Silverhead
Formed in early 1972, the phenomenal British group Silverhead was at the forefront of glam rock, pioneers of this new genre. Members included Michael Des Barres (vocals), Rod Davies (guitar, vocals, percussion), Nigel Harrison (bass guitar), and Pete Thompson (drums, percussion, keyboards, vocals). Stevie Forest (guitar, vocals) rounded out the group, but was later replaced by Robbie Blunt.
Silverhead made their mark on history by recording two sensational albums—the first titled simply Silverhead, and the second named 16 and Savaged—for Purple Records, owned by the band Deep Purple. In addition to headlining at venues such as The Village Blues Club (a.k.a. the Dagenham Roundhouse), Silverhead supported groups such as Nazareth and Osibisa.
Silverhead began work on a third album in 1974, with the working title Brutiful; however, the group disbanded in July of that year, before recording was completed.
Des Barres would move on to the bands Detective and Power Station. He then became a full-time actor, starring in Pink Cadillac with Clint Eastwood, and appearing in the recurring role of Murdoc on the original MacGyver television series.
Harrison caught the acting bug as well, but also continued his career as one of the greatest bass guitar players in rock ’n’ roll history. This included a stint as a member of what may have been the most historically important female-fronted band of the twentieth century, Blondie.
Thompson kept pace with his former bandmates, playing with Robert Plant and Robin Trower before becoming a dynamic producer. He still performs live as of this writing.
Blunt found his groove after Silverhead too. He collaborated with Plant also, backing him on guitar, and worked as a session player on recordings by Julian Lennon, and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.
In April 2012, Silverhead reunited to perform a show in Japan.
