Are you afraid to ROCK THE HELL OUT? Have you lost what’s in the heart of music? the soul, the feeling, the wonderful rhythm cursing through your body as your feet start dancing by them selves and the smile on your face would out grin a Cheshire cat? Witnessed last night was a gent with more feeling in his frame than I’d seen in a musician in a very long time, and more style in his little finger than 90% of bands you see flashing their up turned collars and ‘oh my heart bleeds’ tshirts in the ‘trendy’ parts of London.
Yes folks that’s right, Mungo Jerry performed at The Mulberry as a warm up gig prior to a hectic european gigging schedule through the summer. He didn’t disappoint and reminded us not just how to perform, but how to JAM IT UP and ROCK ON!

Arriving early at The Mulberry in Farnham, I noticed something was very different about this venue; not just a stage and a floor, but a proper pub with proper decent pub grub. The burgers here are something to behold, written words can’t handle the greatness, so you’re gonna have to go there and get nomming. Ed the chef has great aspirations and is certainly impressing all!

Photo © Mark Green 2011

Ray Dorset aka Mungo Jerry (the one with the big hair and sidies) invited some of his nearest and dearest music buddies to play with him on this occasion; Mark David on percussion/drums, John Playle on bass guitar and Toby Hounsham on keys. They played their hits plus RnB and skiffle classics in an unrehearsed, stripped down set.

Most of you probably know MJ’s biggest hit ‘In the Summertime’ which was the biggest hit of 1970 and is today the biggest selling summer song of all time! In The Summer Time has been used on countless TV adverts, films and has been covered by the likes of Bob Dylan to Billy Idol and Slash and is known to millions all over the world.

Ray was a local to The Mulberry back in the days when the pub went by the name of the Blue Boy where he played in the bar for a couple of charity events back in the 80′s. After living in the local area for some 15 years, Ray moved to Bournemouth where he now resides with his family.

Photo © Mark Green 2011

During the early 70’s viewers tuning into their regular weekly fix of then, un-missible Top of the Pops would have regularly been greeted by a smiling, mutton-chopped, gap-toothed singer by the name of Ray Dorset, more commonly known as the singer, song-writer and guitarist of Mungo Jerry. In a two year hit span, Mungo Jerry contributed four Top Twenty singles, (including two Number One’s) and two Top Twenty albums in their first flush of success. But after a long worldwide tour and on the way home from Australia, two other members of the band decided that Ray Dorset was out. On hearing this both the record company Pye, and the bands management Red Bus, would have none of it. They had a better idea, the others were out and Ray Dorset, the leader would now be Mungo Jerry the Man!

Since then he’s been entertaining massive crowds all over the world, I loved the small intimate gig. What a superb show and it was awesome to rock out with such a legend.
So next time you’re standing in a cold basement watching some post modern hyper-band wailing and screeching their way through an uninspiring set, stubbornly being ‘uber muso cool’, take a moment to think what you could be, and quite possibly should be doing. Rocking the hell outta music to make your brain fizz with laughter and down right audio happiness!

Photo © Mark Green 2011

http://www.mungojerry.com
http://www.facebook.com/themulberry

Ta to James, Ray, Jo, Nick and his great family, Jo, Lewis, Ed and everyone else who came along to the gig!

You can and should catch him on tour here:
23rd March MUNGO JERRY (with HEINI ALTBART) City Hall, Vienna
25th – 26th March MUNGO JERRY (with HEINI ALTBART) Metropol, Vienna
29th – 31st March MUNGO JERRY (with HEINI ALTBART) Metropol, Vienna
1st – 3rd April MUNGO JERRY (with HEINI ALTBART) Metropol, Vienna
5th – 10th April MUNGO JERRY (with HEINI ALTBART) Metropol, Vienna
29th April MUNGO JERRY (with HEINI ALTBART) Festival, Linz, Austria
17th – 19th May MUNGO JERRY (with HEINI ALTBART) Metropol, Vienna
19th May MUNGO JERRY (with HEINI ALTBART) Club Vienna, Vienna (8pm)
20th – 22nd May MUNGO JERRY (with HEINI ALTBART) Metropol, Vienna
23rd May MUNGO JERRY (with HEINI ALTBART) Metropol, Club Gwolb, Korneuburg
24th – 27th May MUNGO JERRY (with HEINI ALTBART) Metropol, Vienna
17th June MUNGO JERRY The Railway, Winchester THE RAILWAY
2nd July MUNGO JERRY (with HEINI ALTBART) Jazz Festival, Meiningen, Germany
9th July MUNGO JERRY (with HEINI ALTBART) Rock Around Malbun Festival, Lichtenstein
15th July MUNGO JERRY Mr Kyps, Poole MR KYPS
2nd August MUNGO JERRY (with HEINI ALTBART) Jazz Festival, Basel, Switzerland
6th August MUNGO JERRY Monmouth Festival MONMOUTH FESTIVAL
11th August MUNGO JERRY (with HEINI ALTBART) Jazz Festival, Bansko
13th August MUNGO JERRY (with HEINI ALTBART) Jazz Festival, Nish
2nd September MUNGO JERRY Weyfest, Surrey