Ten Wheel Drive -

Ten Wheel Drive was an American brass-rock band from New Jersey that released three albums on Polydor between 1969 and 1971, followed by a fourth on Capitol in 1973.

Members: Genya Ravan (vocals, harmonica, tambourine), Aram Schefrin (guitar, vocals, banjo, percussion), Michael Zager (organ, piano, clarinet), Annie Sutton (vocals, 1973-74)

Ten Wheel Drive was formed in 1968 when vocalist Genya Ravan teamed with keyboardist Michael Zager and guitarist Aram Schefrin, both songwriters. Ravan hailed from Goldie and the Gingerbreads, an all-female garage-rock band that issued seven singles between 1964 and 1967, mostly on Decca and Atco.

The Ten Wheel Drive rhythm section comprised of veteran bassist Bill Takaz (Tal Farlow, Gerry Mulligan, Don Elliot, Judy Collins) and drummer Leon Rix, who played that year on the debut album by the Paul Winter Consort. They also employed a five-piece brass section: trombonist Dennis Parisi, saxophonist Louie Hoff, and trumpeters Jay Silva, Peter Hyde, and Richard Meisterman. Aside from Ravan, all the members could read notation, a rarity in rock that owed to their jazz backgrounds.

In 1969, they played high-profile shows at New York’s Fillmore East and the Atlanta International Pop Festival, where they played alongside Led Zeppelin, Spirit, Joe Cocker, The Staple Singers, and fellow brass-rockers Blood, Sweat and Tears and Chicago Transit Authority. Ravan caused a stir with her scantily clad, body-painted stage performances. That year, Ten Wheel Drive were among the first bands signed to the newly formed American division of Polydor Records.

Discography: