Formation Andy Fraser had originally contacted Chris Spedding, in July 1971, to discuss playing in his first post-Free band, Toby. When Fraser formed Sharks a year later, he contacted Spedding again and, this time, they agreed to work together. Fraser had already recruited his friend
Marty Simon, so auditions were held for a singer to complete the line-up.
Robert Palmer and
Leo Sayer were turned down in favour of an unknown 21-year-old from Yorkshire,
Steve Parsons, also known as Snips, originally spotted by Island A&R man
Muff Winwood. Snips had previously fronted a Hull-based band called Nothingeverhappens. Parsons "played one song of his, "Snakes and Swallowtails" and he was in", Spedding later told
Melody Maker.
1970s Sharks' first gig was in October 1972, in Islington and they played a few clubs in Europe during December 1972, before returning to London, to record their debut album. In January & February 1973, Sharks embarked on a UK
tour, playing clubs and universities. To promote the band, whilst touring, Chris Spedding customized his
Pontiac Le Mans, fitting a shark fin on the roof and fibreglass teeth on the grille. On 19 February 1973, on the way back to London from a gig in Cleethorpes, the car skidded and hit a tree. Fraser suffered injuries to his wrist and, during recuperation, had second thoughts about the band. The tour ended on 15 April, in Cardiff. Their debut album,
First Water, was released in the same month to critical acclaim, but Fraser left shortly afterwards and the band began searching for a replacement. Those considered included
Tom Robinson,
Ric Grech and
Boz Burrell.
Mick Jagger then recommended a bass player from
Memphis, Tennessee,
Busta Cherry Jones, who joined in July 1973, along with the ex-
Audience keyboard player, Nick Judd. A new UK tour with this line-up began in September 1973 and ran through until March 1974, when their second album,
Jab It in Yore Eye, was released. The band then toured the United States during April and May 1974, travelling in the same bus used by
the Beatles on their first American tour in 1964. The first two albums of the band were described as a mixture of woozy blues and hard rock. On their return to the UK, they began recording their third album (produced by
John Entwistle of
the Who), with the working title
Music Breakout, in June 1974. However, Simon was unhappy with the recording and was replaced by Stuart Francis. Jones then decided to return to the States, selling one of Spedding's guitars, which he stole, to pay for the flight. With Island Records not keen on the original master recordings for the third album, financial support was withdrawn and the band folded in October 1974. Spedding continued his
session work and solo career, whilst Snips joined
Ginger Baker in the
Baker Gurvitz Army and then went solo himself, before beginning a successful career as a film and TV composer.
1990s In 1993, Spedding and Snips began recording together again as Sharks, although the album,
Like a Black Van Parked on a Dark Curve..., was not released until 1995. There was a one-off gig in London, in December 1995, featuring Snips, Spedding, Jackie Badger (bass),
Blair Cunningham (drums) and Nick Judd (keyboards). During 2013, Andy Fraser contacted Chris Spedding and the two performed UK gigs together for the first time in 40 years, backed by Fraser's band, Tobi. Fraser joined Spedding on his 2014 album
Joyland, which was produced and co-written by Steve Parsons. The three musicians thought of reviving the band Sharks, however Fraser died soon after, in March 2015. Spedding and Parsons went ahead with the reformation, including Nick Judd from the previous incarnations of the band and adding the drummer
Paul Cook (ex-Sex Pistols) and the bassist Tosh Ogawa. In 2016, the band played at The Borderline in London, including new songs from the album they were preparing, and have continued playing live shows in the UK and Japan. Their 2017 show at the Lexington was described by Über Röck as 'one of the best club gigs I have seen last year and this'. Sharks released the single "One Last Thrill" on 30 September 2016 and, in January 2017, the album
Killers of the Deep (cover art by comic book artist
Shaky Kane), both through 3Ms Records. Unlike the albums from the 1970s, which were produced by a record company, this time the musicians recorded the album on their own and had more control on their work. They made the recordings as live as possible, none of the tracks having more than four takes. deserving to deliver the success that eluded Sharks first time round. The rock is more melodic, Sharks themselves have been filming their 21st century revival for a documentary feature to be entitled
One Last Thrill. In June 2017, they released a six-minute promo clip of the film through the
Vive Le Rock website.
''Not a Rock-Doc: A Shark's Tail'' Steve Parsons and Anke Trojan directed the 2023 documentary ''Not a Rock-Doc: A Shark's Tail'', about the ups and downs in the story of this band, from the success heights in the '70 to the issues that led to its dissolution and then to further insights around the subsequent reunion. Filmed in Berlin, Tokyo and London, the film was noticed for its integration of various angles of raw footage and for its humor and irony. The narrative is stirred by interactions with Steve Parsons and Chris Spedding, notably
Jordan Mooney (Pamela Rooke) managing to bring to light previously unknown nuances in discussions with an otherwise tight Chris Spedding. ==Discography==