T. Rex (band)

T. Rex
T. Rex during their heyday (left to right): Bill Legend, Mickey Finn, Marc Bolan, Steve Currie
Background information
Also known as	Tyrannosaurus Rex Marc Bolan & T. Rex
Origin	London, England
Genres	Glam rock pop psychedelic folk (early)
Years active	1967–1977
Labels	Regal Zonophone Fly EMI Casablanca Reprise Relativity Records
Spinoffs	X-T. Rex Mickey Finn's T-Rex
Spinoff of	John's Children
Past members	Marc Bolan Steve Peregrin Took Mickey Finn Steve Currie Bill Legend Paul Fenton Gloria Jones Jack Green Dino Dines Davy Lutton Miller Anderson Herbie Flowers Tony Newman

T. Rex (originally Tyrannosaurus Rex) were an English rock band formed in London in 1967 by singer-songwriter and guitarist Marc Bolan, who was their leader, frontman and only consistent member. Though initially associated with the psychedelic folk genre, Bolan began to change the band's style towards electric rock in 1969, and shortened their name to T. Rex the following year. This development culminated in 1970 with their first significant hit single "Ride a White Swan", and the group soon became pioneers of the glam rock movement.

From 1970 to 1973, T. Rex were extremely popular in the UK, with a run of eleven top ten singles, four of which reached number one: "Hot Love", "Get It On", "Telegram Sam" and "Metal Guru". The band's 1971 album Electric Warrior received critical acclaim, reached number 1 in the UK and became a landmark album in glam rock. The 1972 follow-up, The Slider, entered the top 20 in the US. Bolstering their style with soul music, funk and gospel, the band released Tanx in 1973 which reached the top 5 in several countries. From 1974, T. Rex's appeal began to wane, though the band continued releasing albums. Their subsequent releases blended rock with R&B and occasionally even disco.

In 1977, sole songwriter and constant member Bolan died in a car crash several months after the release of the group's final studio album Dandy in the Underworld, and the group disbanded. T. Rex have continued to influence a variety of subsequent artists. The band were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2020.^[1]