There have been many memorable supergroups over the years; The Traveling Wilburys, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, and technically even Led Zeppelin. While these all-star convergences have often left a lasting imprint on culture, they are not as commonplace as they were during the lauded ‘classic rock’ period. However, this contemporary scarcity only adds to the mythos of such bands, whose work remains an instant portal back to that heady time. One such act is Bad Company, one of the greatest supergroups of all time.
Bad Company were formed in London in 1973, by ex-Free frontman Paul Rodgers, and their erstwhile drummer, Simon Kirke. Joining them were former Mott the Hoople guitarist Mick Ralphs, and the eminent bassist Boz Burrell, who had made his name in the early 1970s as the four-stringed wizard in King Crimson.
Like every great band, let alone supergroup, the quartet needed a name that represented their collective spirit and swaggering hard rock sound. Before too long, thanks to Rodgers, they found it. He suggested it to the other members after he wrote the track of the same name, which went on to be one of their most influential singles, and eventually, the title of their 1974 debut album.
Fans have long thought that Rodgers was inspired to name the song as such due to a movie poster for the hit 1972 Acid Western of the same name, which starred a young Jeff Bridges, years before his iconic turn as The Dude in The Big Lebowski. Yet, despite this hippie take on the Wild West seeming like it would be a perfect place to mine for a band name, Rodgers maintains that it came from somewhere else. In fact, he claims he hasn’t even seen the movie.
“It came from my childhood days,” the vocalist told Spinner in 2010. “I saw a book on Victorian morals. They showed this picture of this Victorian punk. He was dressed like a tough, with a top hat and the spats and vests and the watch in the pocket and the tails and all of that. But everything was raggy. The shoes were popped out of the soles, and the top of the hat was popped out. And the guy is leaning on the lamppost with a bottle in his hand and a pipe in his mouth, obviously a dodgy person. And you’ve got this little choirboy kind of guy – a little kid, actually – looking up to him. And underneath it said, ‘Beware of bad company.'”
He explained that he opted to title the song ‘Bad Company’ and then use it as the band’s name because it felt like a fresh move at the time, and hadn’t been done before: “I think because it had never really been done, as far as I knew. I thought it was interesting to come out as a brand-new band with its own theme song.”
Although Bad Company’s music might not be as popular as it once was, using the same name for a band, song, and album has been done many times since, and it is all traced back to them, and Rodgers’ childhood.
Editors’ Picks
- 1970s Rock
- Bad Company
- Band Origins
- Classic Rock
- Free
- King Crimson
- Mott the Hoople
- Paul Rodgers
- Rock History
- Supergroups
