A Short History of Ian Dury

Ian Dury was one of the godfathers of punk. He had played for a number of years on the London pub circuit with his band Kilburn and the High Roads. But it wasn't until Ian Dury and the Blockheads released their 1977 album 'New Boots' that he finally stepped into line with the prevailing musical landscape and achieved commercial success. The album was followed by 'Do It Yourself'. It sold more and included the great hit single 'Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick' which reached top spot in the UK charts. Just like Elvis Costello, Ian Dury was not directly associated with the punk movement. Costello took the punk energy and attitude of punk for his songs, Bury already had these qualities. His words were full of irony, humor and stark realism and he always had an honest approachable quality which was loved by his fans.

At the age of seven Ian Dury contracted polio via a swimming pool. It meant he had a stricken hand and leg. His early songs for Kilburn and the High Roads were full of anger and cynicism. They recorded an album, 'Wotabunch!', for Warner Brothers, but it was never released because a label executive saw them play live and wasn't too impressed by the bloke in his thirties in the bad clothes singing about kids from council estates.

Kilburn and the High Roads split in 1976. Dury recorded a second album, called 'Handsome', which reduced the anger and cynicism and focused more on his singing. He was searching for a new sound which best suited his idiosyncratic vocal style. He found it when he met Chas Jankel, a keyboard player. Jankel helped Dury arrange his songs so his vocal could be talked rather than sung. It was a crucial discovery for the singer. The album 'New Boots' features a great funk sound on 'Wake Up And Make Love To Me' courtesy of Jankel. 'Sweet Gene Vincent' has a ghostly rock feel, and the final track, 'Blackmail Man', is punk through and through.

Dury didn't have a record deal when the album was recorded. Stiff Records stepped in and finally released the album. It was a good move. The album made more money for the label than any other recording. His new band , the Blockheads, meant that Dury had scope to create a new batch of songs which were more diverse and playful than anything he had done previously. He came up with 'Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick'. It was a travelogue with nonsensical lyrics and a great musical climax. It was a great, great track and ends with a long call and response section with Dury screaming 'Hit may-ee' and the band trading musical stabs with the drums somehow holding the whole mess together.

The Blockheads and Dury went on to record two more albums. Each one concentrated more on the music than the voice of Dury, which was a shame since it was his voice which gave the band a unique, well, voice. Chas Jankel left the band after the release of 'Do It Yourself' and the rest split up in 1982. Ian Dury released a few solo albums, wrote a musical and spent his time since the seventies being a life-affirming positive role-model for people everywhere. He sadly died in 2000.