Budgie were a Welsh heavy metal band from Cardiff. The band formed in 1967, and recorded a demo the following year.
In 1971, their first album was blues-oriented hard rock and produced by Rodger Bain, released by MCA. Later records found Budgie gradually moving into a harder and more aggressive sound. The band, usually a classic power trio with the occasional keyboard player, released ten albums, with MCA, A&M, and RCA, between 1971 and 1982, attracting a fair number of fans and achieving modest commercial success.
Budgie were one of the earliest heavy metal bands, and according to Garry Sharpe-Young they were a seminal influence on many acts of that scene, particularly the new wave of British heavy metal, and later acts such as Metallica. The band have been noted as "among the heaviest metal of its day".