After Dinner Speakers: Mud (Les Gray), Will Smith, Paul Oakenfold

Pop-rock band Mud never made a splash in the U.S., but in the UK they were a commercial force to be reckoned with for a few years. Lead singer Les Gray was born April 9, 1946, in Carshalton, Surrey, England. He formed Mud in 1973 with guitarist Rob Davis, bassist Roy Stiles and drummer Dave Mount. Mud's career was fostered by the songwriting/production team of Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman (who later helped such punk artists as Blondie). Chinn and Chapman were simultaneously working with heavy-metal bubblegum-rockers Sweet, who bore a musical resemblance to Mud and who had more success in the U.S. Mud, who also had rockabilly influences, had three #1 UK hits with "Tiger Feet," "Lonely This Christmas" and "Oh Boy." They also enjoyed hits with such cuts as "Lean on Me," "Moonshine Sally" and "The Secrets That You Keep." Mud split when the hits stopped coming in 1978. Gray tried a solo career for a while, but he had little success. He tours with a version of Mud today.