They were a power trio consisting of brothers Edgar (vocals and guitar) and Steve Broughton (drums) with Arthur Grant (bass), which was augmented at various times by a second guitarist and/or keyboardist, significantly Victor Unitt.
The group reformed from 1978 to 1982, initially renamed as The Broughtons, issuing two more studio albums, and again from 2006 to 2010 with Edgar's son Luke for live appearances only.
In 1968, the Edgar Broughton Band moved to Notting Hill Gate, London, seeking a recording contract and a wider audience, and were picked up by Blackhill Enterprises.
[1] The Broughtons entered into an attempt to capture their live sound on record by organising a performance at Abbey Road on 9 December 1969.
The rest of the recording was lost until its rediscovery and release in a remixed form in 2004 as Keep Them Freaks a Rollin': Live at Abbey Road 1969.
The band's touring attracted some controversy from a series of free concerts at locations such as children's playgrounds, and from a number of cases of civil disorder occurring at their shows.
Though the band denied doing anything to incite any of these incidents (in the case of Keele, Edgar Broughton admitted to giving paint to the audience but argued that "we didn't tell them to do anything with it"), several towns banned the group's concerts.
in 1979, with Tom Nordon and Pete Tolson (ex-Pretty Things) playing guitar and Richard de Bastion on keyboards.
Pete Tolson was not retained after the release of the album and was replaced by John Thomas for the two years of European touring that followed.
The band reformed properly once again in 2006, with Edgar's son Luke joining on keyboards and guitar, after the re-issue of their back catalogue had stimulated new interest in their work.