Chris Spedding
The ultimate session guitarist's session guitarist, whose versatile chops powered hits from punk to pop while he maintained a cool, enigmatic persona.
Born 1944 (age 82)·Musical artist·Birthday: June 17·The Silent Generation
Biography
Chris Spedding is the phantom in the machine of British rock, a guitarist whose distinctive, economical style appears on a bewildering array of records. Emerging from the jazz-rock fusion scene with Nucleus, he quickly became the first-call hired gun for producers who needed a reliable, inventive player. He could mimic rockabilly licks for Robert Gordon, lay down sleek funk for Roxy Music, and summon raw power for John Cale. His own solo career, marked by the 1975 novelty hit 'Motorbikin', presented a leather-clad rocker persona that was both a genuine expression and a wry performance. Perhaps his most significant contribution was behind the board: in 1976, he produced the very first demos for the Sex Pistols, capturing the snarling energy of 'Anarchy in the UK' and helping ignite punk's explosion.
The Silent Generation
1928–1945
Born between the Depression and the end of WWII. Too young to fight, old enough to remember. They became the conformist middle managers of the 1950s — and the civil rights leaders who quietly dismantled Jim Crow.
Chris was born in 1944, placing them squarely in The Silent Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Chris Was Born
The biggest hits of 1944
#1 Movie
Going My Way
Best Picture
Going My Way
Chris's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1944Born
D-Day: Allied forces land at Normandy
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $3,400Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Swinging on a Star" — Bing CrosbyBest Picture: Going My Way
1949Started school
NATO founded; Mao proclaims the People's Republic of China
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Riders in the Sky" — Vaughn MonroeBest Picture: All the King's Men
1957Became a teenager
Sputnik launches the Space Age
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $10,550Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"All Shook Up" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: The Bridge on the River Kwai
1960Could drive
Kennedy-Nixon debates become first televised presidential debates
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,900Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Theme from A Summer Place" — Percy FaithBest Picture: The Apartment
1962Could vote
Cuban Missile Crisis brings the world to the brink
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,800Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Stranger on the Shore" — Acker BilkBest Picture: Lawrence of Arabia
1965Turned 21
US sends combat troops to Vietnam
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,600Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" — The Rolling StonesBest Picture: The Sound of Music
1974Turned 30
Nixon resigns the presidency
Gas: $0.53/galHome: $22,600Min wage: $2.00/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"The Way We Were" — Barbra StreisandBest Picture: The Godfather Part II
1984Turned 40
Apple Macintosh introduced
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $59,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"When Doves Cry" — PrinceBest Picture: Amadeus
1994Turned 50
Nelson Mandela elected president of South Africa
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $90,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"The Sign" — Ace of BaseBest Picture: Forrest Gump
2004Turned 60
Indian Ocean tsunami kills over 230,000
Gas: $1.88/galHome: $157,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Yeah!" — UsherBest Picture: Million Dollar Baby
2014Turned 70
Russia annexes Crimea; Ebola outbreak in West Africa
Gas: $3.37/galHome: $160,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Happy" — Pharrell WilliamsBest Picture: Birdman
2024Turned 80
AI reshapes industries; Paris Olympics
Gas: $3.31/galHome: $372,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Espresso" — Sabrina CarpenterBest Picture: Anora
2026Age 82 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Produced the first-ever Sex Pistols demo recordings in 1976, which were crucial to the band securing their record deal.
- Was a core session guitarist on numerous landmark albums, including Roxy Music's 'For Your Pleasure' and Harry Nilsson's 'Son of Schmilsson'.
- Had a top 20 UK hit in 1975 with his solo single 'Motorbikin', which became a cult classic.
- Played a key role in the early career of rockabilly revivalist Robert Gordon, providing guitar work on his influential late-70s albums.
Did You Know?
He briefly played live with the Wombles, the novelty band based on the children's TV characters, in the early 1970s.
Spedding turned down an invitation to join the Rolling Stones as a guitarist in the mid-1970s.
He appeared in the 1980 film 'The Wedding Party', starring a young Robert Downey Jr.
His guitar solo on the 1974 hit 'Get It On (Bang a Gong)' by T. Rex soundalike band T. Rex (Marc Bolan) was actually played by Spedding on the track.
“I'm a session musician. My signature is on the sound, not the sleeve.”
