Beggars Opera

Biography

Beggars Opera was a Scottish progressive rock band from Glasgow, Scotland, formed in 1969 by guitarist Ricky Gardiner, vocalist Martin Griffiths, and bassist Marshall Erskine.

Career

After working together building parts of the M40 motorway near Beaconsfield, the three founder members moved back to Glasgow to look for an organist and drummer and recruited Alan Park and Raymond Wilson. After rehearsing they took up residency at Burns Howff club/pub in West Regent Street in the centre of Glasgow.
In 1970, after signing to Vertigo Records, the band recorded their first album, Act One×Act One1970 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 5 tracksA1Poet and Peasant7:10A2Passacaglia7:04A3Memory3:56B1Raymonds Road11:50B2Light Cavalry11:52, and a single, "Sarabande", which charted in several European countries Tours of Europe followed and the band found success in Germany, appearing on German TV's Beat-Club, then at the first British Rock Meeting in Speyer in September 1971. The following year, for their second album, Waters of Change×Waters of Change1971 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 9 tracksA1Time Machine8:09A2Lament1:53A3I've No Idea7:44A4Nimbus3:36B1Festival5:59B2Silver Peacock Intro0:23B3Silver Peacock6:33B4Impromptu1:20B5The Fox6:48, the band were joined by Virginia Scott on Mellotron and bassist Gordon Sellar. The single "Time Machine" from that album was successful in Germany, where the band toured extensively.
Erskine left the band before they recorded their third album, Pathfinder×Pathfinder1972 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 7 tracksA1Hobo4:25A2MacArthur Park8:20A3The Witch6:07B1Pathfinder3:47B2From Shark to Haggis6:46B3Stretcher4:50B4Madame Doubtfire4:22 (1972), which included a cover version of Richard Harris' hit "MacArthur Park". Several other personnel changes ensued, with Pete Scott replacing Griffiths in 1972, and Linnie Paterson replacing Pete Scott in 1973. By 1973's final album, Get Your Dog Off Me, Beggars Opera were reduced to a trio of Gardiner, Park and Sellar.
In 1974/76 a new version of Beggars Opera recorded two albums for Jupiter Records in Germany: Sagittary×Sagittary1974 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracksA1Sagittary4:50A2Something to Lose2:58A3World Crisis Blues2:36A4Smiling in a Summer Dress3:54A5Freedom Song3:19B1I’m the Music Man4:23B2Just Twenty One4:03B3Jack the Ripper2:52B4Love of My Own2:37B5Simplicity2:52, featuring Gardiner (guitar), Pete Scott (vocals), Virginia Scott (Keyboards and Backing Vox) and Mike Travis (drums), and Beggars Can't Be Choosers with Clem Cattini replacing Travis on drums.
Gardiner went on to play for David Bowie on the Low album, and with Iggy Pop on the Lust for Life album as well as his Idiot tour of 1976. He co-wrote "The Passenger" with Iggy Pop.
In 2000 Ricky Gardiner upgraded Beggars Opera and produced/ released 10 new art rock albums with personnel Ricky Gardiner/ Guitars, Virginia Scott Vocals /Keyboards and Tom Gardiner/ Drums on RGS (Ricky Gardiner Songs) including covers of The Passenger(song). Close to my Heart and Lose a Life (a rock opera) were also released on Repertoire Records, Germany who also released Sagittary and Beggars Can't be Choosers.
In 2023 RGS released Beggars Opera The Leap from the Beggars Opera archives

Solo Projects

In November 2025, Beggars Opera co-founder and vocalist Martin Griffiths released his first solo album, The Beggar. It features songs he originally wrote in the 1970s, now arranged and recorded with his son Philip Griffiths’ band Alias Eye and musician Maxi Sator, combining elements of rock, pop, ballads and Latin rhythms with a singer-songwriter approach. The album also includes a short version of Time Machine, originally co-written with Ricky Gardiner and Alan Park during Griffiths' time with Beggars Opera, and some selected 1970s acoustic bonus tracks.