AHEAD of October’s MottFest, a fund-raising initiative has been launched to raise money for a plaque and a bench to honour the Ross-on-Wye musicians who were founding members of Mott the Hoople.

Formed in 1969, Mott the Hoople became one of the defining bands of the glam rock era with Pete Overend Watts (bass guitar) and Terence ‘Buffin’ Griffin, drums, were both raised in Ross.

The band’s 1972 hit ‘All the Young Dudes’ was written and produced by David Bowie.

MottFest event organiser Simon Rowberry explained that the monies raised via the GoFundMe page will go towards a memorial bench and plaque to be located along the Rope Walk, near the Hope and Anchor pub, where the pair played many of their earliest gigs.

Ross Town Council has agreed to provide and install the bench and plaque, including a solid base and maintenance plan, at a total cost of £1,694, the amount being requested on the GoFundMe page.

This fundraising is separate to Ross Town Council’s own tribute to the band of having a dedicated blue plaque erected locally on another venue at which Mott the Hoople played.

The memorial bench will be unveiled on Sunday, October 5th at noon and the wording on the plaque has been decided by the Griffin and Watts families, who fully support the memorial bench - the wording of the plaque will be:

Pete Overend Watts (1947 - 2017) Terence Dale (Buffin) Griffin (1948 - 2016) Founder members of Mott the Hoople.

Fifty years of friendship and music. We are the music makers and we are the dreamers of dreams.

Pete and Buff were there at the start of Mott the Hoople’s success and provided the powerhouse rhythm section throughout the life of the band, as well as the subsequent incarnations: Mott and British Lions.

Fans of the band and several members of the Mott musical family are hosting MottFest over the weekend of October 3 to 5 at the Corn Exchange in Ross.

This will be a celebration, in spoken word, live music and film, of the entire history of the band and beyond.

Former band members who intend to be there include Verden Allen, John Fiddler, Morgan Fisher and Luther Grosvenor.

The compere will be Kris Needs, the legendary rock journalist, who founded the fan club Sea Divers at the very beginning.

Mott the Hoople was created by legendary producer and Island Records A&R man Guy Stevens in 1969, who recruited singer-pianist Ian Hunter and helmed four albums.

Hits included ‘All the Way from Memphis’, ‘Roll Away the Stone’ and ‘The Golden Age of Rock ‘n’ Roll’ along with global success before the band split in 1974.

To help with publicity for MottFest, Ross Town Council will be debating in July at its meeting of community, markets and tourism subcommittee, if the town should be renamed Mott-on-Wye over the festival weekend and discussing the possibility of erecting a blue plaque to honour the band and its musicians.