Budgie formed in 1967 in
Cardiff, Wales, under the name Hills Contemporary Grass. The original line-up consisted of
Burke Shelley on vocals and bass, Tony Bourge on guitar and vocals and
Ray Phillips on drums. After performing several
gigs in 1968, the band changed their name to Budgie the following year and recorded their first demo. Burke Shelley has said that the band's name came from the fact that he "loved the idea of playing noisy,
heavy rock, but calling ourselves after something diametrically opposed to that". Their
eponymous debut album of strong, blues-oriented
hard rock was recorded at
Rockfield Studios with
Black Sabbath producer
Rodger Bain and released in 1971. It was followed by
Squawk in 1972. The third album,
Never Turn Your Back on a Friend (1973), contained "
Breadfan", which was covered by
Metallica in 1987. Metallica had also previously covered another Budgie song, "Crash Course in Brain Surgery". Ray Phillips left the band before the fourth album
In for the Kill! was recorded. He was replaced by Pete Boot. In late 1974, Boot left and was replaced by Steve Williams for the album
Bandolier. Langton's stint was short-lived as Kendrick convinced the band to dismiss him. In late 1978, having been dropped by A&M and with no recording contract, this line-up floundered, and after 12 months Kendrick was replaced by "Big" John Thomas (b. 21 February 1952) in late 1979. This line-up recorded two albums for Kingsley Ward's '
Active' label:
Power Supply (1980) and
Nightflight (1981). In 1982 they signed to RCA for
Deliver Us from Evil, their final recording for a major label. in 1981 The band continued to have success during the
new wave of British heavy metal period, playing the
Reading Festival in 1980 and then headlining the festival in 1982. They built a particular following in
Poland, where they played as the first
heavy metal band behind the
Iron Curtain, in 1982. Also notable was their tour in support of
Ozzy Osbourne's
Blizzard of Ozz Tour. The band stopped gigging in 1987. Although the group had little commercial success in America, they have enjoyed a strong cult following in Texas, They toured in 2002–2006, mostly in the United Kingdom, and with a few shows in Europe including the Sweden Rock Festival and a return to Poland. In 2006, Budgie undertook a 35-date UK tour and released the album ''
You're All Living in Cuckooland'' on 7 November. In 2007 they played in Sweden and Poland. On 4 July 2007, Lees announced his departure from the band to concentrate on teaching and a solo career. Following the departure of Lees,
Dio lead guitarist and songwriter
Craig Goldy offered his services while
Ronnie James Dio was completing commitments with
Heaven & Hell. In February 2008,
Craig Goldy accompanied Budgie on their first tour of Australia, and continued playing with the band as guest guitarist for all their shows. Budgie's November 2010 tour of Central Europe had to be cancelled as Shelley was hospitalised on 9 November in
Wejherowo, Poland, with an aortic aneurysm. After surgery, he returned to the UK for recovery. This was effectively the end of the band. On 3 March 2016, former guitarist John Thomas died at the age of 63 after being admitted to hospital with pneumonia. The news of his death was confirmed by drummer Steve Williams on Facebook: "My friend and fellow BUDGIE band member John Thomas sadly passed away last night. My thoughts are with the loved ones he left behind." In February 2018, former drummer Pete Boot died at the age of 67. For many years he had been coping with
Parkinson's disease. In April 2018, founder member and original drummer
Ray Phillips published his autobiography. After more than a decade of health issues, including an
aortic aneurysm and
Stickler syndrome, Shelley died on 10 January 2022, at the age of 71. ==Musical style and legacy==