Feb 262011
In honor of Mick Hucknall‘s birthday, whenever that may be, let’s give hope to aspiring rockers with red hair by gathering all rockin’ redheads under one Last Man Standing competition. Dye jobs don’t count. “Strawberry blondes” need to be clearly containing some ripe strawberry coloring—I’d need convincing, for instance, on young Joni Mitchell’s qualifying in this contest. Because this is not a Battle Royale, in which we would be seeking the reddest of rockin’ redheads, birthday boy Mick is only our first entrant. Happy birthday, Mick. Keep it red!
Shirley Manson!
Ginger Baker. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2S3XVQebXs&feature=related
John Lennon!
I guess Danny Elfman, though one could dispute the “rockin'” aspect.
He has rocked enough.
Really? I’ve never heard him described as any form of redhead. Judges?
I believe Josie from Josie and Pussycats was a redhead.
Totally!
Isn’t Josh Homme a rockin’ redhead?
Kate Pearson.
Is RTH fave Hamish Stuart a redhead?
Good god was he! Scroll down (from our friends at Planet Mondo):
http://planetmondo.blogspot.com/2009/10/podrophenia-4-rock-n-roll-animals.html
Dave Edmunds.
Carl Newman
Annie Lennox
Garfunkel
Is Robert Plant red enough?
Billy Gibbons’ beard is red. His hair is gone, however. Does he qualify?
Can I add a category to the Big Choice Poll? I get an automatic Rock Softie when I see any dude with emo hair — you know, that swoopy, brushed-forward, greasy, jet-black mop ‘do favored by miserable teenagers across this great land of ours.
I know what you mean. I figured they’d be covered under all black-hair dye ‘dos.
Yes, I think “strawberry blonde” applies.
No, nor do Prince or ELO.
does Joe Walsh count?
Was his hair red before he started going to my Mom’s salon and getting that middle-aged woman dye job?
It looked reddish to be but I’ll defer to The People.
Joe Jackson
Danny Bonaduce
Well played, although technically you should have referred to his Partridge Family character.
Ian Gomm. LAST MAN STANDING!
Harpo Mark look-a-like Elvin Bishop.
The Camper Van Beethoven/Cracker guy, David Lowery.
The Boss’ old lady Patty Scialfa. KaBANG! LMS LMS!
Dolores O’Riordan from The Cranberries has gone back to her natural red hair, I think.
Has someone been sitting on Neko Case? This LMS is heating up, so I’m playing her before you do!
Bonnie Raitt — Queen of the Redheads
Sinead O’Conner
Tiffany
Florence Welch from Florence & The Machine.
Video evidence — whoa!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mzMcNAe4nE8
Nancy Wilson from Feart
Jeez, I’m glad this isn’t a Battle Royale.
Jenny Lewis.
Aw, C’mon…The Red Rocker!
Sammy Hagar!
Dave Mustaine
Sun Rockabilly artist Sonny Burgess had a big hit with Red Headed Woman, and he supposedly dyed his hair red. Not orange, like Mick Hucknall’s, but red — a red that matched his candy apple red Strat. I can’t find a color photo of him from that era, but he was supposed to have been a real gone cat.
Easy . . . Ginger Spice
She’s a MAN, baby!
I see from the InterWeb that:
Burgess was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame of Europe in 1999.
Now THERE’s an RTH thread just waiting to happen. We need to examine the differences between the Euro-HoF and our rockin’-but-lame American version. If we find the Euro version superior, what must we do? Strive to improve the American version, or defect? This concerns me, as it should all right-thinking Americans!
Yours sincerely,
HVB, Super-Patriot
Since Cdm stole my original idea, I give you Tracy Partridge. Multiple redheads in that family.
I think bassist Davey Faragher, who plays with Elvis Costello’s Imposters, is a redhead. If so, LAST MAN STANDING!
Regardless, I knew this guy was in Cracker, but dating back to the late-’70s he was in a blue-eyed soul band called The Faragher Brothers:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YvdN_bLd2Zw
Little brother Davey is the bassist in this band too, I’m pretty sure. Funny how much this band is like one of the English pub rock bands that Costello and his manager pulled his first backing band and then the Attractions from.
Prior to the formation of that band, I think the two oldest brothers were in some psilly psych band. Here they are on an episode of Mannix!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HmYwElAvc9o
John McNally from The Searchers
Billy Bragg.
Mark Knopfler!
John Lydon/Johnny Rotten often has red hair, but do the cuffs match the collar? I’ve never seen a photo of him not “in character.” He seems like a dude who’s dyed his hair now and then.
The Proclaimers – take your pick – either one will do.
I think Mr. Lydon is indeed of the strawberry tribe. I believe this is relatively unprocessed: http://www.brooklynvegan.com/img/music2/johnylydon.jpg
How about Pat Benatar? She’s another in the “who really knows?” category to me.
The English just have a way of churning out the gingers:
Rick Astley
But honestly, can anyone pick a better ginger? Really. He out reds Mick:
Zoo Kid
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L9wLrAtcd6Y
Plus his music is great. Another good track is “Ocean Bed.” I’m waiting for his album to come out.
