Hawk was a South African hard-rock/psych band behind the 1971/72 Parlophone albums African Day and Africa She too Can Cry. They included ex-Suck/Freedom’s Children guitarist Julian Laxton and Tidal Wave drummer Ivor Black. Singer Dave Ornellas fronted 1960s beatsters The Idiots. In 1973, Hawk released Live and Well, a concert set with the 15-minute epic […]
Harry Miller (April 25, 1941 — Dec. 16, 1983) was a South African double-bassist who was active on the international jazz and rock scenes for more than two decades. He first emerged as a member of Cape Town rockers The Vikings, which issued two albums on RCA Victor between 1959 and 1961. During the mid-1960s, […]
The Third Eye — alternately spelled Thyrd Eye — was a South African psych-rock band behind the 1969/70 Polydor albums Awakening…, Searching, and Brother. Drummer Robbie Pavid also played in Abstract Truth. Members: Ronnie Selby (guitar), Maurice Saul (vocals, guitar), Dawn Selby (piano, Hammond organ), Robbie Pavid (drums), Mike Sauer (bass), Richard Wright (vocals), Rijk […]
Xoliso was a South African Afrobeat ensemble that issued the 1974 album Shingwanyana on the Soweto label. They featured drummer Johnny Motuba, who later joined the jazz-funk/soul combo Kabasa. In 1982, he resurrected the Xoliso name with different personnel for one further album. Members: Johnny Motuba (drums), Abel Nkambule, Percy Monare, Gilbert Mathopa, Abraham Boikanyo, […]
Pacific Express was a South African jazz-funk/soul septet behind the 1976 EMI release Black Fire, followed by the 1977–79 Gull titles On Time! and Expressions. Their second featured veteran saxophonist Barney Rachabane. Tenor saxist Basil Coetzee made the subsequent solo album Plum and Cherry while trumpeter Robbie Jansen resurfaced in Johannesburg stars Juluka. Members: Paul Abrahams […]
Louis Moholo (born March 10, 1940) is a South African drummer who has been active on the international avant-garde jazz scene since the early 1960s. Over the years, he has backed high-profile soloists from England, Italy, Germany, and the U.S., including Archie Shepp, Cecil Taylor, Elton Dean, Enrico Rava, and Peter Brötzmann. Moholo first rose to […]
The Kalahari Surfers are a South African avant-garde/experimental rock band that juxtaposed manic, zolo-ish arrangements with strident, political lyrics. Their first proper album, Own Affairs, appeared in 1984 on the Gross National Products label, founded by frontman Warrick Sony. The 1985 followup, Living in the Heart of the Beast, drew its title from the 1975 Henry […]
Juluka was a South African mbaqanga duo comprised of guitarists/vocalists Johnny Clegg and Sipho Mchunu. The two came together in 1969 as teenagers and performed in Johannesburg for nearly a decade as Johnny and Sipho. Renamed Juluka and augmented with backing players, the duo debuted on CBS in 1979 with the album Universal Men. Eight […]
Johnny Mbizo Dyani (Nov. 30, 1945 — Oct. 24, 1986) was a South African double-bassist who emerged as one of the founding members of Cape Town jazz heroes the Blue Notes, in which he played alongside saxist Dudu Pukwana, drummer Louis Moholo, and trumpeter Mongezi Feza. Just as the Blue Notes began making waves in […]
Jabula was a London-based Afro-jazz/funk collective comprised mostly of South African and Ghanaian musicians. The band released five albums between 1975 and 1982. Star saxist Dudu Pukwana played on the first two albums, which appeared on the Caroline-subsidiary of Virgin. Subsequent releases appeared on the band’s eponymous imprint. At the peak of their activity, they […]
Demian was an American hard-rock/psych band from San Antonio that released a self-titled album on ABC in 1971. In their prior incarnation as Bubble Puppy, the band released the album A Gathering of Promises on International Artists in 1969. (See the Bubble Puppy page for the full story and Demian album section) Members: Rod Prince […]
Azteca was an American Latin-rock band from San Francisco that released the 1972/73 Columbia albums Azteca and Pyramid of the Moon. Members: George DiQuattro (piano, clavinet), Coke Escovedo (timbales), Pete Escovedo (vocals), Bob Ferreira (tenor saxophone, flute, piccolo), Wendy Haas (vocals), Tom Harrell (trumpet), Paul Jackson (bass), Errol Knowles (vocals), Mel Martin (soprano saxophone, tenor […]
