Chicken Shack?
 

I've always wondered where the inspiration for this name came from. I figure it's just an unusual, nonsense sort of name that they thought would get attention... Anyone?

I understand they came up with that name just because they used to practice in a chicken shack. :)

John

When their then manager first saw them, they were playing in a chicken shack, I'm not sure where, maybe in Birmingham or Kidderminster. The band was originally called Shades Of Blue. That eventually evolved into Chicken Shack.

Clever bunch they are. :laugh: Guess that makes sense!

Oh, I just realized I'd left out the last sentence in my post. :shrug: I was going to say, I wonder why they'd go from something nice like Shades of Blue to Chicken Shack.

Intersting thing about Shades...the sax player for Shades was none other than Chris Wood, who went on to be a founding member of Traffic with Stevie Winwood and Dave Mason.

Shades of Blue is a bit banal for a band name, don't you think?

Some guy: Hey, did you hear about this new blues group called Shades of Blue?
Me: No, never heard of 'em! Maybe I'll check 'em out, though!

(five minutes later)
Some other guy: Hey, did you hear about this new blues group called Shades of Blue?
Me: No, never heard of 'em!

Chicken Shack is a much more evocative name, and much better suited to the temperament of a band who named one of their albums Forty Blue Fingers Freshly Packed and Ready to Serve. Shades of Blue is barely worthy of being a Miles Davis song title.

I totally agree. And, it's not just the album titles, but check out the album covers(both Forty Blue Fingers & O.K. Ken?). The covers are so unusual & unique.

Wasn't Shades of Blue the one where Christine played bass?

Gail

I think the album cover for Forty Blue Fingers is a bit gruesome.

Gail

Yes, that's the one.

I think so too, but it did win some kind of an award for the artwork.

some awards i will never understand......

i think they pull of chicken shack beautifuly! :D it suits them somehow

My attempt to articulate why I think the name suits them: I think the term "chicken shack" evokes an image of a band that's very un-pretentious, down-home, just playing the music they grew up hearing down on the farm and having a good time doing it.

Of course, some of this imagery is in my head no doubt thanks to Jimmy Smith's 1960 album Back at the Chicken Shack: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...=glance&n=5174

Yes, Jyqm. I was just about to post this wen I saw your last response. Jimmy Smith, a black jazz organist from the 50s and 60s, who recorded his most famous work on Blue Note records, released an album called "Back at the Chicken Shack," which featured a great tune of that name, too. According to a mid-seventies book called "Rumours and Fax" the band chose to name themselves after this funky performer's song. Funny: I was a fan of FM long before I'd heard and loved Jimmy Smith. But I was a fan of Jimmy Smith long before I'd heard and loved Chicken Shack. It all fell together for me :-)

Hey, don't deny Jimmy the 70s! He released some really hot stuff at the beginning of that decade. Check out Root Down, which is almost more R&B/funk than it is jazz:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...=glance&n=5174