Who Are the New South

The New South are an American Blue Grass band founded in 1973 and still active today.

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while the New South has had several lineup changes over the years, they continue to write and record blue grass music under the leadership of their founder J.D. Crowe.

To date, The New South has recorded a total of 11 albums.

Who is Danny Ben-Israel?

Danny Ben-Israel is one of the unsung heros of the psychedelic rock movement.  His 1970 album "Bullshit 3 1/4" is generally considered to be the first psychedelic album to come from a Jewish musician and is considered by many to be a masterpiece of the genera.

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Because of its groundbreaking style and strongly themed songs, "Bullshit 3 1/4" was not a commercial success, and Ben-Israel's next album "The Kathmandu Sessions" was not released for many years due to financial difficulty.  Danny Ben-Israel lives in Israel today and is still active in the music industry.

Who is Joshua Rifkin?

Joshua Rifkin is a multi-talented American composer from New York.  He was instrumental in the "rediscovery" of Ragtime in the 1970s.

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He is most remembered for his album "Scott Joplin Piano Rags" which sold over 1 million copies in 1970. He has also worked as a conductor and music arranger.  

Who Was Nick Drake?

Nick Drake was a British folk singer active from 1967 to 1974.  While very popular with critics, Drake refused to perform live and so never developed a public following.  He released three albums before retiring from public life.

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Nick Drake died in 1974 of a drug overdose but has continued to influence music.  The 1985 hit "Life in a Northern Town" by Dream Academy is based on Drake's life.  There was also a 1998 documentary about him called "A Stranger Among Us."    Curiously, and possibly due to his intense shyness, there is no know video footage of Nick Drake performing, nor any video of him as an adult.

Who Were Captain Beefheart and The Magic Band?

Captain Beefheart was on of the most influential "underground" musicians in America in the late 1960s and 1970s.   A contemporary friends and some time rival of Frank Zappa Beefheart's music was avante-garde, and difficult to place into a single category.

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His band "The Magic Band" changed members frequently.  Captain Beefheart was the act and the Magic Band were always the backup.

While never a commercial hit, Captain Beefheart had a large cult following and his exploration into multiple genera from blues to spoken word, paved the way for future musicians.   

Captain Beefheart was born Don Van Vliet and was a multi-instrument musician and composer who penned hundreds of songs.  He passed away in 2010. 

Who Were the Quick Silver Messenger Service?

The Quicksilver Messenger Services was a psychedelic rock band that came out of the same San Francisco music scene as The Greatful Dead and Janis Joplin.  They were active from 1965 to 1979.

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  While never a successful as Joplin or The Greatful Dead, Quicksilver Messanger did release eight albums during their hay day and have released several reunion albums since then.

Quicksilver Messanger Service has experienced several lineup changes, most notably the 1969 departure of David Duncan, reportedly due to Duncan drug abuse issues.

Who are The Pretty Things?

The Pretty Things are a long lived blues/rock crossover band formed in England in 1963.  While initially commercially successful in England, The Pretty Things have not had a hit since 1966's Kinks Cover "A Place in The Country."

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The Pretty Things have had a notable impact on music.  During the late 1960s they recorded music for films and were also covered by David Bowie.  He used two of their songs in 1973's  "Pin Ups."  

The Pretty Things, with several lineup changes are still together and recording today.

Who Was the Fotheringay Band?

Frotheringay was a British folk Rock band named after Frotheringay Castle in Northamptonshire where Mary Queen of Scots was executed in 1587.

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Fotheringay was composed of former members of "Ecletion," "Fairport Convention," and "Poet and The One Man Band."  They released one album in 1970 before breaking up.  Front woman Sandy Denny went on to have a solo career and the other members went on to join other groups.

Who Was the Rock Band Rhinoceros?

Rhinoceros was a band formed in Southern California by Elektra Records in 1967. Elektra was experimenting with the idea of building their own supergroup.

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Although heavily promoted by Elektra, Rhinoceros failed to produce a hit.  After 3 albums, the band broke up in 1970.

There is also a band from Chicago active now called Rhinoceros XXX.

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Who Was (Is) Lighthouse?

Lighthouse was a Canadian band formed in 1968.  They broke up in 1974 but have reformed several times since then and are currently active.