Abdullah Ibrahim (Oct. 9, 1934 – June 15, 2026) was a South African jazz pianist and bandleader with a musical career that has spanned six decades. He first emerged in 1959 as part of the Jazz Epistles, which also featured trumpeter Hugh Masekela. In 1965, Ibrahim assembled the Dollar Brand Trio — the first of […]
Allen Kwela (Sept. 11, 1939 – July 1, 2003) was a South African jazz guitarist who released three albums during the 1970s. His first, Allen’s Soul Bag, was recorded with an eponymous octet and released on the Atlantic City label. Subsequent recordings appeared on the Soweto and Ring imprints. He later explored his namesake roots […]
Genevieve Waite (born Feb. 13, 1948) is a South African actress and singer who achieved cult-status opposite Donald Sutherland in the 1968 swinging London drama Joanna. In 1970, she co-starred with Elliot Gould and Paula Prentiss in the American comedy Move and also played an uncredited role in the infamous Raquel Welch vehicle Myra Breckinridge, adopted […]
Freedom’s Children were a South African psych-rock band, active between 1967 and 1973 through multiple lineups and three Parlophone albums. They traded guitarists with Abstract Truth (Ramsay Mackay, Kenny Henson), Hawk (Julian Laxton), and Rabbitt, whose Trevor Rabin achieved global fame in Yes. Members: Ramsay Mackay (bass, 1966-71, 1996), Colin Pratley (drums, 1966-73, 1990), Kenny […]
Canamii were a South African symphonic/jazz-rock studio project assembled by two local music-industry insiders, keyboardist/composer Phillip Nel and vocalist/lyricist Claire Whittaker, both of whom worked for the Johannesburg branch of EMI. The nameplate is an altered portmanteau of their respective zodiac sings — Nel being a Cancer and Whittaker a Gemini. The latter roped in […]
Dudu Pukwana (July 18, 1938 — June 30, 1990) was a South African jazz saxist and composer who rose to prominence during the mid-1960s as a member of the Blue Notes, one of the first Cape Town acts to court an international audience. Under the leadership of pianist Chris McGregor, the band morphed into the […]
Dollar Brand was the performance moniker of South African jazz pianist Abdullah Ibrahim. The name was used on most of his releases between 1965 and 1981 and also referred, collectively, to his backing ensembles during this time. In the latter sense, musicians such as Barney Rachabane, Basil Coetzee, Cecil McBee, Charles Sullivan, Enrico Rava, John Stubblefield, […]
Black Disco were a South African Afro-jazz/funk band that released three albums on The Sun (الشمس) label between 1975 and 1976. The band’s second album, Night Express, has gained a cult audience since its 2016 reissue on Matsuli Music. Included in the lineup was Dollar Brand saxist Basil Coetzee, who played concurrently in Pacific Express. […]
Batsumi were a South African spiritual-jazz ensemble that released two albums during the mid-1970s. Members: Zulu Bidi (bass), Lancelot Sello Mothopeng (piano), Johnny Masweswe Mothopeng (guitar), Thomas Thabang Masemola (flute, drums), Themba Koyana (tenor saxophone), Abel Lekgabe Maleka (drums), Buta-Buta Zwane (bongos) Discography: Batsumi (1974) Moving Along (1976)
Assagai was a London-based Afro-rock quintet comprised of three South African and two Ghanaian musicians. The band released two albums, both in 1971, on the Vertigo “swirl” label. Members included Blue Notes mainstays Dudu Pukwana, Louis Moholo, and Mongezi Feza, all concurrent players in Chris McGregor’s Brotherhood of Breath. Assagai’s self-titled debut begins with “Telephone […]
Polyrock were an American New Wave band from NYC that released two albums on RCA Victor in 1980/81 and an EP on PVC in 1982. Members: Lenny Aaron (keyboards), Curt Cosentino (bass, synthesizer), Catherine Oblasney (vocals, percussion), Billy Robertson (guitar, vocals), Tommy Robertson (guitar, electronics, violin), Joseph Yannece (drums, percussion, backing vocals) Polyrock were an […]
