1950-2022
Burke Shelley
1950-2022
Burke Shelley
In this TRO Tuesday, we highlight the career of songwriter, vocalist, and bassist Burke Shelley (born April 10, 1950). Shelley was best known for being the lead vocalist and bassist of his band called Budgie.
In 1967, Shelley co-founded Budgie, originally called Hills Contemporary Grass, with guitar player Tony Bourge and drummer Ray Rhilips. The band considered using the name “Six Ton Budgie”, but decided the single-word variant was favorable. The three of them would write songs for the band.
Burke Shelley
Shelley is often compared to Geddy Lee, the bassist/vocalist of Rush. Both share the position of bassist/vocalist in a power trio band. In addition, they both have distinctive high-pitched singing voices, and their looks resembled close to each other in the late 1970s.
Budgie’s debut self-titled album contained “strong, blues-oriented hard rock” music and was recorded with Black Sabbath producer Rodger Bain. Budgie released this album in 1971, followed by 1972’s Squawk and 1973’s Never Turn Your Back on a Friend. On the band’s third album was a song called “Breadfan” which Metallica covered, along with “Crash Course in Brain Surgery” on Garage, Inc. These covers helped introduce many metal fans to the group.
The band then released several more albums, incorporating some progressive rock elements and even humor into their music. Bandolier (1975) also incorporated some funk elements. The All-Music Guide considered Budgie to be a cross between the styles of Rush and Black Sabbath.
Later in life, Shelley suffered from health conditions, including Stickler syndrome, a connective tissue disorder. In 2010, he had an emergency heart operation damaging his singing voice. After this, Budgie was considered to be disbanded or on hiatus. Shelley passed away on January 10, 2022, at 71 years old.
