Mott the Hoople were a British rock band that was formed in 1968 in Herefordshire, England, near the Welsh border. They were led by Ian Hunter until his departure in 1974. The band itself broke up in 1976. The group is best known for the international hit single "All the Young Dudes", written by David Bowie and featured in films such as 'Clueless' and 'Juno'. The band's name came from a novel, authored by Willard Manus, about a freak-show worker named Norman Mott. Mott the Hoople formed when Silence, a not-too-successful group from the Welsh borders, was joined by session pianist and rock and roll hopeful Ian Hunter along with musicians Mick Ralphs, Verden Allen, Pete Overend Watts, and Dale Griffin . They developed from Dylan obsessives to their own character over the course of four albums for Island. They were a very popular live act but only achieved brief commercial success. In 1971, the band was close to splitting up but continued to record track "All the Young Dudes", a song written for them by up and coming pop star and fan David Bowie. Three more albums and several pop hits later, the group fell apart after Ian Hunter left in 1974. The remaining members mutated into Mott, an 'also-ran' band which released two albums before disbanding in 1976. Original guitarist Ralphs had a massive boost in his fortunes as a member of rockers Bad Company. Griffin died in his sleep on 17 January 2016 at the age of 67 and Watts died, almost exactly a year later, on 22 January 2017, from throat cancer.