Olomana were an American folk-pop combo from Hawaii that released three albums on Seabird Sound between 1976 and 1980. Members: Jerry Santos (guitar, vocals), Robert Beaumont (guitar, vocals, 1973-82), Wally Suenaga (bass, 1981-present), Willy Paikuli (drums, percussion, 1981-present), Haunani Apoliona (1982-present), Discography: Olomana (1976) And So We Are (1977) Come to Me Gently (1980)
Nómo was an American modern-rock trio that made the 1985 Atco album The Great Unknown. Singer David Batteau recorded off-on as a Seventies singer-songwriter. Bassist Eric Nelson Pressly hailed from jazz-rockers the Landress / Hart Group. Members: David Batteau (vocals), Tony Humecke (drums, keyboards, vocals), Eric Pressly (keyboards, bass, vocals) Background Nómo formed in 1984 […]
Nantucket was an American hard-rock band from Jacksonville, NC, that released three albums on Epic between 1978 and 1980, followed by an album apiece on RCA and Executive during the subsequent five-year period. The band’s rhythm section departed after the Epic trilogy for the rock trio PKM. Members: Eddie Blair (saxophone, keyboards, vocals), Mark Downing […]
Wynd Chymes were an American soul-funk band that made the 1982/83 RCA albums Arrival and Pretty Girls, Everywhere. Background Wynd Chymes formed in 1973 in Jackson, Mississippi, when musicians at Jackson State University converged as The Family. The group included members of the university’s Sonic Boom of the South marching band. They later replaced the […]
Wood Brass & Steel were an American soul-funk band from Hartford, Conn., that released a self-titled album on Turbo Records in 1976, followed by a second title on Sugar Hill in 1980. Members: Skip McDonald (vocals, guitar), Barton Campbell (guitar), Otha Stokes (saxophone, flute), Randy Bost (trumpet, flugelhorn), Hubert Powell (keyboards, backing vocals), Doug Wimbish […]
Wild Cherry was an American funk-rock/soul band that released four albums through 1979 on Epic/Sweet City. In 1976, they scored a No. 1 hit with “Play That Funky Music.” Members: Robert Parissi (lead vocals, guitar), Ben Difabbio (drums, vocals, 1970-75), Louie Osso (guitar, vocals, 1970-73), Larry Brown (bass, vocals, 1970-73), Larry Mader (keyboards, vocals, 1970-73), […]
Sunrize was an American soul-funk band that released a 1982 self-titled album on the Boardwalk Entertainment Co. Members: David Townsend (lead guitar, rhythm guitar, backing vocals), Everett Collins (drums, keyboards, vocals), Kevin Jones (congas, percussion), Ronnie Scruggs (lead vocals, keyboards), Tony Herbert (bass) Background Sunrize formed around 1981 on the East Coast when drummer-vocalist Everett […]
Unlimited Touch was an American soul-funk band that released the 1981–83 Prelude albums Unlimited Touch and Yes, We’re Ready. Members: Audrey Wheeler (vocals), Philip Hamilton (guitar), Tony Cintron (drums), Samuel “Sandy” Anderson (bass, backing vocals), Stephanie James (vocals), Galen “Lenny” Underwood (keyboards, backing vocals) Background Unlimited Touch formed in 1980 in New York when Crown […]
‘Thesda was an American jazz-funk/soul band that released the album Spaced Out in 1979 on mastermind Thomas Crawford’s small-press Integrated Performance Systems International Incorporated. Members: Thomas Crawford (Alto Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone, Piano, Synthesizer [String Ensemble], Performer [Fife]) Spaced Out was released in 1979 on two-press Integrated Performance Systems (cat# IPSI 5044). Side one features five […]
The System was an American synth-funk duo that released the 1983–85 Mirage albums Sweat, X-Periment, and The Pleasure Seekers, followed by the 1987–89 Atlantic discs Don’t Disturb This Groove and Rhythm and Romance. They scored club hits with “It’s Passion,” “You Are in My System,” and “The Pleasure Seekers,” plus four Top 10 R&B hits: […]
Sunshine People were an American soul-funk band that released a self-titled album on the tax-scam label Album Globe Distribution Co. in 1980. The band were previously known as Gaston, releasing an album under that name in 1978. After the Sunshine People project, the band would morph into The Pied Piper of Funkingham for one further […]
