10cc

10cc began with four musicians who enjoyed working together in the studio: Graham Gouldman, Kevin Godley, Eric Stewart and Lol Creme. At Strawberry Studios in Stockport, they wrote songs, swapped instruments and experimented with sound. Their collaboration became a band whose music brings together melody, vocal harmonies and inventive arrangements.

Their breakthrough came in 1972 with Donna, a playful nod to the doo-wop of the 1950s. Rubber Bullets, The Wall Street Shuffle and I’m Not In Love followed. The Things We Do For Love and Dreadlock Holiday also became part of the repertoire that made 10cc known. Behind the familiar melodies are carefully constructed songs and an audible enjoyment of the possibilities of the recording studio.

Before 10cc, Gouldman had already written hits for The Yardbirds, The Hollies and Herman’s Hermits. His bandmates brought their own experience: Stewart had played in The Mindbenders, while Godley and Gouldman knew each other from The Mockingbirds. The four also worked with Neil Sedaka on the albums Solitaire and The Tra-La Days Are Over. Their shared background as writers, singers, instrumentalists and producers laid the foundations for 10cc’s sound.

Today, co-founder Graham Gouldman leads the live band. On stage, the song remains central, with close attention to the vocal harmonies and arrangements of the original recordings. Music conceived in the studio takes on a new life in the concert hall.