Phil Mogg

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Phil Mogg
Mogg performing with UFO in 2022
Mogg performing with UFO in 2022
Background information
Birth namePhillip John Mogg
Born (1948-04-15) 15 April 1948 (age 76)
Wood Green, London, England
GenresHard rock
Occupations
  • Singer
  • songwriter
Years active1963–present
Member ofUFO
Formerly of
  • Mogg/Way
  • $ign of 4
Websiteufo-music.info

Phillip John Mogg (born 15 April 1948, Wood Green, London)[1] is an English singer. He was the lead singer and frontman of the hard rock band UFO, which he co-founded with longtime friends Pete Way, Andy Parker and Mick Bolton in 1968.[2]

Career

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Formed in 1968,[3] UFO first gained notice as a space rock group with a series of recordings on Beacon/Decca Records. After guitarist Michael Schenker joined in 1973, they signed to Chrysalis Records, and changed their musical style from space rock to hard rock and heavy metal, but found only modest commercial success.[4][5] However, UFO are often cited as one of the key influences on the hard rock and heavy metal scenes of the 1980s and 1990s, including bands such as Metallica, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Guns N' Roses, Def Leppard, Slayer, Megadeth, Testament, Overkill, Anthrax, Alice in Chains, Tesla and Dio.[6] Mogg wrote the majority of UFO's lyrics, with the music being written by Way, Schenker, and later, Paul Raymond, although Schenker left the band in 1978 to launch his solo band. Mogg is the only member of UFO to appear on all of the band's albums and remained their only permanent member.

In 1997, during UFO's hiatus, Mogg and Way, under the moniker Mogg/Way, released a couple of albums, Edge of the World and Chocolate Box.[2] In 2002, he was in a side project, $ign of 4, featuring Cosmosquad members Shane Gaalaas on drums and Jeff Kollman on guitar.[7] Kollman had earlier been the guitarist and co-writer on Mogg/Way's Chocolate Box.

In late 2003, having regained the rights to the UFO name from Schenker, Mogg spoke with Pete Way and Paul Raymond, and ended up having a reunion tour which later brought the band back for good, with newly hired American guitarist Vinnie Moore. UFO have since released six more albums, the latest being the 2017 covers album The Salentino Cuts.

UFO announced their "Last Orders: 50th Anniversary" farewell tour in 2019. The band was to tour the United Kingdom from March to April, Europe from June to August, and finally the United States from October to November. The final gig was to be the rock legends cruise, a five-day event in early 2020. Mogg confirmed he was retiring after the tour as a member of UFO, but did not rule out other musical ventures.[8] The final tour was rescheduled to 2022, but cancelled due to Mogg's health status.[9] Mogg confirmed in an April 2024 interview with Ultimate Classic Rock that UFO were no more.[10]

Personal life

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Phil Mogg was a junior boxing champion in North London before his music career. He is married to Emma Mogg, a former page three girl since 2006 and currently resides in Brighton, East Sussex. He is the uncle of Nigel Mogg, bassist of The Quireboys.[11]

In August 2022, Mogg suffered a heart attack.[9][12]

Discography

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UFO

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Studio albums

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Live albums

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  • Live (1972) Uncharted
  • Live in Concert (1974)
  • Strangers in the Night (1979) Chart Position 42 (US), 8 (UK)
  • Lights Out in Tokyo (1992)
  • Live in Japan (1992)
  • T.N.T. (1993)
  • Heaven's Gate (1995)
  • Showtime (2005)

Others

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Mogg/Way

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  • Edge of the World (1997)
  • Chocolate Box (1999)

$ign of 4

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  • Dancing With St. Peter (2002)

Moggs Motel

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  • Moggs Motel (2024)
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Phil Mogg.

References

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  1. ^ Daniels, Neil (2013) High Stakes & Dangerous Men - The UFO Story, Soundcheck Books, ISBN 978-0957144262, p. 2
  2. ^ a b Buckley, Peter (1999) The Rough Guide to Rock, Rough Guides, ISBN 978-1858284576, p. 1115
  3. ^ "UFO's PHIL MOGG To Step Down After 50th-Anniversary Tour: 'This Is The Right Time For Me To Quit'". Blabbermouth.net. 28 May 2018. Retrieved 24 June 2018.
  4. ^ "Artist Chart History - UFO". Billboard charts. Retrieved 24 June 2018.
  5. ^ "UFO Discography". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 24 June 2018.
  6. ^ "Phil Mogg: I Am Leaving UFO". Ultimate-Guitar.com. 29 May 2018. Retrieved 29 May 2018.
  7. ^ "Phil Mogg What's Your Sign?". BraveWords.com. 31 July 2002. Retrieved 10 April 2019.
  8. ^ Whiteman, Scott (27 February 2019). "Phil Mogg of UFO Will Retire After 50th Anniversary". Digital Beat Magazine. Retrieved 20 July 2019.
  9. ^ a b "UFO To Play Last-Ever Concert In October 2022". Blabbermouth.net. 3 September 2021. Retrieved 4 September 2021.
  10. ^ "How UFO Aimed for the Stars With 'Lights Out'". ultimateclassicrock.com. 13 April 2024. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
  11. ^ Larkin, Colin (2011) The Encyclopedia of Popular Music, Omnibus Press, p. 2260
  12. ^ "Phil Mogg suffers heart attack. Farewell tour in October 2022 cancelled ahead of schedule". Ufo-music.info. 1 September 2022. Retrieved 1 September 2022.
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