Squeeze Artistfacts

1974-
Chris Difford Vocals, guitar1974-
Glenn TilbrookVocals, guitar1974-
Jools HollandKeyboards1974-1980, 1985-1990
Gilson LavisDrums1977-1983, 1985-1993
Paul CarrackKayboards, vocals1981-1983, 1993-1995
John BentleyBass1980-1983, 2007-2015
Simon HansonDrums2007-
Stephen LargeKeyboards2007-
Steve SmithPercussion, guitar2017-
Melvin DuffyPedal and lap steel guitar2019-
Owen BiddleBass2020-
Danica DoraKeyboards2024-
The original lineup for the band in 1974 was Chris Difford, Glenn Tilbrook, Jools Holland and Peter Gunn. The lineup has changed constantly since the band first formed, but both Difford and Tilbrook have remained throughout.
They have a longstanding connection to The Velvet Underground. They are named, facetiously, after the 1973 Velvet Underground album Squeeze; John Cale of VU produced their first EP and most of the first Squeeze album.
The band's 1985 album, Cosi Fan Tutti Fruitti, is named for the Mozart comedic opera Cosi Fan Tutte and Little Richard's infamous song, "Tutti Frutti." The album contains complicated double-tracked keyboard parts that were impossible to recreate on stage with only one keyboard player. To combat this issue, the band sought out keyboard player Jools Holland's brother, Chris, to assist.
Throughout the band's history, the vast majority of songs and music have been written by Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook.
After Jools Holland left the band permanently in 1990, they didn't immediately replace him. Instead, they used session players, including Bruce Hornsby, who had already won two Grammy awards.
During the early days of their career, Squeeze shared the London music scene with other bands that would go on to have success, most notably Alternative TV and Dire Straits.
In 2010, Squeeze released the album, Spot the Difference, which contains re-recorded versions of older songs as well as an invitation to fans to "spot the difference" in the meticulously redone versions of their classics.
Upon meeting Glenn Tilbrook for the first time, Chris Difford recognized him from his days busking in Blackheath. "He had long hair and wore flares, with no shoes or socks," Difford recalled to Mojo magazine.

Tilbrook mentioned he would like to hear some of Difford's songs, and the invitation was quickly accepted. The two decamped to Difford's bedroom, where he played half a dozen of his compositions perched on the bed, while Tilbrook returned the favor with a couple of his own.

"He had an energy that was undeniably brilliant," Difford recalled. "I would give him lyrics, he would write the music, and then we'll perform them. We'd never discuss it. There were hundreds of songs that year we first met."

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