Sharks

Sharks are a British rock band formed in 1972 by former Free bassist Andy Fraser upon his departure from Free. They were signed to Island Records and were highly rated by critics, especially for Chris Spedding's guitar work. The original line-up consisted of Fraser (bass, piano), Snips (real name, Steve Parsons) (vocals), Chris Spedding (guitar) and Marty Simon (drums). Snips had previously fronted a Hull-based band called Nothingeverhappens. The first 2 albums of the band were described as a mixture of woozy blues and hard rock.

In January & February 1973, Sharks embarked on a UK tour, playing clubs and universities. To promote the band, whilst touring, Chris Spedding customized his Pontiac Le Mans, fitting a shark fin on the roof and fibreglass teeth on the grille. Their debut album First Water was released in 1973 to critical acclaim, but Fraser left shortly afterwards and the band began searching for a replacement. Mick Jagger recommended bass player Busta Cherry Jones from Memphis, Tennessee, who joined in July 1973, along with the ex-Audience keyboard player, Nick Judd. A new UK tour with this line-up began in September 1973 and ran through until March 1974, when their second album, Jab It In Yore Eye, was released. The band then toured the United States during April and May 1974, travelling in the same bus used by the Beatles on their first American tour in 1964.

On their return to the UK, they began recording their third album (produced by John Entwistle of the Who), with the working title Music Breakout, in June 1974. However, Simon was unhappy with the recording and was replaced by Stuart Francis. Jones then decided to return to the USA, selling one of Spedding's guitars, which he stole, to pay for the flight. With Island Records not keen on the original master recordings for the third album, financial support was withdrawn and the band folded in October 1974. The album had an unofficial release in 2016, under the title Car Crash Tapes.

Spedding continued his session work and solo career, whilst Snips joined Ginger Baker in the Baker Gurvitz Army and then went solo himself, before beginning a successful career as a film and TV composer.