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.
Johnny B Badde
Mungo Jerry Lyrics
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All the people all come come 'round, yeah!
All the girls, all of the fellers,
Love to hear him playin' 'cause they dig that sound, All right!
Ev 'ry body knows that John's a good looker,
He can get the girls, any one he wants, yeah!
See them stare when he is a-playin,
He plays in the sunlight, plays in the moonlight,
All night, all day, he never stops,
Come on, everybody, everyone of yer,
Clap your hands, jump and shout, lets have some fun, All right!
The lyrics to Mungo Jerry's "Johnny B Badde" describe a talented and popular musician who plays his guitar while sitting on a wall, attracting a large crowd of both men and women who admire his music. The lyrics suggest that Johnny is not only talented but also physically attractive, which makes him popular among the ladies. Everywhere he goes, people can't help but stare at him and dance and sing excitedly to his tunes. Johnny's music is so infectious that people love to listen to him day and night, so much so that they can't get enough of his sound.
The lyrics to "Johnny B Badde" are a celebration of both music and the enthusiastic culture around it. The song's upbeat tempo and catchy melody encourage people to dance, clap their hands, and even jump and shout along to the music, emphasizing the uplifting and joyful nature of music. It is a classic rock song that has stood the test of time and is still enjoyed by people of all ages.
Line by Line Meaning
Johnny plays the guitar sittin' on the wall, yeah!
Johnny is sitting on the wall with his guitar, entertaining people around him.
All the people all come come 'round, yeah!
People gather around Johnny to enjoy his music and company.
All the girls, all of the fellers, Love to hear him playin' 'cause they dig that sound, All right!
Both girls and boys love Johnny's music and enjoy listening to it because they find it catchy and entertaining.
Ev 'ry body knows that John's a good looker, He can get the girls, any one he wants, yeah!
Everyone knows that John is attractive and has no problem attracting girls easily.
See them stare when he is a-playin, Dancin' and singin' they cant get enough, All right!
People can't get enough of Johnny's music and are mesmerized by his performance, leading them to dance and sing along.
He plays in the sunlight, plays in the moonlight, All night, all day, he never stops,
Johnny is so passionate about music that he plays it all day and night, regardless of the time or weather.
Come on, everybody, everyone of yer, Clap your hands, jump and shout, lets have some fun, All right!
Johnny wants everyone to join in on the fun and enjoy the music by clapping, jumping, and shouting together.
Writer(s): Dorset
Contributed by Mila G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.