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Light house is a jazz fusion band built around a strong horn section and a vibraphone.  They cover a wide range of music from big band to classical.

Although they charted several times in the US between 1968 - 1974 they never broke into the top ten.

Who Are Blodwyn Pig

Bloodwyn Pig are a British rock, blues band most active from 1968 - 1970 but occasionally still playing together today.

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Blodwyn Pig charted in the US and Britain in 1968 and again in 1970 but have not had a hit since.  They were formed when Mick Abrahams of Jethro Tull left that band to form his own group.

What Ever Happened to Bloodrock?

Bloodrock was a locally successful band in the southern United States.  They were active from 1969 to 1975.

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True to their name, the band's music often featured bloody or gory themes.  Their biggest hit, "DOA, Everybody's Nightmare" is about a fatal driving accident.  The video features a blood soaked man dying in an ambulance on the way to the hospital after having killed his girlfriend in the same wreck only to waken at the end and find that he has dreamed the whole thing.

Musically, they can be seen as an influence on bands like Journey and Rush.

Bloodrock played a reunion concert in their home town of Fort Worth Texas in 2005.

What Ever Happened to Screaming Lord Sutch?

Screaming Lord Sutch, born David Edward Sutch was a British Musician who recorded in the late 60's and early 70's.  He is also noted at the founder and long time president of the "Offical Monster Raving Loony Party" in Britain.  As its head he ran for numerous parliament posts without much success.

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Sutch's stage show often features gothic elements such as Sutch rising from a coffin and anticipates the stage shows of later performs like Ozzy Osbourne and Alice Cooper.  Sutch was, by his own admission, somewhat limited musically and his 1970 Album, "Screaming Lord Sutch and Heavy Friends" is occasionally listed as the worst album ever recorded.

Sutch died of a self inflicted injury in 1999.

  

Charlie Manson Released an Album?

That's right everyone.  Convicted murdered Charlie Manson released an album.  Before beginning his career as a sadistic cult leader, Manson had aspirations of becoming a musician.  After his arrest for the Tate murders, the one and only Phil Kaufman got hold of the recording and had them released under the name "Lie:  The Love and Terror Cult."

Due to California laws preventing criminals from profiting from their crimes, Manson was unable to collect on the earning which were turned over to a program that assists the victims of violent crimes.

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Manson's work has been covered multiple times though buy artists ranging from the Beach Boys to Front Line Assembly and Guns and Roses.

While never successful in and of itself, given Manson's history and reputation, "Lie:  The Love and Terror Cult" has to stand out as having the most unusual origins of any rock album.

Who Was (is) Mountain?

Mountain is an early heavy metal band formed in 1969, disbanded in 1973 and then reformed several times.  They are still playing today.

Mountain's one commercial hit was Mississippi Queen which still gets airplay on classic rock stations today.

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Their 1970 album (pictured above) also has the distinction of being maybe the worst pun in the history of heavy metal.  Although not included in the original album of the event, Mountain's fourth live concert was a little gig in New York, called Woodstock.

Who Was Nina Simone?

Nina Simone was an extremely talented musician with a long and successful career.  While, her long and enduring interest in the civil rights movement kept her music out of the mainstream, she enjoyed numerous hits on the blues, jazz, and black charts.  She also enjoyed commercial success in France which is where she was living when she passed away at the age of 70.

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She is considered a pioneer in the civil rights movement, jazz, and blues.  Her training was as a classical pianist but was denied a scholarship to the Curtis Institute of Music reportedly because of her race.

Nina Simone released a total of 58 albums studio and collections and was the subject of the french film  "Nina Simone: Le Legende."

Who Was MC5?

Formed in 1963 and dissolved in 1972, the Lincoln Park, Michigan band, MC5 was know as one of the more raucous of the "Detroit Sound"

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They were stongly leftist in leaning and made their biggest mark with the song "Kick Out The Jams MotherF***ers" which was later covered by Pearl Jam, Supercute and others.

Although they broke up in 1972 and three members died young, MC5 was reformed in 2005.  This gives MC5 a side note in history as one of the longest breakup to reformations in rock and roll history.

MC5, a forgotten gem.