Hunter began his musical career on the bass guitar. An early foray into music was as an entrant in a talent competition at one of Butlin's holiday camps, performing "Blue Moon" as part of a skiffle group with Colen York and Colin Broome.
Hunter memorialized how he left his family in a later song, "23A Swan Hill," the address of his teenage home in Shrewsbury above a police station where his father was the Station Sergeant. He notes in concert that "my Dad was real mean" and did not approve of his son's artistic direction, in contrast to his "grand dad", referenced in "Cleveland Rocks", as "he was a rocker and I am, too".
So Hunter took off for Butlin's and "never looked back". Bandmates York and Broome came from Northampton, and were in a band called The Apex, which Hunter soon joined to play rhythm guitar. In 1963, while living in Northampton, he formed his own band, Hurricane Henry and the Shriekers. With Tony Marriott and guitarist Julian Coulter, the Shriekers worked steadily in Northampton, and by 1965 had picked up Freddie 'Fingers' Lee as a pianist and frontman. In a 2004 DVD interview Hunter volunteers Lee and their gigs in Hamburg as a major turning point, when he first began to "actually think maybe I could do this instead of working in factories".
In 1966 Hunter moved to London, where he joined The Scenery with guitarist Miller Anderson, drummer Dave Dufort, and keyboard player Dante Smith. By 1967 Smith and Dufort had left the band while John Vernon Smith joined on drums. The Scenery recorded some material with Bill Farley at Regent Sound, which was released without the band's knowledge in France and Japan. In early 1968, The Scenery had run its course and Miller Anderson joined Dave Dufort in Paper Blitz Tissue.
Also in 1968 Hunter remained in the band to back up Freddie Lee in the At Last The 1958 Rock and Roll Show, along with drummer Pete Philips and guitarist Chris Mayfield. The group got a regular booking at The Angel in Edmonton, and drew interest from both Chrysalis and NEMS but the group was never signed by them. Mayfield was soon replaced by the ever traveling Miller Anderson, and the group released a single on CBS called "I Can't Drive." As the short-lived rock and roll revival began to wane, At Last the 1958 Rock and Roll Show changed its name to Charlie Woolfe and released a final single, "Dance, Dance, Dance".
Hunter played sporadically in various other bands throughout the 1960s, including The New Yardbirds, and backed Billy Fury, The Young Idea and David McWilliams. He also worked as a journalist and staff songwriter for the firm Francis, Day & Hunter (no relation). Other jobs he took during these years included road-digging for a local council, and reporting for a local newspaper.
By 1969 Hunter was married and had two children, but was still hoping for a return to making music full time. That year he auditioned for and joined yet another band, Silence. Silence soon renamed themselves after a novel by Willard Manus, published in 1966: Mott The Hoople. By this time Hunter had taken to wearing the sunglasses that have long since become his trademark (photos of him without his "shades" are rare). The band was a live smash in England although their early U.S. tours on the coasts were slow in building a following. Whilst a critical success and despite being renowned for being an excellent live act, Mott the Hoople did not achieve sustained commercial success. After a dreary 1972 concert in a "gas cylinder" in Switzerland, they announced their disbandment.
David Bowie, a longtime fan of the band, was upset and offered them a song he had just written. As Ian recalls in a 2004 DVD interview, "He offered us 'Suffragette City', which I didn't think was good enough. And then he sat down on the floor, Regent Street it was in a publisher's office and plays 'All The Young Dudes' on an acoustic guitar." It shot to No. 3 in the UK singles chart and Mott had new life.
Mott the Hoople then had considerable commercial success with the albums All the Young Dudes (1972, produced by Bowie); Mott (1973) and The Hoople (1974). The band began to score financially with songs such as "Roll Away The Stone," "Golden Age Of Rock ´N´ Roll," "Honaloochie Boogie," "All The Way From Memphis," "Saturday Gigs," and especially "All The Young Dudes." When in 1973 original lead guitarist Mick Ralphs left to form Bad Company, Hunter began to play guitar until a replacement could be found but at the same time he was increasingly pressured to write hits for the band. Luther Grosvenor took over as lead guitarist, Grosvenor, aka Ariel Bender, was briefly replaced by Mick Ronson after the release of a live album following The Hoople. However, Hunter left the band in December 1974. The remaining members carried on under the names Mott and British Lions. Hunter has written a memoir, Diary of a Rock'n'Roll Star, detailing a U.S. tour with Mott the Hoople.
In March 1975 Ian Hunter joined forces with Mick Ronson, formerly the leading member of David Bowie's backing band The Spiders from Mars and a member of Mott the Hoople for a brief time. Hunter's first single from his eponymous solo album was the UK Top 40 hit "Once Bitten Twice Shy". Hunter's best selling solo album was You're Never Alone With A Schizophrenic. It was released in 1979 with Ronson and several members from Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band. Two songs from You're Never Alone with a Schizophrenic became successes for other artists. "Cleveland Rocks" was covered by the Presidents of the United States of America, whose version was used as the theme song for The Drew Carey Show. Also, "Ships" became a No. 9 pop hit in the USA in late 1979 for Barry Manilow.
During his solo career Hunter frequently worked with Ronson until the latter's death in 1993, but he has also had musical connections with many other artists, including Queen, Mick Jones (The Clash), Clarence Clemons of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, Jaco Pastorius, Dennis Elliot (Foreigner), and David Bowie.
His album, Rant (2001), received wide critical acclaim and he won Classic Rock Magazine Songwriter's Award in October 2005.
