There is yet to be the definitive biography of Stan Webb - perhaps the nearest so far is the chapter in Bob Brunning's  book on British blues - mind you it's out of print now, stops in the early 80s and is a bit on the brief side.

So all I've done here is  cobble together some bits and pieces from different sources.  Mind you, I have seen a reference to a 1991 book called 'Can I Dance With You' or something like that written by Stan - has anyone seen it? Got a copy?  Read it?  Has Stan written it yet?

So the main source of information has been Pete Frame's very excellent Rock Family Trees - the original one.  If you haven't bought one yet,  you ought to -  they really are the best rock information books out there. (See Sources for full details)

Besides the Family Tree I've also gathered information from CD liner notes, the odd article about Stan (thanks to Jeff Watt of the excellent Legacy Links), the very helpful Peter Moody (thanks again Peter) and for the information about the mid1980s I'm indebted to Tim Pratt who gets a big thank you on the Personnel page, but also gets a big thank you here as well!

So where does it all begin?  According to recent CD releases Stan was born in London on February 3 1946, and then at an early age moved to Blakedown in Worcestershire, and eventually became based in nearby Kidderminster. In fact Stan's first instrument was the old favourite of the time - the tea-chest bass, an essential item for any skiffle band.  It was not until he heard Barney Kessel playing guitar on an Oscar Peterson record that he decided to take up the guitar.Whatever, it was in Kidderminster that Stan put together his first group - the Blue Four.

Pete Frame's Family Tree describes how his first real band was Sounds of Blue formed in 1964, a Stourbridge-based r n' b band.It included Christine Perfect, Andy Silvester and Chris Wood (later to join Traffic) amongst others in their line up.  On  a personal note, I was actually living in Stourbridge at the time,  but I must admit I don't recall seeing Sounds of Blue although the lead singer's name (Dave Yeats) does ring a bell from my schooldays.
 

Anyway, moving on from Sounds of Blue, in early 1965 Stan put together the first incarnation of Chicken Shack with Andy from Sounds of Blue plus Alan Morley, and then Al Sykes and then Hughie Flint and finally Dave Bidwell on drums. 
This line-up paid their almost obligatory rock dues in Hamburg (five hour sets at the Star Club) for a couple of years before returning to the Midlands in 1967. It was then that Christine Perfect joined them and they recorded their first album for Blue Horizon. (They had sent Mike Vernon a tape, but because the quality wasn't brilliant he came up to the Midlands to see them...and I suppose the rest is history.)You can read an account of their set at the 8th National   & Jazz Blues Festival at this time here.
 
                                                                                                                                                                                          Click on Stan to hear about the Star Club!

However after the first two albums, Christine Perfect left in August 1969, ironically just as Chicken Shack achieved chart success with the single 'I'd Rather Go Blind'.  Christine was replaced by Paul Raymond, ex-Plastic Penny.  This line up recorded two further albums for Blue Horizon. However by the recording of the last Blue Horizon album (Accept) there were clear musical differences between Stan and Mike Vernon, and in many ways the split was inevitable, although Chicken Shack moved labels anyway.

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With the loss of the Blue Horizon deal, at the end of 1970 Stan disbanded this version of Chicken Shack (apparently Kim Simmonds got Paul Raymond first).  According to a Canterbury Scene web site, Pip Pyle was a drummer with Chicken Shack around this time - for a very short time.  He claims he was fired by Stan after laughing at his version of If I Were A Carpenter!  Whatever, in early 1971 Stan launched his new three-piece set up. This version of Chicken Shack had, besides Stan, Paul Hancox on drums and John Glascock on bass.  John Glascock later joined Jethro Tull, and subsequently tragically died.

However it would appear that this line up lasted just a year before further changes came about - John Glascock being replaced by Bob Daisley, and then just as Unlucky Boy was being released it was all change yet again.  Basically Stan's rhythm section left.  For replacements he got David Wilkinson (remember that name please) on keyboards, Alan Powell on drums and Rob Hull on bass.  However no sooner had they recorded a live album, with it all ready for release, when in 1974 Stan announced he was disbanding Chicken Shack and joining a reformed Savoy Brown with Kim Simmonds and Miller Anderson.

