Medicine Head (ostensibly a duo comprising John Fiddler and Peter Hope Evans) formed in Stafford in 1968 and came to prominence when championed by influential DJ John Peel, who signed them to his own Dandelion label.
The angelic Hope Evans was the Bolan-esque beauty that could (and did) set the teenyboppers‘ hearts a-flutter. Fiddler was the intellectual giant who promised substance to match his style.
1971’s Heavy On The Drum was a big improvement over their debut LP, New Bottles, Old Medicine (1970), with ex-Yardbirds frontman Keith Relf producing.
Most of the tracks were penned by Fiddler, with two co-written by his harmonica-playing sidekick.
1971 was a good year all-around for Medicine Head, who notched up a minor hit with Pictures In The Sky and even appeared on Top Of The Pops.
Relf joined the band the following year for their third album, Dark Side Of The Moon (1972). Pink Floyd obviously thought it was a great name for an album!
Four further albums followed and the duo deservedly achieved success with three more chart hits – the best known of which, One and One is One (1973), reached #3.
Fiddler has revived the Medicine Head brand from time to time for touring purposes. In 2005, the independent Angel Air label released an album entitled Don’t Stop The Dance, comprising old unreleased Medicine Head tracks.
John Fiddler
Vocals, guitar, piano, drums
Peter Hope Evans
Harmonica, Jew’s Harp, Mouthbow
