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:
- Construction #1 (1969 • Ten Wheel Drive With Genya Ravan)
- Brief Replies (1970)
- Peculiar Friends (1971 • Ten Wheel Drive With Genya Ravan)
- Ten Wheel Drive (1973)
Sources:
Artist/Album Pages:
Appaloosa were an American chamber-folk band from Boston that released a self-titled album on Col...
Kellee Patterson is an American soul and jazz singer from Gary, Ind., who released the album Maid...
The Spinners were an American soul group from Ferndale, Mich., formed in 1954. The group released ...
Peter Tessier is a Canadian songwriter, arranger, producer, and recording engineer who released th...
Guillotine were a Québécois sax-rock band that released a self-titled album on Ampex Records in 19...
Montage were an American chamber-pop/psych band from New York that released a self-titled album o...
Gladys Knight & the Pips was an American soul group from Atlanta. Members: Gladys Knight, M...
The Loading Zone was an American brass-rock-soul band that released a self-titled album on RCA Victo...
Master Cylinder were an American jazz-rock band that released the album Elsewhere in 1981. Membe...
John McLaughlin (born Jan. 4, 1942) is an English jazz-rock guitarist from Doncaster, South Yorksh...
Mike Hugg is an English musician, songwriter, and singer, best known for his tenure in Manfred Mann ...
Blue Öyster Cult are an American hard-rock band from Long Island that released 11 studio albums an...