Ian Hunter

  • Shropshire, England
    hometown
  • Classic Rock
    genre
  • 1958
    started
  • Bio
    full story
  • Share
  • Similar
Close

About Ian Hunter

Official Site: http://ianhunter.com/


With Mott the Hoople, guitarist/vocalist Ian Hunter established himself as one of the toughest and most inventive hard rock songwriters of the early '70s, setting the stage for punk rock with his edgy, intelligent songs. As a solo artist, Hunter never attained the commercial heights of Mott the Hoople, but he cultivated a dedicated cult following.

Hunter was born in Owestry, Shropshire, but was raised in cities throughout England since his father worked in the British Intelligence agency called MI5 and had to move frequently. Eventually, the family returned to Shrewsbury, where the teenaged Hunter joined a band called Silence in the early '60s. Silence released an album, but it received no attention. In the years following Silence, Hunter played in a handful of local bands and worked a variety of jobs.

In 1968, Hunter began playing bass with Freddie "Fingers" Lee and the duo played around Germany. Shortly afterward, Hunter became the vocalist for Mott the Hoople. During the next six years, Hunter sang and played piano and guitar with the band, becoming its lead songwriter within a few albums. Although few of their records sold, Mott the Hoople was one of the most popular live bands in England. In 1972, David Bowie produced their breakthrough album, All the Young Dudes, which brought the band into the British Top Ten and the American Top 40. For the next two years, the group had a consistent stream of hits in both the U.K. and the U.S.

Toward the end of 1973, the band began to fall apart, as founding member and lead guitarist Mick Ralphs left the band. Hunter carried on through another album, but he left the group in late 1974, taking along former Bowie guitarist Mick Ronson, who had just joined Mott. Just prior to leaving the group, Hunter published Diary of a Rock Star, an account of his years leading Mott the Hoople, in June 1974.

Hunter moved to New York, where he and Ronson began working on his solo debut. Released in 1975, Ian Hunter spawned "Once Bitten, Twice Shy," a Top 20 U.K. hit. Following its release, Hunter and Ronson embarked on a tour. After its completion, the pair parted ways, although they would reunite later in the '80s. All-American Alien Boy, Hunter's second solo album, was recorded with a variety of all-star and session musicians, including members of Queen. Released in the summer of 1976, All-American Alien Boy was a commercial failure. It was followed in 1977 by Overnight Angels, an album that saw Hunter moving closer to straightforward rock & roll; disappointed with the completed album, Hunter decided to leave it unreleased in America.

Following the mainstream approach of Overnight Angels, Hunter became involved with England's burgeoning punk rock movement, producing Generation X's second album, 1979's Beyond the Valley of the Dolls. For Hunter's next solo album, he reunited with Mick Ronson, who produced and arranged 1979's You're Never Alone with a Schizophrenic. The album was a hit, especially in America, where it peaked at number 35. Hunter and Ronson set out on another tour, which resulted in the 1980 double-live album, Ian Hunter Live/Welcome to the Club. In 1981, Hunter released Short Back N' Sides, which was produced by the Clash's Mick Jones.

Two years later, he released All of the Good Ones Are Taken. After its release, Ian Hunter became a recluse, spending the next six years in silence; occasionally, he contributed a song to a movie soundtrack. In 1989, he resumed recording, releasing YUI Orta with Ronson. After its release, Hunter remained quiet during the '90s, appearing only on Ronson's posthumous 1994 album Heaven and Hull, and at tribute concerts for Ronson in 1994 and Freddie Mercury in 1992. Hunter returned to recording with Artful Dodger, which was released in Britain and Europe in the spring of 1997. After a Columbia/Legacy compilation titled Once Bitten Twice Shy offered a wealth of Ian Hunter solo titles in the year 2000, much attention was paid to 2001's fine Rant. In 2002, Hunter performed a pair of semi-acoustic concerts in Oslo, Norway, which were recorded for later release on CD and home video; the resulting project, called Strings Attached, introduced some new songs, including "Twisted Steel," inspired by the events of September 11, 2001. Shrunken Heads, a collection of all-new material, was released in 2007 on the Yep Roc label, followed by Man Overboard in 2009 from New West Records. That same year, Hunter unexpectedly reunited with Mott the Hoople for a series of concerts at the end of the year; Live at HMV Hammersmith Apollo 2009 documented these well-reviewed gigs. After a couple of quiet years, Hunter returned in the fall of 2012 with When I'm President, another critically acclaimed collection of rock & roll. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi

Scroll up Scroll down

Music

From position 0, showing 1 items, asking 10
See All
  • American Music
    ian-hunter
    Video
    American Music
  • 5973
    SoundStream
    SoundStream
    song name
    0:00
    Audio powered by
    All the music you want, just 10 bucks a month. Try it free.
    • Once Bitten, Twice Shy
      http://listen.vo.llnwd.net/g2/3/9/8/3/7/909173893.mp3
    • Just Another Night
      http://listen.vo.llnwd.net/g2/8/1/1/0/2/950720118.mp3
    • Wild East
      http://listen.vo.llnwd.net/g2/4/7/1/1/2/950721174.mp3
    • Ships
      http://listen.vo.llnwd.net/g2/7/5/1/1/2/950721157.mp3
    • Once Bitten Twice Shy
      http://listen.vo.llnwd.net/g1/1/1/3/8/5/118858311.mp3
    • All the Way from Memphis (Live)
      http://listen.vo.llnwd.net/g2/5/0/3/1/2/950721305.mp3

Photos

From position 0, showing 1 items, asking 10
See All
  • Ian Hunter
    David Plakke

News

From position 0, showing 3 items, asking 10
See All
  • Ian Hunter
    Ian Hunter Readies Solo Album, Mott The Hoople 40th Gigs
    www.billboard.com
    It's been nearly two decades since Ian Hunter has released a pair of solo albums just two years apart. But the Mott the Hoople frontman credits 2007's...
    Read More
  • Ian Hunter
    Ian Hunter
    American Songwriter
    "All hail rock 'n' roll / Why don't we slip into something more comfortable," sings rock legend Ian Hunter on on his latest solo album, When I'm Presi...
    Read More
  • Ian Hunter
    Ian Hunter: When I'm President
    American Songwriter
    Ian Hunter When I'm President (Slimstyle) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars The ex-Mr. Mott the Hoople hasn't let age (he's 74) mellow his always incisive atta...
    Read More

Tour Dates

From position 0, showing 4 items, asking 50
See All
  • Jun 13 Thursday
    Holmfirth, UK Picturedrome
    Buy Ticket
  • Jul 11 Thursday
    Wilmington, DE, US World Cafe Live at the Queen
    Buy Ticket
  • Jul 12 Friday
    Sellersville, PA, US Sellersville Theater 1894
    Buy Ticket
  • Oct 3 Thursday
    Milwaukee, WI, US Northern Lights Theater, Potawatomi Casino
    Buy Ticket

Discography

From position 0, showing 10 items, asking 10
See All
Next Page
  • When I'm President (2012)
    Ian Hunter
    When I'm President (2012)
    Slimstyle
  • Man Overboard (2009)
    Ian Hunter
    Man Overboard (2009)
    New West
  • Live in London (2007)
    Ian Hunter
    Live in London (2007)
    The Great American Music Company
  • Shrunken Heads (2007)
    Ian Hunter
    Shrunken Heads (2007)
    Yep Roc
  • Strings Attached (2004)
    Ian Hunter
    Strings Attached (2004)
    Universal International
  • Rant (2001)
    Ian Hunter
    Rant (2001)
    Fuel 2000 Records
  • The Artful Dodger (1997)
    Ian Hunter
    The Artful Dodger (1997)
    Polygram
  • BBC Live in Concert (1995)
    Ian Hunter
    BBC Live in Concert (1995)
    Windsong
  • Dirty Laundry (1995)
    Ian Hunter
    Dirty Laundry (1995)
    Cleveland International
  • YUI Orta (1990)
    Ian Hunter
    YUI Orta (1990)
    Mercury
Are You Ian Hunter? Claim this page | Learn more about Artists.MTV | FAQ for Artists
Ian Hunter Bio | Ian Hunter Tour Dates | Ian Hunter Music | Ian Hunter Discography |
MTV | MTV Jobs | Privacy Policy | User Content Agreement | Copyright | Artist Index | Social Projects Agreements | Ad Choices |
Portions of this page powered by
This site contains content from artists, fans, and writers from around the internet in it's natural form. Such content is not representative of Viacom Media Networks.

©2012 Viacom International Inc. All Rights Reserved. MTV and all related titles and logos are trademarks of Viacom International Inc.

  • Explore
    • Popular
    • Emerging
    • Genres
      • Rock
      • Hip Hop
      • Indie
      • Electronic/EDM
      • Country
      • Pop
    • Collections
    • Artist To Watch
  • Search
  • Are you an artist?
    • Claim Your Page
    • Learn More
    • FAQ
    • Opportunities