By all accounts their live performances were good, and they recorded one album Boogie Brothers, but the tensions of having three composers, three guitarists, and, I imagine, three egos on board led to its inevitable demise.  Kim Simmonds reformed Savoy Brown bringing back in Paul Raymond on keyboards and Dave Bidwell on drums, while Stan put together Broken Glass featuring Robbie Blunt on guitar, Mac Poole on drums and Rob Rawlinson on bass - Miller Anderson was still around as well.

                                                    Broken Glass
 

Broken Glass perhaps fitted in well with the kind of mid seventies calm before the punk storm, and released one album in 1975, toured for a bit, but after that they broke up (1976), and Stan was back on his own with the Chicken Shack name.

For the next few years it gets difficult to track Stan's progress and bloody frustrating to get hold of his recorded output. In effect Stan put together a touring and occasional recording band.

According to Pete Frame's Family Tree,  Chicken Shack members during this time included Paul Martinez and Steve York on bass, Robbie Blunt on guitar, Ed Spivock on drums, and Dave Winthrop on sax. Stan continued to build on his strong popularity on the continent, especially Germany, and recorded two albums in the late seventies.

Stan at the Marquee 1974?
 Then in October 1979 a new version of Chicken Shack, with Paul Butler (ex-Jellybread, Punch n'Judy and the Keef Hartley Band) on guitar, Keef Hartley himself on drums and Bob Daisley back on bass played a one-off gig at Banbury football ground.  Hmm,  I was living in Banbury at the time and had no bloody idea such a gig took place till now!

However it was with a rather different line-up that Stan took Chicken Shack into the 1980s.

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In May 1980 Stan put together yet another version of Chicken Shack.  The only survivor from Banbury was Paul Butler, joining them on bass was Alan Scott and ex- TYA drummer Ric Lee. Alan Scott was soon to be replaced by Andy Pyle who was ex-Juicy Lucy, Savoy Brown, Blodwyn Pig, Colosseum II, Kinks, Keef Hartley Band amongst others!

The Roadies Concerto line up

Stan and this line-up, augmented by Tony Ashton back on keyboards recorded the live Roadies Concerto album (released April 1981)which featured a more bluesy sound.

However once again this line up was not to last the course, and Stan went into 1982 with a new band calling itself Stan Webb's Speedway.  This featured Andy Pyle on bass, Russ Alder on drums and Miller Anderson back on second guitar.

By 1983 it was back with Stan Webb's Chicken Shack, but there wasn't a really settled line-up for the next three years which saw on occasions Miller Anderson as well as Andy Scott and Andy Pyle on bass,  Roger Saunders on guitar and John Gunzell on drums.

By 1986 and the release of 39 Bars Stan was supported by John Gunzell on drums, Jan Connolly(Campbell?) on bass, Dave Winthrop back on saxophone and David Wilkey (or is that Wilkinson?) on keyboards.

However in1987 he was touring with a line up of himself plus David Wilkinson  on keyboards, Bev Smith on drums and Wayne Terry and later David Wintour on bass.  By 1988 Gary Davies on 'back up guitar' had been added to the line up, and they were very much a blues band again.  In 1989 a live album was released.

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In 1991 a new studio album, Changes, was released which revealed that James Morgan was now to be found on bass.  This album featured a more mellow Stan, although he still found time to showcase a revamping of I'd Rather Go Blind and Poor Boy.
 
 
 
 

However by 1993 and the release of Plucking Good it appeared that David Wilkinson was no longer around. 
This new line up recorded another live album in 1995, and carried on as a four-piece until 1998 when James Morgan was replaced by Jim Rudge.

2000s

                                                                                                                                                                                              Stan with Bev, Gary and Warren
                                                                                                                                                                                          (Click on to hear about this line-up)
 
 
 
 
 

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