviak
Your voice singing RB and soul music bem so different but beautiful then you are a blessed guy who could sing anything all the styles and the results new great song you are a big surprise box
PatitoZoni
I love!!!
tony loftis
Awesome Hughes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
Johnny Chunders
"As I turn and face the Sun" Sonar bing!