1962-1967 -
1968 -
1969 -
1970 -
1971 -
1972 -
1973-present
- 1962, Leicester Art College: guitarist John "Charlie" Whitney forms the R & B based Farinas with Jim King, Harry Overnall (drums), Tim Kirchin (bass). They perform Chuck Berry and Coasters covers.
- August 1964: one single "You'd Better Stop/I Like It Like That"
- 1965:
Ric Grech replaces Kirchin
- 1966:
Roger Chapman joins on lead vocals.He influences the repertoire beyond blues/R&B. Band's sound is expanded with instrumentation of acoustic numbers, along with violin and sax. The band travels in their van to clubs and colleges all over England. Name changes to the Roaring Sixties; develop gangster image wearing baggy, double-breasted suits
- 1967: Demos recorded in London with U.S. producer Kim Fowley, who dubs them "The Family" from their Mafia image. Become heavies in the London underground scene. Family loses the suits in favor of blue jeans and vests.
Rob Townsend replaces Overnall on drums. They become heavily influenced by U.S. west coast bands like The Byrds and The Doors.
Charlie Whitney: "Up until then, we'd just taken old blues things and rearranged them, but suddenly we found we were pouring out new songs. When we came to London, everyone always thought that we took acid all the time, but we were much more of a working class band. People would take one look at Roger and say 'He has just got to be on acid'."
- October 1967: One single with Liberty, "Scene Through the Eye of a Lens/Gypsy Woman" produced by Jimmy Miller. It had moderate sales, but no airplay.
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- 1968: Band signs with Reprise. Around this time Jenny Fabian moves into the band's Chelsea pad. The following year she pens Groupie, a paperback with more or less accurate tales of the the UFO/Middle Earth club scene in London, and Family's identity in the book is less than secret.
Jimmy Miller was to produce their debut album, but got tied up with the Rolling Stones Beggars Banquet. Instead, Family records
MUSIC IN A DOLL'S HOUSE with producer
Dave Mason, who contributes one song "Never Like This".
- February 1968: Band backs up Mason on the B-side of his single
"Just For You/Little Woman".
- June 1968: Single "Me My Friend/Hey Mr. Policeman" gets a push from BBC man John Peel. At one special concert the Tubby Hayes Quintet, decked out in white tuxedos, joins them onstage for "Old Songs New Songs".
- July 1968: Band makes its London debut at Royal Albert Hall, opening for Tim Hardin.
"Old Songs New Songs/Hey Mr. Policeman", released on the 5th, is the second Reprise single. DOLL'S HOUSE
comes out on the 19th with good reviews, hits #35.
- October 1968: A-side of single "Second Generation Woman/Hometown" features Ric Grech in a straight up rocker unlike normal Family fare.
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- March 1969:
FAMILY ENTERTAINMENT released and reaches #6 in the charts. The cover features circus performers on a black background, and the band admits it was "inspired" by the Doors' STRANGE DAYS. Band disapproves of the mixing.
- April 1969: Ric Grech leaves during the band's first U.S. tour to join Blind Faith. In the July 1996 issue of the U.K. magazine Mojo, Chapman comments on this by saying that the band was the LAST to find out. He heard it after Hendrix mentioned it in an interview. "He [Grech] could have at least told us before the tour began!"
Tour manager Peter Grant recommends
John Weider to join on bass, violin and guitar. He leaves L.A. club group Stonehenge, and flies to Detroit so that the Family U.S. tour can continue. At the Fillmore East, Family begins the first of eight shows between the Nice and Ten Years After. On the first night the Nice ignore Bill Graham's word and burn the American flag during "America". Then Family follows, and Chapman's stage antics cause a microphone stand to be sent in Bill Graham's direction off stage, who takes it as a threat. For the following shows, a well-behaved Chapman bores the crowd with his arms pinned to his sides. The tour ends when Chapman loses his voice AND his visa is revoked (why? I do not know...). Some feel that this was the reason that Family failed to achieve the U.S. success so deserved.
- July 1969:
On the 5th, Family plays at the Rolling Stones' Hyde Park gig with King Crimson. In the film/video 'Stones in the Park' (c.1969), there is a scene showing the Stones equipment trucks arriving as "A Song for Me" plays in the background. Roger Chapman can also be seen in a few shots to the side of the stage when the Stones perform.
- August 1969:
Family plays the Isle of Wight festival, on Saturday the 30th.
- October 1969: Single "No Mule's Fool/Good Friend of Mine" is released on the 17th, and reaches #29.
