Dorset and Colin Earl had previously been members of The Good Earth. Soon after recruiting Paul King and Mike Cole, they made their national debut at the Hollywood Festival at Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire in May 1970, the week their first single, "In the Summertime" was released. They stole the show and the record topped the UK Singles Chart for seven weeks, made number one in almost every other country around the world, and to date has sold around 23 million copies. After John Godfrey replaced Cole, their second single "Baby Jump" also topped the UK chart in March 1971. A third hit, "Lady Rose" (also in 1971), gave the group the image as a band for producing summertime based hits.
In time Dorset found the group's good-time blues and jug band repertoire a little restricting, and in 1972 he released a solo album Cold Blue Excursion, with his songs backed by strings and brass and, in one instance, a jazz band. His intention to broaden the group's appeal by recruiting a drummer led to King and Earl trying to sack him, but the management, regarding Dorset as inseparable in the public eye from Mungo Jerry, fired them both instead. Dorset and Godfrey, the bassist, recruited new members and presented a new sound, heard on the fourth album Boot Power. King and Earl went on to form the King Earl Boogie Band.
Mungo Jerry's hits continued through to 1976 with "Open Up" (Top Twenty in Europe and number one in Brazil); "Alright Alright Alright" (a rewrite of an old French hit for Jacques Dutronc, and again a major hit worldwide reaching the Top 3 in the UK); "Wild Love"; "Long Legged Woman Dressed In Black"; "Hello Nadine" (European hit and Top Five in Canada); and "It's a Secret" (European hit).
In 1975 Earl, who had played piano with Foghat in between, returned to play keyboards, and percussion player Joe Rush, part-time member of the band in earlier days, also came back for a while.
The group's line-up has changed constantly over the years. Among those who have played with them are bassist Bob Daisley, drummers Dave Bidwell, Paul Hancox and Boris Williams, guitarist Dick Middleton and keyboard/accordion player Steve Jones. They have remained particularly popular throughout Europe. Mungo Jerry was the first western band who had live TV gigs, in all countries behind the Iron Curtain. Their famous "Golden Orpheus" gig in Bulgaria, also gave them a lot of new fans.
In 1980 another Dorset song, "Feels Like I'm in Love", originally written for Elvis Presley, and recorded by the band as a B side of a single, became a British number one hit for Kelly Marie. They remained successful with overseas hits like "On A Night Like This", "Knockin' On Heaven's Door" and "Sunshine Reggae" (British version by Mungo Jerry & Horizon). But Dorset had to wait until 1995 for a real comeback, when "In the Summertime" was recorded by reggae vocalist Shaggy, who topped the charts worldwide. The last UK chart entry for Mungo Jerry was "Toon Army", a song for Newcastle United F.C. in 1999.
In 1983 "Mungo Jerry" Ray Dorset was part of the blues supergroup Katmandu, which recorded A Case For The Blues, with guitarist Peter Green, formerly of Fleetwood Mac, and keyboard player Vincent Crane, formerly of Atomic Rooster and The Crazy World of Arthur Brown.
In 2003, with German musicians, Dorset recorded Adults Only album under the name Mungo Jerry Blues Band, widely acclaimed as one of the best of his career. 2005 saw him performing with three Mungo Jerry line-ups: The British Mungo Jerry Band (pop/rock), the German Mungo Jerry Blues Band (blues/rock) and Mungo Jerry & the Goodtime Gamblers (jug/blues/skiffle).
Also in June 2005, Ray Dorset had a gig again as a duo with Mike Cole - the original double bass player from the early Mungo days - as a highlight of the "35 Years Of Mungo Jerry" event in both Newcastle and Stoke.
In March 2006 Mungo Jerry released their new single "Mr Midnight" from Phantom of the Opera on Ice (http://www.plazarecords.co.uk); produced by Roberto Danova - who had mixed in the past the old continental Mungo Jerry hits "Lana" and "It's a Secret" - and is well-known for his work with rock and pop music, in combination with big orchestras.
Ella Speed
Mungo Jerry Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Come and take heed, be sworn by the death of Ella Speed
Now Ella Speed was downtown and she was having a lot of fun
And here's the deed Bill Martin done
Now Ella Speed was downtown and she was having a lot of fun
And here's the deed Bill Martin done
Oh Bill Martin he was tall and slender, better known as him being a bar tender
Oh Bill Martin he was tall and slender, better known as him being a bar tender
The deed that old Bill Martin done, was commit murder with a Colt 41
When folks downtown heard Ella Speed was dead
Well, they were really red and red
When folks downtown heard Ella Speed was dead
Well, they were really red and red
Come and take heed, be sworn by the death of Ella Speed
Come and take heed, be sworn by the death of Ella Speed
The lyrics to Mungo Jerry's song "Ella Speed" tell the story of a tragic event that took place in downtown. The song starts by inviting the listener to take heed and be sworn by the death of Ella Speed. Ella Speed is described as someone who was having a lot of fun in downtown, but unfortunately, she crossed paths with Bill Martin. Bill Martin was a tall and slender man who was better known for being a bartender in the neighborhood. However, he committed a terrible crime with a Colt 41 gun: he murdered Ella Speed. The song suggests that Ella was an innocent victim who had done nothing wrong and was killed for no reason.
The lyrics convey the shock and sadness felt by the people downtown upon hearing about Ella's death. They were really "red and red," which could mean that they were angry or overwhelmed with emotion. This line suggests that Ella must have been a beloved member of the community, and her death had a significant impact on those who knew her. The song ends with a repetition of the opening lines, which serve as a warning to listeners about the consequences of not living a responsible and morally sound life.
Line by Line Meaning
Come and take heed, be sworn by the death of Ella Speed
Pay attention and take an oath in honor of Ella Speed's death
Now Ella Speed was downtown and she was having a lot of fun
And here's the deed Bill Martin done
Ella Speed was enjoying herself in the city and Bill Martin committed a crime
Oh Bill Martin he was tall and slender, better known as him being a bar tender
Bill Martin was a tall and skinny man, mostly known for being a bar tender
The deed that old Bill Martin done, was commit murder with a Colt 41
The crime that Bill Martin committed was murder, using a Colt 41 firearm
When folks downtown heard Ella Speed was dead
Well, they were really red and red
When people in the city found out about Ella Speed's death, they were extremely angry
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: RAY DORSET
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
johnny B
This was the first version of this song I had heard - good time music - Ray having a laugh - from the great army LP.
Michael Platter
AWESOME TUNE by Mungo Jerry
hurchgoer
.