They were the “hairy-a**ed” north-east musicians who took the American soul music scene by storm in the 1970s.
And now, award-winning film-maker Anthony Baxter, is creating a new documentary about the extraordinary life and times of the Average White Band.
The group, who were founded by Malcolm “Molly” Duncan from Montrose and Alan Gorrie from Perth, enjoyed massive success with hits including Pick Up the Pieces, Cut the Cake, Queen of My Soul, Work to Do and Let’s Go Round Again.
But many US radio stations originally thought they were black musicians because of their sound.
It didn’t hinder the Scots, who worked with or inspired such luminaries as Ben E. King, Chaka Khan and James Brown.
They topped the Billboard charts in 1975 with Pick Up the Pieces, which has become one of the most-played records in music history.
And the documentary maker’s new project will celebrate the 50th anniversary of that song, which has featured in everything from Hollywood films to TV adverts and The Simpsons.
He told The Courier: “I remember when the Average White Band headlined the Montrose Music Festival and learned that one of the band’s incredible horn players, Molly Duncan, hailed from my Angus hometown.
“After doing some research, I was captivated by the band’s story – how six white guys from Scotland made such an important impact on the black music scene in the US.
The story needs to be told
Anthony continued: “Their funk/soul sound was so authentic, as demonstrated by their string of hits in the R&B charts.
“AWB also notched up multiple Grammy nominations, made appearances on the iconic Soul Train programme and had collaborations and performances with the likes of Etta James, Luther Vandross, Marvin Gaye, and Ben E. King.
“I could not be more excited to be embarking on this film. When the Average White Band set out to make amazing music together, down the road from me, little did they know they would soon be signed to Atlantic Records and find themselves recording in the same Miami studio as Aretha Franklin.
“This film has AWB’s incredible passion for music at its very heart.”
Directed by Scottish BAFTA winner Mr Baxter, whose previous credits include the documentaries Eye of the Storm, You’ve Been Trumped, Flint: Who Can You Trust? and A Dangerous Game, this latest venture has a working title of Average White Band: Soul Searching, in a reference to the name of one of their hit albums.
It has received the backing of Sky Originals and Screen Scotland and Warner Music Entertainment has acquired the North American distribution rights to the film.
I’ve been working with the band
The documentary maker added: “I’ve had the privilege of filming with several of the band members both in the US and in the UK. And that filming will continue in the next few months.
“2025 marks the 50th anniversary of Average White Band’s number one single and album in the US, so we plan to release the film to coincide with that.”
The film promises to highlight the extent of the group’s fame as they attracted the attention of everybody from Stevie Wonder to future US president Barack Obama.
But there’s a more poignant memorial in the months ahead, given it’s 50 years since the loss of AWB drummer, Robbie McIntosh, who was only 24 when he died in September 1974 and whose gravestone is in Dundee’s Barnhill Cemetery.
He was a very special talent
Hamish Stuart, who featured on all the band’s hits, said: “Everybody loved Robbie. I remember the day when we got the news that the single and album were both number 1 on the Billboard Chart.
“We were stationed in a mansion called MACH 2, by the water in Long Island, which belonged to Ahmet Ertegun, the head of Atlantic Records.
“It was a weird moment to celebrate this success, considering that Robbie had died only five months previously. So it was a slightly hollow feeling.”
But, even if the film will contain both triumph and tragedy – and Molly Duncan died in 2019 – it should remind a younger generation of AWB’s impact on music.
And, given that the documentary’s executive producers include TV veteran and Soul Trilogy writer Stuart Cosgrove, from Perth, it will emphasise how these proudly north-east musicians captured the imagination and zeitgeist of a global audience.
Conversation