SBQ Biography

It's difficult to write much about the Sutherland Brothers. Of the fact that they were a great band, there is absolutely no doubt. They wrote some of the best songs of the seventies and their music was a soundtrack to a generation of rock fans. To hear them play live was an experience to relish. Their songwriting consisted of clever wordplays, wonderful expressions of emotion and a fusion of the folk idiom with rock music.

However, the group tended to let the music speak for them; they were not self-publicists and apart from an occasional photograph on an album cover, there was little information made available about them. Initially, Iain Sutherland (17.11.1948, Ellon), who had been writing songs while in his teens, had formed a group called the Mysteries in the early sixties, before he and Gavin (6.10.1951, Peterhead) teamed up to go off to London to seek their fortune in 1970. There, their manager decided they would be called A New Generation, much against the band's better judgement, and they were also forced into some unusual stunts to get themselves noticed. Muff Winwood, formerly of Traffic, listened to a demo and immediately gave them a recording contract. The original Sutherland Brothers Band involved Gavin and Ian who made two folk-rock albums for Island Records. Their first album gained a following for the band because of wonderful tracks such as The Pie, which perhaps struck an affinity with many of its listeners because of its subject matter.

By the time their second album was released, the Sutherlands were proving themselves to be a strong pair of songwriters with exceptionally tight vocals. Their voices harmonised beautifully and their songs had a splendid lyrical quality. If anything, their weakness was in getting together a group of musicians to perform live.

In the meantime, Quiver was a group that had produced a couple of albums for Warner Brothers, but appeared to be going nowhere, mainly because they lacked good songs and a distinctive vocalist. They had the distinction of being the first group ever to perform at the Rainbow, Finsbury Park, where they supported The Who. However, they needed to look at how they could develop their undoubted musical skills using decent material.

Thus, in 1973, was the marriage of the two groups set up. SBQ was formed and five great albums followed. An outstanding touring band, they worked hard to produce a good live sound that had audiences on their feet. They spent a number of years on the road, both in Europe and the United States, where You Got Me Anyway was a top twenty hit. It was in 1973, during a tour with Elton John, that the band were doing their statutory tv interviews, when one is said to have gone as follows:

"So you're Gavin? (Yes) And you're Iain? (That's right) So which one of you guys is Quiver?"

Chart success in their own country was harder to come by and although Dream Kid got plenty of radio play, it didn't get the sales it deserved. Album sales, however, remained respectable amongst the group of fans who acknowledged the talent that was bursting to be recognised. Then along came Rod Stewart. He had followed their songwriting skills for some time and wanted to record Sailing. As with his many other (mis)interpretations of people's songs (q.v. Van Morrison's Have I Told You Lately and Tom Waits' Tom Traubert's Blues), he went for the simplistic, but the result was a massive hit. In 1975, it made number one and stayed 11 weeks in the charts. A year later, on the strength of its use over the titles of a tv documentary on the Ark Royal aircraft carrier, it re-charted, making number three and staying in the charts for 20 weeks.

By this time, people were beginning to take notice of SBQ and a move from Island Records to CBS resulted in a less intellectually inspired album, but with a major hit. The Arms of Mary reached number 5 in the UK charts and has remained a favourite for MOR audiences ever since, appearing on compilation albums and ensuring a guaranteed royalties payment that's as good as a pension fund.

After one major tour to back up the hit single, things started to fall apart. Perhaps it was because the hit single had attracted an audience that was at odds with the spirit of the group's music or perhaps there just wasn't a genuine prospect of maintaining the impetus of further hits. Either way, the follow-up album resulted in a number of singles being released, but without a hit. The ascent of punk meant the death of this fine group. Two more great albums, under the Sutherland Brothers name followed, but thereafter, it was the end.

Iain Sutherland brought out two fine albums in the early eighties, but has concentrated more on songwriting. He acknowledges his Scottish roots as being influential in the style and content of many of his songs. "There's a lot of sea in our blood," he told Q magazine in 1994. Although he says he misses the "unique adrenaline rush" of a gig, he gets his satisfaction out of getting a song he's written down on tape. He's living the quiet country life in England.

Gavin also brought out a solo album for a Dutch label in 1982, but was shifting direction from performer to producer. Interestingly, the album has a sound that is not unlike that of Gerry Rafferty in some of its tracks. Although he kept writing songs, he allowed other aspects of his working life to dominate. At present he is involved in an audio production company, making adverts and jingles for local tv and radio, as well as producing music for movies. He has a fascination for the local history of the area he stays in (North of Scotland) and has written or edited a number of books on the subject. He currently has a CD out on Corazong Records.

Bruce Thomas (14.8.1948, Middlesborough) left the band in 1975, before their real fame broke. He moved on to play with Elvis Costello & The Attractions on a number of their albums, as well as playing for Paul McCartney, Suzanne Vega, The Pretenders and Billy Bragg. His book, "The Big Wheel" is something of an expose of the rock music circuit and the kind of life band members faced.

Drummer John Willie Wilson (8.7.1947, Cambridge) stayed with the band till after Down To Earth, when he found it difficult to maintain satisfactory communications while he stayed in London and the brothers were based in Stoke-on-Trent. His early work had been with Cochise, who produced two fine albums, before he moved onto Quiver. After SBQ, Wilson worked with the touring version of Pink Floyd, performing The Wall, as well as playing on Dave Gilmour's first eponymous solo album. Apart from running a London pub, selling car stereos and writing tv jingles, he has performed with a range of artists and worked with a number of musicians, including Tim Renwick, Snowy White and Clem Clemson in The Dolphins blues band. More recently, he worked with The Coyotes, a country music band. He has now teamed up with Tim Renwick in a band called the Bucket Boys and an excellent CD is available from the group's website, price £11. See Record Listings for track details.

Peter Woods (born Middlesex) played keyboards for SBQ and was responsible for those marvellous trills on live performances of Real Love. He also moved on to play on Pink Floyd's The Wall tour. He stayed in the music business as a session musician but, sadly, allowed drink and drugs to take over his life. They were the cause of his death - although suicide was the official verdict - in 1993.

Tim Renwick (7.8.1949, Cambridge) was an astounding guitarist, taking live performances to heights that most groups could never achieve. He had been a support musician for the second Cochise album, while a member of Junior's Eyes, before that group evolved into Quiver. Since his departure from Quiver, he has had a prolific career as a session and touring musician with a number of top acts. His spectacular guitar solos have featured live or on album with people such as Pink Floyd, Elton John, The Bee Gees, Tom Jones, Eric Clapton, Celine Dion, Al Stewart and Mike Rutherford's Mike & The Mechanics. He has now teamed up with Willie Wilson in a band called the Bucket Boys and two excellent CDs are available from the group's website, price £11. You can also obtain Tim's own fine CD of instrumentals from his website. See Record Listings for track details.

I believe it to be more than merely a desire to live in the past that drives fans to think fondly of the music that The Sutherland Brothers produced over the seventies. The move towards a retrospective view of rock music may yet encourage a regrouping and tour. Now that CBS has re-issued many of their albums, as well as a great compilation CD, this may also stimulate a demand for the group to make appearances, in some form or other. We must wait and see.