The S.S.O. Orchestra were a Belgian studio-based funk ensemble that released two albums on RKM/Shady Brook in 1975 and 1976. Members: John Sluszny (producer), Ralph Benatar (arranger) Discography: Tonight’s the Night (1975) Shine Your Light (1976)
Splendor was an American soul-funk band that released a 1979 self-titled album on Columbia. Members: Bobby Nunn, Billy Nunn, Richard Shaw, Sasha Meeks Background Splendor emerged in early 1978 in Buffalo through sessions behind the solo debut by Rick James, who hired keyboardist brothers Billy and Bobby Nunn for the project, along with singer Sasha […]
Sounds of the City Experience were an American soul-funk quintet from the Bronx, N.Y., that released three singles on self-press Sounds of the City Music during the mid-1970s. The band’s singular, self-titled album appeared on tax-scam label Tiger Lily in 1976. Background Sounds of the City formed in 1963 in New York City around musician-composer […]
The Reddings were an American funk trio from Macon, Ga., that included two sons of soul legend Otis Redding. The band released four albums on CBS-subsidiary Believe In a Dream between 1980 and 1983, followed by two further albums on Polydor during the late 1980s. Members: Dexter Redding (bass, vocals), Otis Redding III (guitar), Mark […]
Shock was an American synth-funk band that debuted with an album on Nebula Circle Records in 1980, followed by three further albums on Fantasy between 1981 and 1983. Members: Marlon McClain, Roger Sause Background Shock formed in January 1979 in Portland when former members of the local groups Ice and Brothers and Friends joined a […]
Seven Seas were an American jazz-funk ensemble that released one album, The Miami Sound, in 1976 on Glades. Background Seven Seas emerged from the T.K. Productions studio operation in Hialeah, Florida, in 1975 as a group assembled from company musicians. House producer Willie Clarke worked with permanent T.K. rhythm sections whose players backed multiple artists […]
The Salsoul Orchestra was an American Latin-funk ensemble from N.Y.C. that served as the house band of namesake Salsoul Records, releasing ten albums on the label between 1975 and 1982. Members: Charles Apollonia (violin), John Bonnie (saxophone), Edward Cascarella (trombone), Roger DeLillo (trombone), Don Renaldo (strings), Bobby Eli (guitar), Jack Faith (flute, arranger), Larry Gold […]
The Rhythm Makers were an American soul-funk band from the Bronx that released the album Soul on Your Side on Vigor Records in 1976. The band morphed into GQ for three further albums between 1979 and 1981. Members: Emanuel “Rahiem” Leblanc (lead vocals, guitar), Keith Crier (vocals, bass), Kenny Banks (vocals, drums), Herb Lane (vocals, […]
Love to Play and Sing is an album by Kiwi art-rock/pop combo Salty Dogg, released in 1977 on EMI. Tracklist: A1. “Face the Music” A2. “I Like It” A3. “Writing to You” A4. “Searching for You” A5. “Love to Play and Sing” A6. “How Long Can This Go On?” B1. “Genesis” B2. “Born to Boogie” […]
Esoteric Funk is an album by American jazz-funk keyboardist Hubert Eaves, released in 1977 on East Wind. Tracklist: A1. “Call To Awareness” (7:06) A2. “Painfull Pleasure” (5:31) A3. “Slow Down” (5:10) B1. “Flead Dancing” (6:20) B2. “Song For Marlene” (5:17) B3. “Under Standing” (5:32) Credits: Hubert Eaves — piano, fender rhodes electric piano, synthesizer, Clavinet, […]
Black Widow was an English organ-psych band from Leicester that released three albums between 1970 and 1972 on CBS. In a prior incarnation as Pesky Gee, the band released the 1969 album Exclamation Mark on Pye. Members: Clive Jones [aka Clive Beer-Jones] (saxophone, flute), Jess “Zoot” Taylor (organ, 1969-73), Jim Gannon (guitar, vocals, 1969-72), Bob […]
Panaché was an American soul-funk duo that released the 1979 album This Is Panaché on self-press Roché Records. Members: Debra Thompson, Freddie “Fred” Thompson Background Panaché formed in Brooklyn, New York, in the late 1970s around guitarist-trumpeter Freddie Thompson, keyboardist Douglas Glover, bassist Jonathan Lloyd, and singer Debra Thompson. Freddie Thompson studied classical trumpet and […]
