Former Free guitarist Paul Kossoff called his 1973 solo album Back Street Crawler, then formed a group of the same name in 1975. It featured singer Terry Wilson-Slessor, keyboard player Mike Montgomery, bassist Terry Wilson, and drummer Tony Braunagel. This lineup made The Band Plays On, but Kossoff died of an apparent heart attack (March19, 1976).
Nevertheless, there was a second album, 2nd Street, after which the band reorganised; Montgomery departed and was replaced by John "Rabbit" Bundrick, guitarist Geoff Whiteborn was added, and the name was changed to Crawler. They released a third self-titled album in 1977 and a final LP, Snake, Rattle and Roll, in 1978