Chicago are an American band formed in 1967; noted as one of the first rock acts with an integrated three-piece brass section. Between 1969 and 1980, they released twelve studio albums on Columbia, followed by five albums on Warner. For eleven years, they maintained the same seven members: keyboardist–singer Robert Lamm, guitarist–singer Terry Kath, bassist–singer […]
Gas Mask was an American brass-rock band from N.Y.C. that released one album, Their First Album, on Tonsil Records in 1970. Members: Bill Davidson (lead guitar), Richard Grando (winds), David Gross (saxophone), Nick Oliva (keyboards), Bobby Osborne (vocals), Enrico Rava (trumpet), James Strassburg (drums), Ray Brooks (bass, ?-1970), Lynn Welshman (trombone, 1970-?), Michael Moore (bass, […]
Steely Dan was an American jazz-rock/pop band that released six studio albums on ABC between 1972 and 1977, followed by an eighth on MCA in 1980. After a 20-year break in recording, they issued two discs of new material during the early 2000s. Debuting as a six-piece, the lineup trimmed by 1975 to the duo […]
Space Opera was an American rustic-rock band from Fort Worth, Tex., that released a self-titled album on Epic in 1973. Five years earlier, three-fourths of the band cut a folk-rock album as Whistler, Chaucer, Detroit & Greenhill. Members: David Bullock (vocals, flute, harmonica, guitar), Scott Fraser (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Philip White (vocals, bass, guitar, keyboards), […]
Willis Jackson (April 25, 1932 – Oct. 25, 1987) was an American tenor saxophonist who released more than 40 albums as a bandleader on Prestige, Muse, and other labels between 1959 and 1983. Starting under the auspices of trumpeter/bandleader Cootie Williams at the outset of the 1950s, Jackson lent his talent to other artists throughout […]
Airplay were an American studio-based melodic-rock combo that released a self-titled album on RCA in 1980. The project was headed by writer/producers David Foster and Jay Graydon, both successful with other acts at the time. Members: David Foster (keyboards, vocals), Tommy Funderburk (vocals), Jay Graydon (guitars) David Foster, Jay Graydon Credits Airplay was assembled by […]
A Euphonious Wail were an American soul-rock band from Santa Rosa, Calif., that released a self-titled album on Kapp Records in 1973. Members: Suzanne Rey (percussion, vocals), Bart Libby (organ, piano), Steve Tracy (guitar, vocals), Gary Violetti (bass, vocals), Doug Huffman (drums, vocals) A Euphonious Wail formed in 1968 and played the west coast acid-rock […]
Babylon was an American symphonic-rock band from Florida that released an eponymous album on self-press Mehum in 1978. The band morphed into Helicopter for a further self-issued title, Insect Perfect, in 1981. Members: Rick Leonard (bass, vocals, bass pedals), Doroccus (lead vocals, synthesizer, electric piano), Rodney Best (drums, percussion), David Boyko (guitar), Gary Chambers (synthesizer, […]
Stray Dog was an American hard-rock band from Fort Worth, Tex., that released two albums on Manticore in 1973 and 1974. Members: W.G. Snuffy Walden (guitar, vocals), Les Sampson (drums), Al Roberts (bass, vocals), Timmy Dulaine (guitar, vocals, 1974-76), Luis Cabaza (keyboards, 1974-76) Background Stray Dog evolved from the unrecorded an ’70s power-trio called Aphrodite. […]
Mirthrandir were an American symphonic-rock band from New Jersey that issued the album For You the Old Women on self-press Mirth Music Inc. in 1976. Members: Robert Arace (drums), Richard Excellente (guitar), Simon Gannett (keyboards), James Miller (bass, flute), Alexander Romanelli (guitar), John Vislocky III (vocals, trumpet), John Callahan (guitar) Mirthrandir formed in New Jersey […]
Quill were an American symphonic-rock trio that self-released the album Sursum Corda in 1977. Members: Keith Christian (vocals, bass, classical guitar), Ken DeLoria (Hammond organ, Moog, Mellotron, electric harpsichord, grand piano, ARP Solina string synthesizer, keyboards), Jim Sides (vocals, drums, bells, tubular bells, timpani) Quill formed in California in 1975. Their 1977 singular album, Sursum […]
Forty-Seven Times Its Own Weight were an American jazz-rock band from Austin that released the album Cumulo Nimbus on local-press Fable Records in 1975. Members: Mel Winters (trumpet), Paul Ostermayer (saxophone), Robert “Dude” Skiles (keyboards), Spencer Starnes (bass), John Treanor (drums) Forty-Seven Times Its Own Weight released their singular album, Cumulo Nimbus, on Fable Records […]
Auracle was an American jazz-rock band that released two albums on Chrysalis in 1978 and 1979. The members released an earlier album as Inner Vision. Along with The Muffins and Pierre Moerlen’s Gong, Auracle were one of the few instrumental acts of this period to make extensive use of mallets. Members: Richard C. Braun (trumpet, […]
Henry Franklin (born Oct. 1, 1940) is an American jazz double-bassist from Los Angeles who released two albums on Black Jazz Records between 1972 and 1974, followed by a third on Catalyst in 1977. As a backing player, he apprenticed with Hugh Masekela and the Three Sounds during the late 1960s and played on albums […]
Eardance were an American art-rock band from Chicago that released the album Seek Opposites on self-press Touch Records in 1982. The album is one of the earliest to feature extensive use of the Chapman Stick, played by multi-instrumentalist/bandleader Jim Jacobsen, who later became a soundtrack composer. Members: Jim Jacobsen (bass, guitar, Chapman Stick, clarinet, synthesizer, […]
Melvin “Wah Wah” Watson — aka Melvin Ragin (1950 — Oct. 24, 2018) — was an American guitarist noted for his session work on numerous jazz-funk and soul albums from the 1970s and 1980s. Deriving his stagename from the wah-wah pedal, he released the album Elementary on Columbia in 1976. Early Career A Detroit local, […]
Ramon Morris is an American jazz-funk saxophonist who was briefly active during the early 1970s. Debuting in a latter-day incarnation of Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, Morris quickly spread his talents over 1972–73 releases by Reuben Wilson, Curtis Fuller, Shirley Scott, and Woody Shaw — credits that afforded him a one-off deal with Groove […]
Travis Biggs is an American composer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist whose services were widely employed on the jazz-funk and soul circuits throughout the 1970s and early 1980s. Under his own name, he released two albums during the late 1970s. Spreading his talents over sides by John Kasandra and Bohannon, among others, Biggs adopted the little-used nickname […]
Hubert Eaves is an American keyboardist, composer, and producer who played on numerous jazz-funk and soul recordings during the 1970s and ’80s. As a bandleader, he released the coveted Esoteric Funk LP in 1977. A home-taught musician, the St. Paul prodigy emerged as sideman to Gary Bartz as part of the saxist’s NTU Troop on […]
Webster Lewis (Sept. 1, 1943 — Nov. 20, 2002) was an American keyboardist and producer who released five albums between 1972 and 1981. Sporting a master’s degree from the New England Conservatory of Music, the Baltimore-raised pianist/organist hit the scene in 1972 with spots on the Bill Evans/George Russell Living Time LP and on a […]