Prince Charles & The City Beat Band were an American synth-funk group that released the 1980 album Gang War on Solid Platinum Records, followed by the 1982–84 Virgin albums Stone Killers! and Combat Zone. Members: Prince Charles Alexander, Kim Davis Background Prince Charles & the City Beat Band formed in Boston in 1979 when manager […]
The Politicians were an American soul-funk/psych band from Detroit that released a self-titled album on Hot Wax in 1972. Members: Clay Robinson (organ, trumpet), McKinley Jackson (trombone), Melvin Griffin (piano, saxophone), Roderick “Peanut” Chandler (bass, saxophone), Zachary Slatter (drums) Discography: The Politicians featuring McKinley Jackson (1972)
People’s Choice was an American soul-funk band from Philadelphia. They reached the R&B chart in 1971 with “I Likes to Do It” on Phil-L.A. of Soul, then signed with Philadelphia International subsidiary TSOP in 1974. People’s Choice scored a No. 1 R&B hit in 1975 with “Do It Any Way You Wanna” and recorded three […]
The Running Man was an English rock trio that released a 1972 album on RCA. Guitarist Ray Russell hailed from Rock Workshop and cut subsequent albums in the super-combos Mouse and Chopyn. Members: Ray Russell (guitar, bass, vocals, piano), Alan Greed (vocals, piano, organ, bass), Alan Rushton (drums) Discography: The Running Man (1972)
Ozone was an American soul-funk band from Nashville that released five albums between 1980 and 1983 on Motown. Members: Benny Wallace, Jimmy Stewart, Charles Glenn, Thomas Bumpass, William White, Ray Woodard, Greg Hargrove, Paul Hines Background Ozone formed in Nashville in 1977 with three former members of the Endeavors: bassist Charles Glenn, guitarist–singer Benny Wallace, […]
Mother’s Finest was an American funk-rock band from Atlanta that made a 1973 self-titled album on RCA Victor, followed by five studio albums and a live disc between 1976 and 1983 on Epic. They reappeared with a 1989 Capitol release and sporadic later activity. Members: Joyce Kennedy (lead vocals, percussion), Glenn “Murdock” Bailey (lead vocals, […]
Oliver Cheatham (born Feb. 24, 1948 — Nov. 29, 2013) was an American R&B singer from Detroit who released two albums with accompanying singles on MCA in 1982 and 1983, followed by a third album on Champion in 1987. Background Oliver Cheatham was born on February 24, 1948, in Detroit, Michigan, and grew up in […]
Omni was an American soul-funk band that made the 1980–82 albums Omni Says It All and All for the One on Fountain Records, followed by a 1984 self-titled release on Mercury. Members: Lawrence Hanks, West Phillips, Larry Williams, Yendor N. Yessam (aka Rodney G. Massey) Background Omni formed in Chicago in 1980 when singer-songwriter Rodney […]
Newban was an American soul-funk band that released two albums on the tax-scam Guinness label in 1977. Soon thereafter, the band morphed into Atlantic Starr for a prolific run of albums from 1978-onward. Members: Sharon Bryant (vocals), David Lewis (vocals), Jonathan Lewis (keyboards), Wayne Lewis (vocals), Koran Daniels (saxophone), William Suddeeth III (trumpet), Clifford Archer […]
Mystic Merlin was an American soul-funk band from N.Y.C., noted for their mix of music and magical acts. They made the 1980–82 Capitol albums Mystic Merlin, Sixty Thrills a Minute, and Full Moon. Members: Clyde Bullard (bass), Barry Roark Strutt (saxophone, keyboards), Leslie Dorsey (keyboards, vocals), Jerry Anderson (guitar, vocals), Keith Gonzales (vocals, harmonica), Sly […]
Mutiny was an American funk band that released two albums on Columbia in 1979 and 1980, followed by a third on J. Romeo Records in 1983. Members: Jerome “Big Foot” Brailey (drums, percussion, vocals, production), Raymond Carter (bass, vocals), Marvin Daniels (horns), Darryl Dixon (horns), Melvin El (horns), Lenny Holmes (lead guitar, vocals), Nat Lee […]
Muscle Shoals Horns were an American studio-based brass section that played backing tracks on numerous 1970s albums recorded at Muscle Shoals Sound Studio in Sheffield, Alabama. As an autonomous funk unit, the band released Born to Get Down on Atlantic-subsidiary Bang Records in 1976, followed by Doin’ It to the Bone on Ariola in 1977. […]
