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Jim Cregan (born James Cregan, 9 March 1946, Yeovil, Somerset, England) is an English rock guitarist and bassist who has played with Family, Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel, and Rod Stewart. He was with Stewart from 1977 to 1995. Although Family, Harley's Cockney Rebel group, and Stewart are his most famous associations, Cregan has played with numerous bands and solo artists. He is the ex-husband of the singer Linda Lewis.
Early years
Cregan first joined with future Traffic frontman Dave Mason, in Julian Covay and the Machine in 1967. Shortly thereafter, Cregan joined a hippie-rock band called the Blossom Toes. But while their debut album, We Are Ever So Clean, was regarded as a flower power record, their second LP, If Only for a Moment (1969), went more in a heavy metal direction. Cregan sang many lead vocals and played guitar for the band, often in twin leads, which became a Blossom Toes trademark.
After working on the 1971 self-titled album from Julie Driscoll, Cregan joined Stud, a humorously misnomered band that was more folk than heavy rock. The group began as a trio featuring Cregan and the bassist and drummer from the original line-up of Rory Gallagher's band, Taste, and soon they were joined by former Family bassist John Weider. Stud broke up after recording two albums with Weider on board; they were only released in Germany, where Stud had their largest audience.
Cregan joined Family in September 1972, replacing John Wetton on bass guitar. Cregan had never played bass before, but as a rhythm guitarist, adapted to the bass. Equally, he has not played bass since Family broke up. Right after Cregan joined Family, the band toured North America as the warm-up act for Elton John in the autumn of 1972. In 1973, Family would record two singles and an album, It's Only a Movie, which would be their last. Family leaders Roger Chapman and Charlie Whitney felt the group had run its course, and a final tour of the United Kingdom that autumn brought the group to an end. Cregan would briefly reunite with Chapman and Whitney by contributing to the first album of their new group, Streetwalkers, and he would rejoin Chapman for a few concerts in the early 2000s.
Cregan had already undertaken a few projects by the time Family broke up. He mostly worked with his girlfriend, British soul singer Linda Lewis, whom he was later married to. Cregan appears on four of her albums, including Not A Little Girl Anymore (1975). That album gave Cregan the opportunity to work with the Tower of Power horn section.