"Inmates" redirects here. For uses of "inmate" about persons confined to an institution such as a prison, see Prisoner (disambiguation).
The Inmates are a British garage rock/pub rock band, which formed after the split up of The Flying Tigers in 1977. In the early 1980s, they had a medium sized international hit with a cover of The Standells' "Dirty Water", and a UK Top 40 hit with their cover of Jimmy McCracklin's track, "The Walk". "Dirty Water" reached #51 in the United States in January 1980. The song led directly to them recording their debut album.
Around 1981, the lead singer Bill Hurley became ill following a breakdown, and his place was taken for some time by Barrie Masters, who had recently split with Eddie and the Hot Rods. The Inmates continued to record and tour with Masters until he decided to reform the Hot Rods, and Hurley was well enough to return to fronting the Inmates.
In 1987, The Inmates recorded Meet The Beatles, a live album of Beatles' cover version songs. It was re-released on CD with bonus cuts including a live version of "Dirty Water".
One of The Inmates' songs, "So Much in Love" (written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards), was covered by The Lonely Boys in the mid 1990s.
As of 2013, The Inmates are still working and touring, especially in continental Europe. After thirty years, they still have four of the original five band members, and continue to play both original songs and covers.
Line-up edit:
Bill Hurley - vocals,
Peter Gunn - guitar,
Tony Oliver - guitar,
Ben Donnelly - bass,
Eddie Edwards - drums,
Former members
Jim Russell - bongos,
Paul Turner - drums,
Barrie Masters - vocals
