John Burke Shelley
(April 10th,1950 – January 10th, 2022)
was a
Welsh musician,
best known
as the
lead vocalist
and bassist
of the early
heavy metal band
Musical Career
In 1967,
Cardiff-born
Shelley
co-founded
the band
Hills Contemporary Grass
with
Tony Bourge
on guitar
and vocals
and
Ray Phillips
on drums.
The following year
they changed
their name to
Budgie.
Shelley is
often compared
to Rush
bassist/vocalist
Geddy Lee,
as they both share
the position of
bassist/vocalist
in power
trio bands,
both have
distinctive
high-pitched
singing voices,
and during the
mid- to late 1970s,
they bore a
striking resemblance
to one another,
with long,
straight hair
and large glasses.
Both vocalists
possessed a
high tenor vocal range,
but unlike Lee,
who is a
fingerstyle player,
Shelley played bass
with a pick.
In addition to singing
and playing bass
for the group,
Shelley also performed
keyboards
on Budgie's
early albums,
including the Mellotron on
"Young Is a World"
from the band's
second album
Squawk.
Budgie's
November 2010 tour
of Central Europe
had to be cancelled
as Shelley was
hospitalised on
November 9th
in Wejherowo, Poland,
with a 6 cm
aortic aneurysm.
After surgery,
he returned to Britain
for recovery,
but no decision about
the future of the band
had been made.
By the time of his death
in 2022,
Budgie were
considered disbanded
or on hiatus,
having not performed
or recorded since
Shelley's hospitalisation.
