Screaming Lord Sutch

Sutch was born at New End Hospital in Hampstead, north London, == Musical career ==

In the 1960s, inspired by Screamin' Jay Hawkins, he changed his stage name to "Screaming Lord Sutch, 3rd Earl of Harrow", despite having no connection with the peerage. It later became customary for the UK press to refer to him as "Screaming Lord Sutch", or simply "Lord Sutch". During the 1960s, Screaming Lord Sutch was known for his horror-themed stage show, dressing as Jack the Ripper, pre-dating the shock rock antics of Arthur Brown and Alice Cooper. Accompanied by his band, the Savages, he started by coming out of a black coffin (once being trapped inside of it, an incident parodied in the film Slade in Flame). Other props included knives and daggers, skulls and "bodies". Sutch booked themed tours, such as 'Sutch and the Roman Empire', where Sutch and the band members would be dressed up as Roman soldiers. Fellow musician Chas McDevitt has claimed that he gave the idea for a Screamin' Jay Hawkins-inspired act to Sutch's manager Paul Lincoln after seeing Hawkins perform in New York in 1957, having already considered emulating Hawkins himself by starting his act by emerging from a silk-lined coffin but deciding that he "(didn't have) the personality to carry this off", stating that "no one in this country had heard of Hawkins until the mid-60s". Despite a perceived and self-confessed limited vocal talent, Sutch released horror-themed singles during the early to mid-1960s, the most popular being "Jack the Ripper". His single "The Cheat" has been cited as a proto-psychedelic recording. Early works included recordings produced by audio pioneer Joe Meek. guntower In 1963, Sutch and his manager, Reginald Calvert, took over Shivering Sands Army Fort, a Maunsell Fort off Southend, and in 1964 started Radio Sutch, intending to compete with other pirate radio stations such as Radio Caroline. Broadcasts consisted of music and Mandy Rice-Davies reading ''Lady Chatterley's Lover''. Sutch tired of the station, and sold it to Calvert, after which it was renamed Radio City and lasted until the Marine Broadcasting Offences Act came into force in 1967. In 1966 Calvert was shot dead by Oliver Smedley over a financial dispute. Smedley was acquitted on grounds of self-defence. About this time, Ritchie Blackmore left the band. Roger Warwick left to set up an R&B big band for Freddie Mack. Sutch's album Lord Sutch and Heavy Friends was named in a 1998 BBC poll as the worst album of all time, a status it also held in Colin Larkin's book The Top 1000 Albums of All Time, despite the fact that Jimmy Page, John Bonham, Jeff Beck, Noel Redding and Nicky Hopkins performed on it and helped write it. For his follow-up, Hands of Jack the Ripper, Sutch assembled British rock celebrities for a concert at the Carshalton Park Rock 'n' Roll Festival. The show was recorded (though only Sutch knew), and it was released to the surprise of the musicians. Musicians on the record included Ritchie Blackmore (guitar); Matthew Fisher (keyboard); Carlo Little (drums); Keith Moon (drums); Noel Redding (bass) and Nick Simper (bass). In 2017, his song "Flashing Lights" was featured in Logan Lucky, directed by Steven Soderbergh. == Political activities ==

In the 1960s, Sutch stood in parliamentary elections, often as representative of the National Teenage Party. His first was in 1963, when he contested the Stratford by-election caused by the resignation of John Profumo. and fought the 1983 Bermondsey by-election. In his career, he contested over 40 elections. He was recognisable at election counts by his flamboyant clothes and top hat. In 1968, he officially added "lord" to his name by deed poll. In the mid-1980s, the deposit paid by candidates was raised from £150 to £500. Later that year he contested his last two by-elections, in Uxbridge and Winchester. In 1999 Sutch starred in a Coco Pops advert as a returning officer announcing the results of its renaming competition. A number of Sutch's Loony Party policies were later adopted by mainstream parties and became law. Specifically: == Personal life ==

Sutch was friends with Cynthia Payne, At the inquest, his fiancée Yvonne Elwood said he had manic depression, now known as bipolar disorder. He is buried beside his mother, who died shortly before the 1997 General Election. He is survived by a son, Tristan Lord Gwynne Sutch, born in 1975 to American model Thann Rendessy. In 1991, his autobiography, Life as Sutch: The Official Autobiography of a Raving Loony (co-written with Peter Chippindale), was published. In 2005 Graham Sharpe, who had known him since the late 1960s, wrote the first biography, The Man Who Was Screaming Lord Sutch. == Discography ==

Studio albums • Lord Sutch and Heavy Friends, also known as Smoke and Fire (1970), as Lord Sutch and Heavy Friends, with Jimmy Page, John Bonham, Jeff Beck, Noel Redding and Nicky Hopkins – AUS No. 16, US No. 84 • Rock & Horror (1982), Ace Records CDCHM 65 Live albums • Hands of Jack the Ripper (1972), as Lord Sutch and Heavy Friends, with Ritchie Blackmore, Matthew Fisher, Carlo Little, Keith Moon, Noel Redding and Nick Simper • Alive and Well (1980) • Live Manifesto (1992) • Murder in the Graveyard (1992), as Screaming Lord Sutch and the Undertakers Compilations • Jack the Ripper (1985), Autograph Records ASK 780 • Story/Screaming Lord Sutch & the Savages (1991) • Raving Loony Party Favourites (1996) Posthumously released: • Monster Rock (2000) • Munster Rock (2001) • Screaming Lord Sutch and the Savages: 1961–1968 (2020) Extended plays Posthumously released: • Midnight Man (2000) • The London Rock & Roll Show DVD Singles • "'Til the Following Night" b/w "Good Golly Miss Molly" (1961) • "Jack the Ripper" b/w "Don't You Just Know It" (1963) • "I'm a Hog for You" b/w "Monster in Black Tights" (1963) • "She's Fallen in Love with the Monster Man" b/w "Bye Bye Baby" (1964) • "Dracula's Daughter" b/w "Come Back Baby" (1964) • "The Train Kept A-Rollin'" b/w "Honey Hush" (1965) • "The Cheat" b/w "Black and Hairy" (1965) • "Purple People Eater" b/w "You Don't Care" (1966) • "'Cause I Love You" b/w "Thumping Beat" (1970), as Lord Sutch and Heavy Friends • "Election Fever" b/w "Rock the Election" (1970), as Lord Sutch and Heavy Friends • "Gotta Keep A-Rocking" b/w "Country Club" (1972), as Lord Sutch and Heavy Friends == Elections contested ==

Notes:- • 1 This election was won by the incumbent Prime Minister. • 2 Sutch achieved a better result than the candidate from the rump SDP. • 3 Sutch achieved a better result than the candidate from the continuing Liberal Party. • 4 Sutch achieved a better result than the joint candidate from the Green Party of England and Wales and Plaid Cymru. • 5 This election was won by the incumbent Leader of the Opposition. • 6 This election was won by the incumbent Leader of the Liberal Democrats. == References ==