Not sure if he’s still with us, but anyway, he was a lovely man. He was the head of A&M’s publishing, great guy. We were Smokin’! That’s how the name came about! Chuck Kay came to listen to listen to the album.

We had the perfect combination of instant jams that turned into great records, one take and it’d turn out great, and material that we’d been doing live anyway. The album ended up being just so much fun because we’d been on the road. What happened was we went out on the road right away with a new lineup and some new songs in the repertoire. As far as we were concerned, he’d joined the band, but we hadn’t given him a chance to tell Colosseum that we’d nicked him *laughs*, but that worked out as well. Before you know it, Clem’s rehearsing with us the next day. Steve gets back, calls him, and now he’s Steve. There was a slow blues on it with Clem featured and it just blew Steve away.

He rushed to the record store and bought the live album that Colosseum had just released. Steve pretended to not be Steve because he didn’t know anything about Clem. Then out of nowhere, Clem (Clempson) calls Steve. Then there was the possibility of Rick Derringer. You don’t need me! Go ahead!” *laughs* He was a good friend also, Mick, a lovely man. We finished and he said, “I can’t add a thing to that. The three of us had just started to write “The Fixer” or “Sweet Peace and Time”, one of those two. Mick Abrahams from Jethro Tull, bless his heart, came with his guitar. At that moment in time, we needed a guitar player who could work with Steve and do duel guitars.Ī bunch of guys were suggested and almost auditioned and chose not to or did come. We almost decided to go out as a three piece, but Steve just didn’t feel quite confident enough, although he was a perfectly capable guitar player and there were great three piece bands. We could not find the right guitar player. Sure enough, the live album ( Performance Rockin’ the Fillmore) came out and did take off, but we were a three piece. I understand why he felt he had to leave, but the fact is he was gone at a moment when we were just about looking like we were gonna take off. I always remained close friends with Peter and still am to this day. Steve (Marriott), may he rest in peace, was more verbally upset. We tried to hide how shattered we were about him leaving. JS: Yeah, well Peter had left, and that was devastating. What separated this album from past Humble Pie releases? Obviously here in America it went platinum and received rock radio airplay. What was the band’s attitude going into the studio for Smokin’? For me, this always seemed to be the album where everything came together. That and Rock On before it, the last one Peter (Frampton) did, I think are the two best Humble Pie studio albums. That’s one of my two favorite studio albums with the band. JS: Thank you! I’m very proud of the moment and I’m very proud, especially proud of that record. I’d like to start by congratulating you on that milestone. Last week marked the 50th anniversary of Smokin’. There’s a lot going on in the world of Humble Pie right now, so we’re just gonna hop right into it. Jerry Shirley: I’m fine thank you! It’s good to Zoom and meet you! I love it! Greetings Jerry and welcome to Defenders of the Faith! How are you doing today?

In this exclusive interview, Shirley looks back upon 50 years of Smokin’, the band’s legendary (and sometimes infamous) shows, and his plan to honor Humble Pie’s legacy in the years to come. Taking this historic importance into consideration, it was an honor to sit down with original Humble Pie drummer and co-founder Jerry Shirley. The ones that claim they aren’t are lying. From Aerosmith and Van Halen, to KISS and The Black Crowes, there are few bands who weren’t directly influenced by Humble Pie. Their loud, sweaty brand of blues and boogie infused rock n’ roll spoke to a generation of kids hellbent on hellraising, paving the way for all hard rock and heavy metal bands to follow. In the early 70s, few bands rocked harder and drew bigger crowds than Humble Pie. They don't need no doctor: Shirley (drums) performing live with Humble Pie in 1971.

Humble pie smokin