1. Artful Dodger is a British R&B & UK garage band from the city of Southampton, who became famous through their 2Step hits and gave Craig David’s career a boost after he appeared on their #2 hit “Re-Rewind” in December 1999. The band’s name was apparently stolen from an unknown bedroom DJ (popular on pirate radio stations) Lee Haynes whose father’s name was Roger, which was inspired by the Artful Dodger, a character in the Charles Dickens novel Oliver Twist. The band originally consisted of Mark Hill and Pete Devereux, but Devereux left prior to the release of the single “TwentyFourSeven”, and Hill continued from then on to produce records under the Artful Dodger moniker by himself. The UK Garage act, comprising of Mark Hill and MC Alistair, now includes fellow Producer & DJ Dave Low. 2. Artful Dodger is an American power pop band, formed in Fairfax, Virginia in 1973. Songwriting duties were handled by band members guitarist Gary Herrewig and vocalist Billy Paliselli, along with guitarist and vocalist Gary Cox. Artful Dodger made three albums for Columbia Records: The 1975 self-titled debut, featuring the tracks “Wayside” and “Silver & Gold”, 1976’s “Honor Among Thieves”, and “Babes On Broadway” in 1977. The band released a fourth album, “Rave On” for Ariola Records in 1980. Despite extensive critical acclaim, none of the releases were commercial successes, which led to the band’s breakup in 1982. The original members reunited in 2005 for a Cleveland Agora anniversary concert. |
