Humble Pie were one of those late-’60s bands that somehow managed to be both massive and underrated at the same time. With Steve Marriott’s gravel-soaked voice, Peter Frampton’s guitar heroics, and a rhythm section that hit like a freight train, they helped lay the foundation for hard rock in the ’70s. But before they could storm the stage, they needed a name. And that’s where it gets interesting.
Steve Marriott — the pint-sized powerhouse who had just left Small Faces — came up with it. He wanted something that sounded self-deprecating, almost like a joke. The British phrase “to eat humble pie” means to swallow your pride or admit you were wrong. Marriott, with his wicked sense of humor, thought it was funny to call a band full of stars Humble Pie — even though they were anything but humble.
It was tongue-in-cheek, ironic, and very Marriott.
By 1969, “supergroups” were all the rage. Cream, Blind Faith, Crosby, Stills & Nash — all made up of big names from other bands. With Marriott (Small Faces), Frampton (The Herd), Greg Ridley (Spooky Tooth), and Jerry Shirley, Humble Pie were clearly in that mix.
So calling themselves Humble Pie was like winking at the crowd: Sure, we’re rock stars, but don’t take it too seriously.
The name worked because it was memorable, a little cheeky, and very British. It also fit the band’s blend of down-to-earth blues and full-throttle rock. They weren’t about pretension or polish. They were about volume and soul. “Humble Pie” was the perfect contradiction: humble in name, larger-than-life in sound.
So, how did Humble Pie get their name? From a British idiom about swallowing your pride — twisted into a joke by Steve Marriott. And decades later, the name still sticks out on a festival poster or a record sleeve.
Because if you’re going to melt faces at the Fillmore, you might as well do it under a name that reminds everyone not to take themselves too seriously.
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