Hills Contemporary Grass>>BUDGIE - USA

Budgie - 1971 - MCA
Squawk - 1972 - MCA
Never Turn Your Back On A Friend - 1973 - MCA
In For The Kill - 1974 - MCA
Bandolier - 1975 - MCA
If I Were Britannia I'd Waive The Rules - 1976 - A&M
Impeckable - 1977 - A&M
Power Supply - 1980 - RCA
Night Flight - 1981 - RCA
Deliver Us From Evil - 1982 - RCA
Heavier Than Air (Rarest Eggs) – 1998 – Griffin
We Came, We Saw... – 1998 – Pilot
Life in San Antonio – 2002 – Pilot
Radio Sessions 1974 & 1978 – 2005 – Noteworthy
The BBC Recordings – 2006 - Noteworthy
You're All Living in Cuckooland – 2006 - Noteworthy
British Radio Sessions 1972 – 2014 -Noteworthy

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Members
Vocals
BURKE SHELLEY

Guitar
Tony Bourge>>Tredegar - Myf Isaacs - George Hatcher>>John Thomas – Simon Lees

Bass
BURKE SHELLEY

Drum
Pete Boot>>Lion - Ray Phillips>>Tredegar, Ray Phillips Wokan, Six Ton Budgie - STEVE WILLIAMS

Keyboard
10 cc, Cockney Rebel>>Duncan Mckay




History & Biography
The group was formed in 1967 as Hills Contemporary Grass. The debut was recorded with Black Sabbath producer Rodger Bain Budgie. The producer worked with Black Sabbath for its first three albums. The band from Wales was a successful and heavy hitting early metal band with multiple chart entries. Early drummer Pete Boot eventually retired from music due to Parkinson disease. The band's output until 1976 is generally considered its best. The band played at Reading Festival in 1980 and 1982. The band was active until the late ’80s albeit failed to attract any label attention. Six Ton Budgie released several records in the ‘90s.

The group returned intermittently with a number of live albums until issuing a record in 2006. The group toured in the UK. The band was now positioned in Texas! Budgie recruited guitarist and solo artist Andy James in late 2007. Lees had left in the summer to pursue a solo career. In 2008, Ray Phillips was working on his first solo album, which was due in 2009. The band was performing in Australia in the autumn of 2009 with guitarist Craig Goldy in tow. The band has been sidelined since 2010 when Shelley was afflicted with aortic aneurism in the midst of a Polish tour. Former guitarist John Thomas died at the age of 63 on March 3rd of 2016. He had joined the band in 1979. British Radio Sessions 1972 contained material recorded live for the BBC. Singer and bassist John Burke Shelley died in Cardiff, Wales in 2022. The man suffered from aortic aneurysm.


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