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Questions From Fans On the Official S.A.H.B - MySpace / Website / E Mail
Q & A With STEVIE DOHERTY (1990's SAHB Vocalist) Uploaded May 2009
20 Questions For STEVIE From SAHBOFFICIAL
Background Track - S.A.H.B - ST ANTHONY - STEVIE DOHERTY On Vocals, From The Album - SAHB Live 93
1 - What are you currently up to?
SD - I’ve just released a new album ‘Desolate Horizon’ and have put a band together to go out and promote it. Weirdly enough my drummer Adam Houghton was a friend of Teds’ when he was living down here…small world!!! I’m really lookin’ forward to gettin’ the songs out there, the guys in the band are great players and it’s a wee bit different from what I’ve done in the past…..can’t wait!!
2 - Who was your biggest musical influence?
SD - I’ve had loads of them! The first pro band I ever saw was Status Quo at the Glasgow Apollo when I was about 14 and when I saw Rick Parfitt I knew that I wanted to be up there doin’ that!! I still think he’s one of the most underrated guitarists ever!! Steve Perry of Journey was a big influence on me vocally. David Gilmour is still my favourite player and biggest influence on my own playing. I think though that Steve Earle has to be the one, as he brought me back from the edge of giving up music for good!
3 - What was your first big break?
SD - That would be joining Underhand Jones. I’d been playing in bands in Coatbridge and desperately wanted to do something else. I joined UJ because they were, at that time, one of the biggest bands on the Glasgow scene and I knew it could lead to other things. It’s all about getting’ your name known and UJ certainly did that for me!
4 - How did you get involved with SAHB in the first place?
SD - I was in a band called Strangeways. Our drummer was Teds’ cousin and when I left the band and moved back up from London I met Ted in a pub in Coatbridge. He came over and introduced himself and said that he was putting together a band called The Party Boys, that they were going to have a few singers coming in to do a ‘bit of chantin’ and did I fancy coming along to sing a couple of songs. I went along and sung some covers and had a great time. I did that a few times and when they said they were gonna take it on the road and wanted me to be the singer I was blown away! When they decided to go back to calling it SAHB and blow out all the covers that was even better!
5 - In your time with the band, SAHB seemed far more adventurous to try new music, or cover other standards than they did in the years after, was this down to you?
SD - I don’t know. I was always keen on the idea of writing new songs and thought that the band should be moving forward as well as playing the classic SAHB songs. The couple of songs that we did write, although not classics, were good songs and definitely showed to me that it was worth pursuing. I think Zal was definitely up for a bit of a re-vamp but it kinda fizzled out!!
6 - What is your best memory of your time with them?
SD - Being on stage!! The best live band I’ve ever played with and the best fun!
7 - What is your worst memory of your time with them?
SD - The worst time was when we seemed to be playing to a ‘guy and his dog’ in crap venues on a ‘rainy night in Barnsley’ every night and thinking… shit, this band deserves so much more than this!!
8 - What SAHB song did you like performing the best and why ?
SD - To be honest I enjoyed them all! The more straight forward rock stuff like ‘St. Anthony’ ‘Faith Healer’ ‘Midnight Moses’ really suited me but I loved the challenge of songs like ‘Next’….whether or not I was any good at it….well I’ll leave that open to question!!
9 - Have you ever seen SAHB live with Alex,Billy, or Max? If so what are your thoughts?
SD - I never saw Alex live. I haven’t seen the other guys although me and Max go back many years from our formative years in Coatbridge bands!
10 - Apart from live 93 album, was there any other recordings in existence from your time with them?
SD - I haven’t heard of any others but I’m sure there are some bootlegs out there!
(Would you like to say a few words re the SAHB guys?)
11 - Zal
SD - I have nothing but the utmost respect for Zal, he’s without doubt one of the unsung guitar heroes of our time! He deserves to be right up there with all the greats and is one of the best performers I’ve ever seen!
12 - Chris
SD - What can you say about Chris!! What you see is definitely what you get and there’s nowt wrong wi’ that!!
13 - Hugh
SD - Hugh is such a genuinely nice guy, a fantastic piano player and I love him to bits!
14 - Ted
SD - A nicer guy you couldn’t meet and still my favourite drummer.
15 - What if anything would you have liked to have changed with the 90's SAHB?
SD - I don’t think it was my job to change the band but I thought at the time that the biggest mistake was not having good management and I think that has made the difference to the band since then.
16 - What was the most rock n roll thing you did during your time with the band?
SD - I don’t do that sort of stuff…..I’m a good boy I am!!!
17 - What impressed you most about SAHB the band?
SD - The noise they made on stage!! There was nothing like it and it still gives me shivers thinking about it! It wasn’t just volume, although there was plenty of that, it was something else…I've no idea how to describe it but it was superb! I think the fact that they are all superb players and they really knew how to play for each other was part of it.
18 - What do you think was your biggest achievement with SAHB?
SD - I think it was getting some of the die hard fans to accept that I was doin’ it my way (I can feel a song comin’ on!) and wasn’t just trying to be an Alex clone. I know a lot of people found it hard to accept at the start but I think I won at least some of them over!
19 - How did your SAHB time come to an end?
SD - I was having some personal problems at the time and too many things where going wrong at the same time so something had to give! It all came to a head when we were in Germany playing at a festival and I decided during the set that I was going to quit. I think that it was the right thing for me to do at the time but, with hindsight, I think I handled it all wrong and I regret that.
20 - What in your opinion has been your career highlight to date?
SD - I’ve had a few highlights but I think the best is yet to come!!
FOR ALL THINGS STEVIE DOHERTY START HERE
A Big Thanks To STEVIE Very Much Appreciated!
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