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Nearly 40 years after the release of their best-known single, “Slow Ride,” the steady beat and distinct guitar riff still earn Foghat regular airplay. And they’re showing no signs of quitting.
Roger Earl has been behind the drums since 1971, when he and the late guitarist Dave Peverett left British band Savoy Brown to pursue a more rocking style amid the twilight of the British Invasion. Foghat were signed to Bearsville Records the same year they formed in the U.K., though most of their success came in the U.S.
Joining Earl now are singer and guitarist Charlie Huhn, guitarist Bryan Bassett and bassist Craig MacGregor, who rejoined in late 2004 after leaving in the early ’90s to spend time with his son.
“Roger had come down to visit and hang out, and he said, ‘Wanna go out and play?’” MacGregor recalled. “I went, ‘Well…’ My wife came in like, ‘Go, go, go.’ So I said, ‘Okay, I can do that.’”
MacGregor’s father, a music teacher, introduced him to styles such as opera and jazz. He started playing instruments around age 7, and as he got older, he took an interest in rock.
“I was a drummer first, when I was pretty young, and I went, ‘You know, this is really a pain in the neck,’” he said with a laugh. “You’ve got to haul all this stuff around, you sit in the back. … I went, ‘I want to do something else.’”
The fast-talking bass player’s enthusiasm is clear when he spouts off a list of musicians that have influenced him. Among them are Motown giant James Jamerson, Berry Oakley of the Allman Brothers Band, jazz artist Charles Mingus and Larry Graham of Graham Central Station and Sly & the Family Stone fame.
MacGregor, who originally joined the band in 1976, also enjoyed working on Foghat’s covers of Willie Dixon’s “I Just Want to Make Love to You” and Al Green’s “Take Me to the River,” which appeared on the that year’s “Night Shift” album, the band’s sixth.
“I’ve always been rhythm section-oriented,” he said. “(Bass) is truly the best of both worlds because you’re playing an instrument with notes and you’re able to communicate the notes, but you’re also working with rhythm.”
From straight-rock tunes such as “Drivin’ Wheel” and “Stone Blue” to the bluesy ballad “I’ll Be Standing By,” Foghat have continuously produced and promoted music, which MacGregor said is the key to their longevity. They have had five gold records, plus one platinum in 1975 with “Fool for the City” and a double-platinum two years later with “Foghat Live.” While the awards are nice, they aren’t MacGregor’s favorite part of the group’s success.
“When you get to hear (your music) on the radio or you hear it in a movie, you get to hear it play out in public, that’s what’s the real thrill,” he said. “There’s a reason that bands from our era are still around. It’s because the music is really good. It’s not music that just comes and goes away.”
Foghat’s songs have been featured in movies such as “Wild Hogs” and “Dazed and Confused,” as well as various commercials. They are currently writing and recording an album, which they plan to release next year. MacGregor credits “Guitar Hero” and other modern technologies with bringing the music to newer generations.
“With the Internet now, you can get the music everywhere in the world almost instantaneously,” he said. “I think that’s a really cool thing because the young people are looking at bands like us. … Kids are starting to realize, ‘Hey, this stuff isn’t too bad.’”
In December Foghat released “Live in St. Pete,” a DVD of an outdoor concert in Florida. March saw the arrival of a piano-driven single, “Boogie Train,” with proceeds benefiting Fishing for Freedom, a bass tournament involving the military. The lyrics for the originally instrumental song were penned by a soldier as part of a contest the band held.
The genuine camaraderie between band members and appreciation of their fans are evident at live shows. To everyone attending a Foghat concert, MacGregor promises a high-energy performance sure to get them moving and enjoying themselves.
“We have a presence on stage that the people absolutely love because we have a good time,” he said. “Sometimes we don’t take ourselves very seriously and it gets silly, but it’s a lot of fun. … You can’t sit still when we play.”
The band’s wide range of shows helps bring in new fans as well as those who have not seen a live performance in a while. Foghat have performed at the Superdome, Astrodome and the Sweden Rock Festival. For fans who prefer smaller venues, they visit everywhere from theaters to casinos to motorcycle rallies. In November they embark on the “Simple Man” cruise with Lynyrd Skynyrd, but first they return to Louisiana to play the Grand Isle Tarpon Rodeo July 25. (MacGregor: “Louisiana? Ooh, good food. Yeah, we’re going.”)
“We absolutely love what we’re doing, and that’s half the battle right there,” said MacGregor. “It’s absolutely fantastic to meet all these fans who we’ve had for so many years that still are dedicated to this band. And now they’re bringing their kids, and we’re getting a whole new audience.”
Fohgat’s Craig MacGregor and Charlie Huhn jam during a performance. The 1970s rock band soared to the top of the charts with hits like “Slow Ride,” “I Just Wanna Make Love to You” and “Fool for the City.” The band plays July 25 at the Tarpon Pavilion in Grand Isle.
