Post by peterprog on May 15, 2020 1:45:40 GMT
With Down the Dustpipe turning 50 this month – see separate thread - I thought there might be some interest in the history of the track and how Quo came to record it. There’s a bit of a backstory here, so settle in…
As is well known, Dustpipe was written by Carl Groszmann, who was originally from Queensland, Australia. Carl had some success in the music biz in Australia in the late 60s in a group called Steve and the Board. He went by the name Carl Keats at that stage – his mother’s maiden name, maybe a bit cooler and definitely easier to spell! Carl wrote or co-wrote a number of hit singles for Steve and the Board, which was fronted by Steve Kipner, the son of legendary Aussie music producer of the 60s and 70s, Nat Kipner. Steve Kipner re-located to the UK in the late 60s and continued to have success, notably with early 70s outfit, Tin Tin – of Toast and Marmalade for Tea fame among other hits.
Carl also moved to the UK in the late 60s, and continued to write. Some years ago, I was fortunate to have contact with Richard Hudd, who through 1969 and 1970, and for some time after, worked at Valley Music with his cousin Ronnie Scott. Ronnie Scott co-wrote Ice in the Sun for Quo of course. Richard was generous with his recollections and well recalled the day that Carl Groszmann walked into the offices at Valley Music to pitch (and hopefully sell!) some of the songs that he had just been writing. At this stage, Nat Kipner was also based in the UK, and had recommended Carl to the guys at Valley Music, and vice versa.
Among the songs that Carl played on his guitar at Valley Music that day was Down The Dustpipe, a song he had written a few days previously at Nat Kipner’s kitchen table. And of all the songs from Carl that Richard listened to that day, Down the Dustpipe was the one that he says just ‘leapt out’. As Richard recalled many years later, ‘At the time Status Quo were in the doldrums and Dustpipe seemed an obvious choice. I rushed into Ronnie’s office and insisted he listen to Carl’s song immediately. We signed him that day to Valley Music and the rest is history. We recorded the demo within days, played it to Rossi/Rick who loved it. I was with Carl at the Quo recording session at PYE Studios.’
The demo was recorded with Welsh band, Man, who did a lot of demo work at Valley Music at the time. Carl did the vocal and Man backed him.
Back in 2010, I had the great pleasure of meeting Carl, who by this stage was back in Australia, and living in Brisbane. He said that he had a kind of ‘Frankie and Johnny’ vibe in the back of his mind when he wrote Down the Dustpipe, but the tale of a jewish 'kosher cowboy' being kicked out of town just came to him, and a boogie style seemed to suit it.
He did not have Quo in mind when he wrote the song, and Quo were not present at the recording of the demo. He did say that he did know that Ronnie Scott played the demo to Quo shortly after it was recorded, and they were immediately very keen on recording the song. He also said that he was there at Quo's recording of the track at PYE, which is confirmed by Richard Hudd's recollection. The best part was that Carl still had a (rather battered!) acetate copy of the Carl / Man demo of Down the Dustpipe. It was great to hear it –it felt like a rather historic moment for a Quo fan.
Carl went on to have a good career in the music biz for a number of years, writing songs for, among others, Ringo Starr and even recording and releasing a number of songs on Ringo’s short-lived Ring O' Records label in the mid-1970s. But for Quo fans, Carl - and especially the song he wrote all those years ago, Down the Dustpipe - has an indelible part in Quo’s history.
Sadly, Carl passed away in 2018. I only ever met him the once, but he impressed me as a really good guy, a talented musician and songwriter, and he was very generous in sharing his recollections of some great days gone by.
So Happy 50th Anniversary to Down the Dustpipe, and cheers too to its writer, Carl Groszmann!
As is well known, Dustpipe was written by Carl Groszmann, who was originally from Queensland, Australia. Carl had some success in the music biz in Australia in the late 60s in a group called Steve and the Board. He went by the name Carl Keats at that stage – his mother’s maiden name, maybe a bit cooler and definitely easier to spell! Carl wrote or co-wrote a number of hit singles for Steve and the Board, which was fronted by Steve Kipner, the son of legendary Aussie music producer of the 60s and 70s, Nat Kipner. Steve Kipner re-located to the UK in the late 60s and continued to have success, notably with early 70s outfit, Tin Tin – of Toast and Marmalade for Tea fame among other hits.
Carl also moved to the UK in the late 60s, and continued to write. Some years ago, I was fortunate to have contact with Richard Hudd, who through 1969 and 1970, and for some time after, worked at Valley Music with his cousin Ronnie Scott. Ronnie Scott co-wrote Ice in the Sun for Quo of course. Richard was generous with his recollections and well recalled the day that Carl Groszmann walked into the offices at Valley Music to pitch (and hopefully sell!) some of the songs that he had just been writing. At this stage, Nat Kipner was also based in the UK, and had recommended Carl to the guys at Valley Music, and vice versa.
Among the songs that Carl played on his guitar at Valley Music that day was Down The Dustpipe, a song he had written a few days previously at Nat Kipner’s kitchen table. And of all the songs from Carl that Richard listened to that day, Down the Dustpipe was the one that he says just ‘leapt out’. As Richard recalled many years later, ‘At the time Status Quo were in the doldrums and Dustpipe seemed an obvious choice. I rushed into Ronnie’s office and insisted he listen to Carl’s song immediately. We signed him that day to Valley Music and the rest is history. We recorded the demo within days, played it to Rossi/Rick who loved it. I was with Carl at the Quo recording session at PYE Studios.’
The demo was recorded with Welsh band, Man, who did a lot of demo work at Valley Music at the time. Carl did the vocal and Man backed him.
Back in 2010, I had the great pleasure of meeting Carl, who by this stage was back in Australia, and living in Brisbane. He said that he had a kind of ‘Frankie and Johnny’ vibe in the back of his mind when he wrote Down the Dustpipe, but the tale of a jewish 'kosher cowboy' being kicked out of town just came to him, and a boogie style seemed to suit it.
He did not have Quo in mind when he wrote the song, and Quo were not present at the recording of the demo. He did say that he did know that Ronnie Scott played the demo to Quo shortly after it was recorded, and they were immediately very keen on recording the song. He also said that he was there at Quo's recording of the track at PYE, which is confirmed by Richard Hudd's recollection. The best part was that Carl still had a (rather battered!) acetate copy of the Carl / Man demo of Down the Dustpipe. It was great to hear it –it felt like a rather historic moment for a Quo fan.
Carl went on to have a good career in the music biz for a number of years, writing songs for, among others, Ringo Starr and even recording and releasing a number of songs on Ringo’s short-lived Ring O' Records label in the mid-1970s. But for Quo fans, Carl - and especially the song he wrote all those years ago, Down the Dustpipe - has an indelible part in Quo’s history.
Sadly, Carl passed away in 2018. I only ever met him the once, but he impressed me as a really good guy, a talented musician and songwriter, and he was very generous in sharing his recollections of some great days gone by.
So Happy 50th Anniversary to Down the Dustpipe, and cheers too to its writer, Carl Groszmann!