James Mtume (January 3, 1946 – January 9, 2022) was an American jazz percussionist, keyboardist, composer, and producer with Seventies-era stints behind Miles Davis, Pharoah Sanders, Sonny Rollins, Gato Barbieri, and Eddie Henderson. He debuted as a bandleader with the 1972 Strata East release Alkebu Lan: Land of the Blacks, recorded with Gary Bartz and […]
The Memphis Horns were an American brass/woodwinds ensemble that originally served as a house act at Stax Records. As an autonomous unit, the band debuted with an album on Cotillion in 1970, followed by the 1972 album Horns for Everything on Million Records Inc. Between 1976 and 1979, the band released four albums on RCA. […]
Mammatapee was an American soul-funk band that made the 1980 Whitfield Records albums Mammatapee! and On the One. Members: Ella Faulk, Isy Martin, Mark Kenoly, Walter Downing Background Mammatapee formed from the Los Angeles band Bump City, whose later lineup included singer-keyboardist Walter Downing, singer-guitarist Isy Martin, bassist-singer Mark Kenoly, and drummer Jimi Valdez. Downing […]
Moonlyte was an American Latin-rock/psych band behind the 1974 album Better Late Than Never on Astro Records. Members: Miguel Fanego (keyboards), José Battle (bass), Pedro Pino (guitar), José Luis Toledo (vocals, percussion), Juan Merida (vocals), Juan Soto (percussion), Edgar González, Frank Garcîa, Juan González, Felix Toledo, Enrique García (drums), Frank Schuckert, Manuel Diaz, Félix Marrero […]
Minority Band was an American soul-funk septet from New Jersey that released the 1980 album Journey to the Shore on self-press JSR. Members: Chris Miller (lead vocals, guitar), Cliff Mancle (keyboards, backing vocals), David Peek (trombone, lead vocals), Fredreick King (trumpet, backing vocals), James Stevens (flute, soprano saxophone, alto saxophone, backing vocals), Rich Echols (bass), […]
Mind & Matter were an American soul-funk band from Minneapolis that released a standalone single on self-press M&M in 1977. Around this time, the band recorded a batch of demos that were ultimately released 35 years after the fact by archivists Numero Group. Members: – Discography: “I’m Under Your Spell” / “Sunshine Lady” (1977) 1514 […]
MFSB — an acronym for Mother Father Sister Brother — was an American jazz-funk big band that served as the house orchestra for Philadelphia International Records during the 1970s. They played on recordings by Billy Paul, Dexter Wansel, The Ebonys, Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes, The O’Jays, The Spinners, The Three Degrees, and The […]
Lowrell Simon (March 18, 1943 — June 19, 2018) was an American singer and songwriter from Chicago who first emerged as a member of soul act The Vondells during the mid-1960s. Between 1970 and 1972, he released two albums on Brunswick with smooth-soul foursome The Lost Generation. As a solo artist, he issued a soul-funk […]
Samurai was a Japanese psych-rock band from Tokyo that released a clutch of 1968–70 singles on Nippon, London, and Philips as Miki Curtis & The Samurais. Under the mononymous nameplate, the band released two albums on Philips in 1970/71. Bassist Tetsu Yamauchi subsequently played with Free and the Faces. Members: Miki Curtis (vocals, flute), Joe […]
Psycho were a Greek New Wave/art-pop duo comprised of vocalists Dora Antoniadis and Stefanos Kotatis. The band issued the album Montage Fatal in 1982 on WEA Records with backing by multi-instrumentalist Stamatis Spanoudakis. The nameplate derived from the album’s opening track “Psycho Killer,” a cover of the Talking Heads song. Though initially a one-album project, […]
Kashmere Stage Band (KSB) was an American funk ensemble comprised of students from Kashmere High School in Houston. Their director, music teacher Conrad O. Johnson, led KSB through multiple iterations over a ten-year period. After their 1969 no-label release, five studio albums and two live discs appeared through 1975 on self-press Kram Records, each in […]
Ypsilon were a Greek art-pop combo that issued the album Metro Music Man in 1977 on Philips. The band included ex-Axis bassist Dimitris Katakouzinos and former Aphrodite’s Child drummer Lucas Sideras. Members: Lakis Vlavianos (piano, Moog), Jose Sour (guitar), Dimitris Katakouzinos (bass), Lucas Sideras (drums, vocals) Discography: Metro Music Man (1977)
