Brian Auger from the promo clip for Black Cat

Listen/Download Brian Auger and the Trinity – Black Cat

Greetings all.

The tune I bring you today comes from one of the most reliably groovy acts to emerge from the British beat boom, Brian Auger, Julie Driscoll and the Trinity.

Auger is one of the truly great Hammond slingers to come out of the UK in the 60s, alongside giants like Georgie Fame, Steve Winwood, Graham Bond, Jon Lord and Dave Davani.

Brian Auger wasn’t any run-of-the-mill organ grinder hammering out blues riffs with his elbows either. His roots were in jazz and he had the chops to bring the heat.

Auger and Driscoll fist worked together as part of the legendary Steampacket, where they grooved alongside none other than Long John Baldry and a soulful Scots gravedigger by the name of Rod Stewart.

When the Steampacket disbanded Auger and Driscoll remained together, with the Trinity as the backing band.

It was in that incarnation that the created a grip of enduring dance floor classics, melding jazz, R&B, beat and psychedelia.

The group in that form lasted from 1967 to 1969, and created some smashing singles such as ‘Indian Ropeman’, ‘This Wheel’s On Fire’, ‘Why Am I Treated So Bad’ and the disc you see before you today.

Interestingly, ‘Black Cat’ is a Driscoll-free affair, as is its flip side, a very cool cover of Wes Montgomery’s ‘In and Out’.

Released in 1968 (there’s a very cool promo video for the tune) ‘Black Cat’ is a positively storming, monster of a tune, with a vocal by Auger (not all that common), heavy horn chart and some absolutely fiery Hammond action.

Like many of the band’s best tracks it has more than enough momentum for the dancers (it’d fit right in if anyone ever decided to do a recreation of Swinging London right, I’m giving you the stink eye Austin Powers).

There’s also a very cool version of the song, recorded live – and in Italian! – that was released as a single in Europe and on an Italian pressing of the ‘Open’ LP.

After Driscoll split the group in 1970, Auger and the Trinity continued to record, if in a more jazzy, progressive style for one more LP before evolving into Oblivion Express.

I hope you dig the tune – maybe whip in on your friends at your next rent party – and I’ll see you all on Friday.

 

Peace

Larry

 

 

 

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5 Responses to “Brian Auger & the Trinity – Black Cat”

1. Duncan Walls says:

   April 11, 2012 at 12:41 am

   I love this song. I had a white label Atco Promo of this & In and Out that was in my playbox for 30 years. I saw him last in 2003 doing a club date in Rochester, NY. Yep, he played Black Cat …which BTW…isn’t that a Jimmy Smith song? I seem to remember hearing it or a similar song from Smith’s hammond archives… (I can’t remember everything, Larry!)

2. Larry says:

   April 11, 2012 at 11:05 am

   Duncan
   You might be thinking of ‘The Cat’ by Jimmy Smith.
   Larry

3. jb says:

   April 12, 2012 at 6:58 am

   Brian Auger is one of the most grossly underrated guys ever to pick up an instrument of any sort. And how “This Wheel’s on Fire” failed to become a hit in the States at a moment of the 1960s when so many other British acts were scoring hits with lesser material is a mystery to me.

4. Ted says:

   April 12, 2012 at 12:39 pm

   Have this 45 and love it. Hadn’t played in a long time – thanks for reminding me of it.

   Saw him a year or two ago with his son & daughter in the band (son is a terrible drummer but the daughter can sing). He still has all the chops and was very personable and had some great stories.

5. Stanley Goldstein says:

   January 23, 2021 at 3:23 pm

   Does anyone know the lyric after. “I broke a dozen mirrors. ?? Dream I’ve ever had. “. Sounds like “which was”?