Black Widow are a rock band that formed in Leicester, England in September 1969. The band were mostly known for its early use of Satanic and occult imagery in their music and stage act. They were often compared with the better-known heavy metal band Black Sabbath, but the bands were only superficially similar.
The group originally formed in 1966 as Pesky Gee! with Kay Garrett (lead vocals), Kip Trevor (lead vocals, guitar and harmonica), Chris Dredge (guitar), Bob Bond (bass guitar), Clive Box (drums and piano), Jess “Zoot” Taylor (organ), Clive Jones (saxophone and flute). Jim Gannon (guitar, vocals and vibes), replaced Dredge in Spring 1969. They split in September 1969.
Black Widow released their debut album Sacrifice in 1970. Perhaps better known than their music was the band’s use of occult references in their music and their live performances, which were made more controversial with the mock sacrifice of a naked woman. The band attracted further controversy by consulting infamous witch Alex Sanders for advice.
Controversy aside, Sacrifice reached No. 32 on the UK Albums Chart. Black Widow also performed at the Whitsun Festival at Plumpton, UK, and at The Isle of Wight Festival in 1970. By 1971, they had moved away from its darker occult imagery in an effort to gain a wider audience, which was unsuccessful. Black Widow released the self-titled Black Widow album in 1971 and Black Widow III in 1972 to general disinterest before being dropped by CBS Records…
Black Widow’s most popular song Come to the Sabbat has been covered by many bands and artists including Timberjack (Top 10 hit in New Zealand in 1971), Jon the Postman, Bewitched, Death SS and Propagandhi.
