British band Silverhead arrived on the scene in the early 1970s with an attitude of “we’ve already made it” which endeared them to a small clique of dedicated fans and righteously pissed off the critics.
Covered in eye shadow and mascara and adorned in tight, feminine schmutter, Silverhead had the arrogant swagger and wasted elegance of the 60s Rolling Stones. They also had the musical smarts to be a viable UK counterpart to the then up-and-coming Aerosmith.
Even before their self-titled debut album was released in 1972, Silverhead supported Deep Purple in Japan and embarked on a lengthy speculative American tour. They found themselves befriended by such acolytes as king groupie Rodney Bingenheimer in LA and the New York Dolls.
The album 16 and Savaged (November 1973) featured new guitarist Robbie Blunt (replacing Stevie Forest) adding further metallic punch to the mix, yet the album was as ignored as its predecessor.
Work on a third studio album began in 1974, but the group proceeded to implode via a mixture of bad management, rampant egos and class-A drugs. They called it a day in July that same year.
Vocalist Michael Des Barres went on to perform as Robert Palmer‘s replacement with Duran Duran offshoot Power Station (he sang at Live Aid). Relocating to the US, he became a successful actor in the US, appearing in episodes of Roseanne, Frasier, Miami Vice, Melrose Place and Seinfeld and featuring for six years as Richard Dean Anderson’s arch-nemesis, Murdoc, in MacGyver.
Bassist Nigel Harrison ended up in Blondie.
Michael Des Barres
Vocals
Rod Davies
Guitar, vocals
Stevie Forest
Guitar, vocals
Nigel Harrison
Bass
Pete Thompson
Drums, keyboards
Robbie Blunt
Guitar, vocals
