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.
Waterlow
Ian Hunter Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I followed the night till the morning sunlight
And I thought of the changing times
And I followed the child with the evergreen smile
And the blue broken tears start to cry.
Blue broken tears hide away the years
And I saw a Waterlow where the evergreen grows
And the wise man knows why he cries
And I heard a child call me away from this all
And the blue broken tears start to rise.
Blue broken tears, ain't nobody here
Lost in the sun my only young one.
Blue broken tears, our love disappears
The evergreen dies, drowned in my eyes.
The song "Waterlow" by Ian Hunter is a reflective and melancholic piece that describes the changing times and the loss of love. The lyrics speak of following the night till the morning sunlight, a metaphorical journey through time and change. The singer then encounters a child with an evergreen smile, but their tears are blue and broken, perhaps representing the sadness and pain of growing up and losing innocence. The misty high rain seems colder, reflecting the singer's mood and the harshness of reality.
The mention of Waterlow, a location where the evergreen grows, is a metaphor for the continuity of life and the wisdom that comes with age. The wise man knows why he cries, suggesting that even though growth and change can be painful, it is necessary and can lead to greater understanding. The child calls the singer away from all of this, perhaps representing a desire to escape reality and return to a simpler time. However, the blue broken tears still rise, indicating that the pain of change cannot be avoided.
Overall, "Waterlow" is a poignant and introspective song that reflects on the passing of time, the loss of innocence and the price of growing up.
Line by Line Meaning
I followed the night till the morning sunlight
I stayed up all night until the sun rose, thinking about the changes in my life.
And I thought of the changing times
Reflecting upon the changes in my life.
And I followed the child with the evergreen smile
I observed a happy child, with a smile as bright and green as the evergreens.
And the blue broken tears start to cry
My eyes welled up with tears, but I tried to hide them, since no one else was around.
Blue broken tears hide away the years
Tears help us mask the pain of the past.
And misty high rain seems colder today
The rain today seems much colder than before due to an unknown reason.
And I saw a Waterlow where the evergreen grows
I stumbled upon a place, called Waterlow, where evergreens were abundant.
And the wise man knows why he cries
The wise man understands the reason for his tears.
And I heard a child call me away from this all
The child's voice beckoned me to leave the past behind.
And the blue broken tears start to rise
My eyes began tearing up once again.
Blue broken tears, ain't nobody here
I cried alone, but no one was around.
Lost in the sun my only young one
My child is gone, and I feel lost without them.
Blue broken tears, our love disappears
Through tears, I watched as our love vanished.
The evergreen dies, drowned in my eyes
The evergreens, once vibrant, now seemed to wilt and die, as my tears streamed down my face.
Contributed by Noah A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.