Trypes (Τρύπες) were a Greek rock band that was active for 18 years, starting in 1983. The band debuted with a self-titled album on Ano Kato in 1985, followed by five albums on Virgin into the following decade. Members: Γιάννης Αγγελάκας [Giannis Aggelakas] (vocals), Γιώργος Καρράς [Giorgos Karras] (bass), Μιχάλης Κανατίδης [Mihalis Kanatidis] (guitar, 1983-84), […]
Stavros Logarides (Σταύρος Λογαρίδης) is a Turkish-Greek vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, and composer who first emerged in the folk/psych foursome Poll, which issued two albums circa 1971/72. This was followed by a one-album stint with symphonic trio Akritas. In 1978, he released an eponymous solo album on Polydor with backing by members of jazz-rock combo Sphinx. The […]
Pete & Royce were a Greek symphonic/psych combo that issued two small-press albums circa 1980/81. Keyboardist Bill Ghinos (Βασίλης Γκίνος) has since become a studio owner and prominent producer/composer/backing musician. Members: Pete Tsiros (guitars, vocals), Lavrentis Tsinaroglou (guitars, vocals), Bill Ghinos (keyboards), Ilias Porfiris (bass), Fontas Hatzis (drums) Discography: Suffering of Tomorrow (1980) Days of […]
Poll were a Greek folk/psych combo that released three singles and two albums on Polydor circa 1971/72. Vocalist/songwriter Robert Williams (Ροβέρτος-Κωνσταντίνος Ουίλλιαμς) released numerous solo albums over the following two decades. Members: Stauros Logaridis (bass, vocals, guitar, piano, kazoo, percussion), Kostas Tournas (guitar, vocals, piano, organ, kazoo, percussion), Robert Williams (guitar, piano, vocals), Nasia Sandi […]
P.L.J. Band was a Greek symphonic/space-rock quintet that debuted with the 1979 self-press EP Gaspar. In 1982, the band released Armageddon, their first of two popular albums on the Vertigo label. A name-change to Termites (Τερμίτες) yielded three further albums on Virgin between 1984 and 1986. Members: Lavrentis Maheritsas (lead vocals, 12-string guitar, keyboards), Adonis […]
Morka were a Greek folk/psych ensemble that released six songs across two shortplayers in 1972 on Polydor. Two of the songs, “Winter’s Here” and “Judy,” had also been released under the band’s earlier name, Stone Deep. In 1997, the six songs were compiled with seven unreleased tracks on the archival CD There Was a Time…. The […]
Katerina Gogou (Κατερίνα Γώγου: June 1, 1940 — Oct. 3, 1993) was a Greek poet, vocalist, and actress who appeared in more than 30 movies. In 1981, she sang on the album Στο δρόμο, recorded in collaboration with composer/conductor Kyriakos Sfetsas. She died from a pill overdose at age 53. Discography: Στο δρόμο (1981)
Kyriakos Sfetsas is a Greek composer and arranger who recorded numerous classical and soundtrack works between 1974 and 1986. In 1980, he released the avant-jazz/funk album Χωρίς Σύνορα — recorded with backing by the Greek Fusion Orchestra — on Columbia. The following year, he collaborated with poet/vocalist Katerina Gogou on the album Στο δρόμο. Discography: […]
Gus Vali is a Greek-American conductor and arranger who released numerous albums of Arabic belly-dance music for United Artists and Musicor between the late 1950s and late 1970s. In 1974, he headed the album Chimera: A Fantasy in Jazz * Rock * Mid-East Sounds on Peters International. The album features contributions from guitarist Joe Beck, […]
Agapanthos (Αγάπανθος) were a Greek folk-rock/art-rock band that was active as a recording unit during the mid-1970s and again during the mid-1980s. The band released a single and self-titled album circa 1975/76 on EMI/Columbia and a second album, Επιστροφή στις ρίζες, in 1984 on Diskografikos Sineterismos Kallitehnon. The constant member through both iterations was bassist/vocalist […]
Katarina II was a Yugoslav new wave band from Beograd, Serbia, that released a 1984 self-titled album on ZKP and subsequently changed their name to Ekatarina Velika for an additional four albums. Members: Milan Mladenović (vocals, guitar), Margita Stefanović [Magi] (keyboards), Bojan Pečar (bass, 1983-85), Dragomir Mihajlović [Gagi] (guitar, 1982-84), Dušan Dejanović (drums, 1982), Branko […]