Noddy Holder from Slade. Big ranga.
I’ll need a ruling on this one but how about the tambourine shaking member of this groovy band?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNS6HhtElLo
Before he went platinum blond Adam Clayton was strawberry:
http://www.musicdirect.com/product/83227
Those nude shots of Clayton on Achtung Baby make him look naturally red as well, but that could just be the lighting.
Do you have a link for the European Rock HoF? I couldn’t find it Googling various combos of those words.
But I did find the question “Should Europe (the group, I presume) be inducted into the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame?” C’mon, judges, it is the final countdown.
Andy Fletcher – Depeche Mode.
The Red Headed Stranger himself, Willie Nelson.
Could be, underthefloat. Damn, I don’t remember this show for the life of me! What an awesome band logo. I’m ready to Party Hardy.
Can I get a ruling on Jerry Lee Lewis?
The show itself was actually a cartoon. As a kid, I watched the cartoon but really it was this opening theme song that I looked forward to EVERY Saturday morning. Funny, a friend of mine has the same memory…They just seemed so cool and fun. 🙂
Funny to think of one’s passions as a kid.
I suppose Edgar Winter at sunrise doesn’t count?
Could be, eh, although he looks more blonde than strawberry in this photo:
http://unrealitymag.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/jerrylee.jpg
Ben Lee.
Ben Lee is a blood-nut?
I wouldn’t have thought that either, but there are some shots in which it looks like he could be. (I’m learning in this exercise that reddish tones do not photograph well.)
Michael Bradley, bassist of the Undertones…redhead? I can’t be sure from looking at his hair in photos, but he has the overall coloring (freckles, skin tone) of a red.
Regardless, I’ve neever seen this photo before:
http://quart.hu/image/undertones1.jpg
Nice!
By the way, I see that pigtails is creeping up in the current poll. I’m a little surprised, and I’m trying to think what may be driving this. OK, there was the whiny hippie singer from that band with the girl dancing around in the bee costume. The singer died just as the band had their big hit. He wore pigtails, right? And Alanis Morrisette has worn pigtails. OK, not a good start.
On the other hand, Joni Mitchell looked good in pigtails:
http://www.last.fm/music/Joni+Mitchell/+images/36460
Nicolette Larson and Willie Nelson looked fine in pigtails. There was that woman in TLC who often wore pigtails:
http://www.avclub.com/assets/images/articles/article/1955/TLC-red-light-special.jpg
As I was thinking that pigtails held some promise I remembered the singer who most likely killed pigtails for those of you voting: Anthony Kiedis. I wish I could change my vote.
It’s been so many years since I saw Scruffy the Cat, but did Charlie Chesterman have red hair?
Frida from Abba
http://www.cyndi-lauper.net/cyndi-lauper-pics/cyndi-lauper-11/
LMS!
Well, the Academy Awards showcased another redhead – Florence Welch.
She was mentioned earlier in this thread. I’m calling a Cuffs-Collar violation on Lauper, so until proven otherwise (PLEASE DON’T TRY!) I’d say alexmagic, with Frida from Abba, is presently Last Man Standing!
gary higgins
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ygsux-saPpc&feature=related
Karen Elson – Jack White keeps in the red theme.
It pains me to say her extremly un-rockin’ name in the hallowed Hall, but Sarah McLachlan.
I just saw Charlie last week. Not a redhead.
May I apply this healing balm, HVB? Kiki Dee:
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2008/08/21/article-1047929-025EF2B000000578-666_468x687.jpg
LMS!
Norman Blake of Teenage Fanclub. Lass mun stoonden!
suzanne vega.
bto’s c.f. turner
http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/85003126/Redferns
Archie Andrews
HVB, I need a ruling – and don’t let my ruling on the bald Billy Gibbons, with his Phantom Mane of Once-Flaming Red Hair color your decision. Was your boy Rory Gallagher, of the Lost Books of Rock fame, a bit of a ginger?
You may curse me after you rule in my favor.
I wish! Or that she’d been sitting on me…or something like that.
I’m pretty sure Joe Elliott, the singer of Def Leppard is a redhead:
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_qWgB3WL4N4c/S29d9w26p2I/AAAAAAAABMk/LMVcEgaAMKY/s400/20090223165727_joe+elliott.jpg
He’s at least as red as Robert Plant, anyway.
bambi, bassist for dum dum girls
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9DLhx63nep4&feature=related
It humiliates me to mention Tori Amos
Thank god I just thought of someone else – the guy in Squeeze. Glen Tilbrook.
Patty Griffin — now in Robert Plant’s Band of Joy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOxpvKuEruk
Ben Gibbard of Death Cab For Cutie.
http://www.mtv.com/news/photos/c/coachella_2008/day_2/death_cab_for_cutie.jpg
Uhhh, Axel Rose anyone???
Last Man Standing, over and out!!!
Mo Tucker! In your face, Jazcoleman!
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=lf#!/photo.php?fbid=174176122623724&set=a.174175509290452.33441.112857072088963&theater