Years active 1970–1977 | ||
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Past members John EllisDanny KleinmanStuart GoddardArabella WeirDan BarsonChris DuffyBill SmithRobin ChapekarMark TannerPat Collier Similar Adam Ant, Marco Pirroni, Andy Warren, Kevin Mooney, John Ellis | ||
Bazooka Joe or Bazooka Joe and the Lillets were a British pub rock band formed by John Ellis and Danny Kleinman in 1970. They featured bass player Stuart Goddard, who would later change his name to Adam Ant. Both Ellis and Goddard would go on to find success with The Vibrators and Adam and the Ants, respectively. Besides the later fame of their members, Bazooka Joe are primarily known as the band that headlined when the Sex Pistols played their first concert on 6 November 1975 at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design. Ant has since recounted how he left the band directly due to a dispute over the Pistols' performance, which he was the only member of the band to have enjoyed.
The band's line-up was Danny Kleinman, Chris Duffy, Bill Smith, Robin Chapekar and Mark Tanner. Another band member was Dan Barson. His brother (Mike Barson) gained fame as the keyboardist for Madness. Pat Collier was also in the group for a while before being replaced by Goddard. He joined Ellis in The Vibrators (eventually being replaced by another future Ant, Gary Tibbs) and later became a record producer for The Wonder Stuff and Katrina and the Waves.
A 1974 poster for Saturday December 7 notes Bazooka Joe as supporting Crazy Cavan at Camden Town Hall, their full name that night was "Bazooka Joe and his Rythum Hot Shots" (sic).
The comedian Arabella Weir was one of the "Lillets" or backing singers to the band.
Madness covered the Bazooka Joe song "Rockin' in A♭" on their debut album, One Step Beyond.... The song was also a mainstay of Madness' live set for several years.