Manager John Gilbert is fired for mismanagement of
the previous American tour. Jim King's erratic behavior leads to his dismissal, and he joins Ring of Truth. He is replaced by
John "Poli" Palmer to play vibes, keys, and flute. Family's sound is altered remarkably.
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- January 1970: A SONG FOR ME is released and the first to be produced by the band itself. Hits #4, highest album position band attains.
- March 1970: Chapman's passport is stolen in New York, and the band is forced to play in Canada without him [don't ask me to explain this!].
- April 1970: "Songs for Lots/Today" single released.
- June 1970:
Family plays the Kralingen Festival in the Netherlands.
Production for compilation
OLD SONGS NEW SONGS begins and features new versions of three FAMILY ENTERTAINMENT songs.
- August 1970:
Maxi-single of "Strange Band/Weaver's Answer (new)/Hung Up Down (new)" reaches #11 and stays in Top 50 for three months
- November 1970:
ANYWAY released and features half-live/half-studio. It goes to #7.
To the top!
- 1971: Family completes two U.S. tours between October 1969 and June 1971, with slightly more success than before.
- March 1971: OLD SONGS NEW SONGS released.
- June 1971: John Weider decides he has tired of bass guitar and joins Stud with Jim Cregan (formerly of Blossom Toes, Julian Covey and the Machine), Charlie McCracken and John Wilson (both formerly in Taste). Cregan goes on to Family 15 months later. McCracken later joins Charlie Whitney's
Axis Point.
Meanwhile Jim Cregan notifies an old friend about the open position in Family.
John Wetton joins on bass, guitar, and vocals.
Preceding this, Robert Fripp had asked Wetton to join the Boz Burrell-era King Crimson, but he didn't feel comfortable with the rest of the lineup at the time.
Instead , Wetton accepted invitation of Family, but kept in touch with
Fripp.
- July 1971:
Biggest single for the band, "In My Own Time/Seasons", hits #4.
- October 1971:
FEARLESS released, hits #10 and even charts in U.S.! As their strongest album, it has become their most popular. Album cover features layered paging, with computer-generated band photos, and it's the first Family album to use synthesizer.
To the top!
- August 1972: Disappointed with near-success, Wetton departs to Crimson pastures, even though new album is ready for release. Jim Cregan leaves Stud and joins the band.
- September 1972:
"Burlesque/the Rockin' R's" reaches #13.
- October 1972:
BANDSTAND released in an album cover with rounded edges, shaped like an old television, goes to #15. The album features even greater presence of synthesizer, and is a little more straight-forward than the previous. Album climbs to #183 in the U.S. Elton John gets them to open for his U.S. tour, (their first return since 1969). Palmer remembers the audience being caught off guard by their brand of English Rock: "We would play, finish, and there would be silence... The only clapping in this huge stadium would be the guys doing the PA."
Roger Chapman: "By this time we'd become a bit of an island, unable to get across the little stretch of water keeping us apart from bigger things."
- November 1972: Poli Palmer is let go as he began to favor his primitive VCS3 synthesizer more and more . The band felt it would take him too long during concerts to program the patches for tiny bits of music. He had planned to form a band with former Family-man Ric Grech, but it never got going.
- December 1972: Poli's replacement comes in the form of the talented and rowdy Tony Ashton.
- January 1973: "My Friend the Sun/Glove" released as a post-album single, doesn't chart. Family forms their own label, Raft.
- April 1973: "Boom Bang/Stop This Car" is released, which also sinks.
- September 1973: "Sweet Desirée/Drink To You" single released. Band is frustrated at lack of success in the States, decides to pack it in gracefully. Cuts last album IT'S ONLY A MOVIE (which charted at #30), does the tour.
- October 13th, 1973: Family's farewell concert at hometown Leicester Polytechnic, with guest players (John Wetton???), and Family favorites from all periods.
Pete Frame (Rock Family Trees): "They went down with their label; gritty, loose, rough and powerful, they were one of those bands you always remember with a smile. I can still see them now... bunch of lovable scruffy 'erberts."
- September, 1974:
BEST OF FAMILY.
- November, 1974: Posthumous "My Friend the Sun/Burlesque" released.
- March 17, 1990: Ric Grech dies of kidney and liver failure after a brain hemorrhage at Leicester General Hospital.
- Summer 1993: Patrick buys his first Family CD
(A SONG FOR ME) after reading their entry in the Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock and Roll.
- May 19, 1996: STRANGE BAND: The Family Home Page goes online.
- Jan. 17, 1997: the companion
STREETWALKERS Home Page goes online.
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