In 2007 his latest album "Shrunken Heads" was released and it clearly shows that Ian Hunter is still very much alive.
River Of Tears
Ian Hunter Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Smog clouds up in the windows, but there is a plaque up on the wall
That tells of the Agoras, people who were here long before us
Before the covered wagons, before they lost it all
They were hunters, they were fishermen und they often fought each other
But one small tribe was different, their leader was a peaceful man
They were weavers, they were painters, trading pelts for pretty colours
Roll back the years, roll back the years, to the river of tears
The chief he had a daughter, she was young and she was beautiful
He said, "Go into the forest, get some berries for the dye
But make your way back quickly, for the old bear's getting hungry
I don't want you out there, when the sun falls from the sky"
Her basket filled with berries, she headed back toward the village
When a mighty roar erupted, she ran und hid inside a hollow tree
Shadows were getting longer, the forest was getting colder
And the chief began to panic, where could his daughter be?
Lost in the years, lost in the years, on the river of tears
In the camp the fires were dying when the old chief started crying
Soon all the tribe were crying, the ground grew wet beneath their feet
And the tears they turned to water and the water became a river
And the river flowed like an arrow, to the foot of a hollow tree
And the girl looked out in wonder, as she saw the water falling
She knew it was her father and she swam to his canoe
And all the tribe stopped crying, and the river started subsiding
Into the hill of the Agoras, and so the legend grew
Roll back the years, roll back the years
Roll back the years, to the river of tears
I wish all the world was healing
The song "River of Tears" is a poignant tribute to the ancient Agora people who once inhabited California. The song begins with the singer waiting for an elevator in a hotel in California, which is obscured by smog. He notices a plaque on the wall that tells the story of the Agoras, who thrived in California long before the arrival of the covered wagons. The Agora were hunters and fishermen who engaged in frequent battles, but one small tribe was different.
This small tribe was led by a peaceful man, and they were weavers and painters who traded pelts for beautiful colors. The tribe was protected by warriors because of the beauty of their handiwork. The peaceful tribe's leader had a beautiful daughter, who was instructed to go into the forest to gather berries for dye. However, she was warned not to stay out too long, as the old bear was getting hungry.
While she was returning from the forest with berries in her basket, a mighty roar erupted, and she was forced to hide in a hollow tree as shadows grew longer, and the forest grew colder. Her father and the tribe began to panic as they searched for her, and their tears created a river that flowed like an arrow to the foot of the very tree she was hiding in. The girl looked out in wonder as she saw the water falling, realizing that it was her father, and she swam to his canoe. All the while, the tribe members cried until they found the girl, and the river of tears subsided into the hill of the Agoras, leading to the growth of a legend.
Line by Line Meaning
Waiting on an elevator, in a hotel out in California
The singer is in California, waiting for an elevator in a hotel
Smog clouds up in the windows, but there is a plaque up on the wall
Despite the smog, there is a plaque on the wall detailing the Agoras, who inhabited the land before Europeans arrived
That tells of the Agoras, people who were here long before us
The plaque describes the people who lived on the land before settlers arrived
Before the covered wagons, before they lost it all
The Agoras were there before the time of wagons and lost everything
They were hunters, they were fishermen und they often fought each other
The Agoras were composed of people who were hunters and fishermen, who were known to fight each other
But one small tribe was different, their leader was a peaceful man
There was one tribe who was known for their peaceful leadership
They were weavers, they were painters, trading pelts for pretty colours
This tribe was composed of weavers and painters, who traded pelts for coloring materials
Protected by the warriors for the beauty in their hands
The tribe was protected by their warriors due to their artistic talents
Roll back the years, roll back the years, to the river of tears
The artist wants to go back in time to experience the story he's about to tell
The chief he had a daughter, she was young and she was beautiful
The peaceful tribe's chief had a young, beautiful daughter
He said, "Go into the forest, get some berries for the dye
The chief told his daughter to gather berries for dye
But make your way back quickly, for the old bear's getting hungry
The chief warned his daughter to come back quickly since a hungry bear was in the area
Her basket filled with berries, she headed back toward the village
The daughter gathered the berries and started heading back to the village
When a mighty roar erupted, she ran und hid inside a hollow tree
A loud roar scared the daughter, so she hid inside a tree
Shadows were getting longer, the forest was getting colder
The forest grew darker and colder as time went on
And the chief began to panic, where could his daughter be?
The chief started to worry when his daughter didn't come back
Lost in the years, lost in the years, on the river of tears
The artist describes the daughter's situation as being lost in time, on the river of tears
In the camp the fires were dying when the old chief started crying
The fire was dying in the camp and the chief started to cry
Soon all the tribe were crying, the ground grew wet beneath their feet
The rest of the tribe started to cry as well and the ground became wet with tears
And the tears they turned to water and the water became a river
The tribe's tears became so abundant that they formed a river
And the river flowed like an arrow, to the foot of a hollow tree
The river flowed directly to the tree where the daughter was hiding
And the girl looked out in wonder, as she saw the water falling
The daughter was amazed to see the river created by the tribe's tears
She knew it was her father and she swam to his canoe
The daughter recognized that the river was created by her father's tears and swam to his canoe
And all the tribe stopped crying, and the river started subsiding
When the daughter was found, the tribe stopped crying and the river started to recede
Into the hill of the Agoras, and so the legend grew
The river disappeared into the Agoras' land, giving birth to a legend
Roll back the years, roll back the years
The singer repeats his desire to go back in time
I wish all the world was healing
The singer expresses his hope that the world can heal from past traumas
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: IAN HUNTER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind