Ian Hunter was one of the most inventive writers of the early 70s, paving the way for punk rock with his thought-provoking, honest and gritty songs. As a solo performer, he succeeded with a catalogue of superb albums that generated a dedicated cult following.
After playing bass in late 60s bands and working as a staff songwriter in London’s Tin Pan Alley, Ian auditioned for Guy Stevens, a manic producer and visionary at Island Records. Hunter became the visually arresting focal point of Mott The Hoople and their most valuable asset.
The group cut four albums for Island and had a fervent and often riotous live following but could not convert this euphoria into record sales so they split. Soon-to-be superstar David Bowie was an admirer of Mott and persuaded them to reunite. He wrote All The Young Dudes for them which, when released as a single, propelled them toward mainstream success.
Sellout tours were punctuated with a string of hit singles and Hunter blazed across the front pages of the world’s music press as Mott’s popularity soared. They became the first rock band to sell out a week of Broadway concerts in New York and Ian’s book Diary Of A Rock’N’Roll Star was universally acclaimed. It was a peak period for the group but various personnel changes and increased pressure on Hunter ended with his hospitalisation. By December 1974, Mott were defunct.
Ian’s subsequent solo albums were exceptional and eclectic (witness All-American Alien Boy and Short Back ’N’ Sides) and he occasionally pooled his skills with guitarist Mick Ronson for production projects including Generation X and Ellen Foley.
After 1983 Ian’s output was limited but in 1990 he resumed his partnership with Ronson, recording and touring the joint album YUI Orta. Three years later Ronson passed away after a valiant battle against cancer; this tragedy re-awakened Hunter and he embarked on a lengthy, late-career purple patch, with 2001's Rant, 2009's Man Overboard and 2023's Defiance Part 1 among his best albums.
For five years Ian Hunter was the musical powerhouse in one of rock’s most valuable groups. He rejected lucrative offers to re-form them until 2009, and even resisted offers to join forces with Uriah Heep and The Doors. Today, he continues to produce critically acclaimed work. His influence is incalculable.
...and one to avoid
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