Book Dissects the Music—and Madness—of A-List Classic Rock Drummer Jim Gordon

Posted on April 10, 2024 by Bob Ruggiero
The short-lived Derek & the Dominos: Carl Radle, Bobby Whitlock, Eric Clapton and Jim Gordon. Record cover detail.

He was arguably rock’s greatest drummer, or at least on the short list. An inventive percussionist who lifted about everything he played on, he often came up with his drum licks, beats and fills on the spot in the studio or on stage.

He played with three of Classic Rock’s greatest collectives: Delaney & Bonnie and Friends, Joe Cocker’s Mad Dogs and Englishmen and—most memorably—as one of Eric Clapton’s playing pieces in Derek & the Dominos.

As a journeyman session musician, his skin thumping can be heard on a wide-ranging array of hit singles from “God Only Knows” (Beach Boys), “Everybody’s Talkin’” (Harry Nilsson), “Power to the People” (John Lennon) and “What Is Life” (George Harrison) to “Summer Breeze” (Seals and Crofts), “Rikki Don’t Lose That Number” (Steely Dan) and “Sundown” (Gordon Lightfoot). He also played the actual beat on “The Beat Goes On” from Sonny & Cher.

But unless you’re a liner note reader, you likely don’t know the name of Jim Gordon.

And if you Google him, you’ll see one shocking non-musical entry in his bio: On June 3, 1983, after suffering for years from paranoid schizophrenia and hearing voices, he fatally bludgeoned with a hammer and then stabbed his 71-year-old mother to death. The next year, he was sentenced to prison, eventually landing at the California Medical Facility. And that’s where he died in 2023 at the age of 77.

Utilizing first-hand interviews, court and medical records, and music histories, noted music journalist Joel Selvin unravels Gordon’s life, legacy, and liabilities in Drums & Demons: The Tragic Journey of Jim Gordon (288 pp., $28.99, Diversion Books).

“Jim is qualified to be on any elite list of ‘Greatest Drummers’ because he expanded the vocabulary of the drums beyond belief,” Selvin says via Zoom in his home office, waving a lit cigar in hand and sitting in front of shelves of vinyl records and wall posters of old rock, R&B, and blues performers.

Jim Gordon as an 18-year-old drummer in 1964. Gordon Family Personal Collecton/Courtesy of Amy Gordon.

“It’s my theory—and I’ve talked this over with doctors—is that his almost supernatural ability to divide time intuitively and precisely comes from the same electro chemical set up in his brain that his disease came from. I’m also quite clear that when he played drums, he was clear of the disease.”

So in demand was Gordon for session work that it wasn’t uncommon for him to play three sessions a day, working on three to five songs per session, six days a week, for years.

“He was there to make records hits,” Selvin notes. “Jim Gordon did not just keep time and hold the backbeat. Jim Gordon moved the drums into the fabric of the musical composition.”

Selvin says Gordon’s story was “lodged in his brain” for years. But it was only after an editor suggested that his next book be about “rock and roll and crime” did the writing wheels get set in motion. Four years later, he had already turned in the manuscript when he was hit with the news: Jim Gordon had died.

Selvin had previously reached out to composer and Gordon confidante Mike Post (who penned the themes to TV shows The Rockford Files and Hill Street Blues) to participate or act as a liaison to the family which included Jim’s first wife Jill and their daughter Amy, to no avail. But the day after Gordon died, Post reached out to Selvin (who was on vacation at the time) saying that the family wanted help with putting out a press release. The experience with Selvin went well, so they decided to participate with new interviews and opened family archives for the book. It allowed Selvin to add some more depth and detail to Drums & Demons.

“They’ve all read the book, and are powerfully affected by it,” Selvin says. “Jill said she can stop beating herself up now for thinking she didn’t help Jim enough. Jim couldn’t be helped. And for Amy, this was majorly revelatory. They were all in the blast zone of this incredible trauma.”

As the years went passing by in the ‘60s into the ‘70s, Gordon began to hear voices in his head, mostly negative and full of anger and criticism (the loudest belonging to his somewhat overbearing mother). He began to have severe mood swings, and a steady, heavy diet of drugs and alcohol didn’t help.

In one infamous incident during the Mad Dogs & Englishmen tour, while the troupe was partying in a hotel room, Gordon asked then-girlfriend, singer Rita Coolidge, to step out in the hallway. They “needed to talk.” She thought he was going to propose marriage.

Instead, he lashed out with an unexpected hard punch to her face, with enough force that it threw her body up against the wall before she crumpled to the ground. Returning to the party, he uttered “I just hit Rita.” The party didn’t stop, though one backup singer insisted that Coolidge be taken to the hospital. They continued their on-and-off affair.

It wasn’t the last injustice that Gordon would inflict upon Coolidge, and it concerns perhaps his most famous recorded bit: the piano coda on “Layla,” which features both himself and Dominos keyboardist Bobby Whitlock in a composite edit. Or, if you’re a fan of the movie Goodfellas, it’s the musical background the “Dead Bodies Scene”).

Credible evidence and firsthand recollections suggest that the music was actually Coolidge’s, from her song-in-progress called “Time.” Gordon outright lifted it and to this day, the songwriting credits only name “Eric Clapton/Jim Gordon.” Selvin is not surprised that neither Clapton nor his management have ever altered the credits (and thus the royalties) in the ensuing decades.

“Jim’s outbursts of violence [with girlfriends and wives] were not like an Ike Turner thing in using violence to control a female. They were part of a roiling personality that exploded,” Selvin says. “It’s of no small irony that the rock scene was accommodating—hospitable even!—to drug addicts, alcoholics, wife beaters and sexual deviants, but they couldn’t handle someone who was genuinely mentally ill. And [Gordon’s] psychotic behavior just melted into the background.”

Author Joel Selvin Photo by Deanne Fitzmaurice.

As the years progressed and the internal voices got louder, Gordon started losing session work due to unreliability and general angry/weird behavior while checking in and out of both medical and psychiatric facilities. He’d also go through cycles of moving all his gold records and drum kits to a dumpster by his home, vowing to get rid of them. Only to have second thoughts hours later and carry them all back inside.

In his research, Selvin had to learn almost as much about mental health and medical conditions as music. And that first one gave him the biggest surprise.

“There’s one big really fucking major thing I learned, Bob. Schizophrenia occurs in one in one hundred of the general population,” he says

“By comparison, multiple sclerosis is one in every ten thousand. [Schizophrenia] the flu of mental health. And half of those with it can’t respond to treatment. Those are the people sleeping under highways. And Jim’s case, it was about as severe and extreme as you can get.”

Selvin adds that in terms of the actual matricide, Jim Gordon wasn’t killing his mother so much as he was “extinguishing the voice in his head.”

“He lived in a different reality. The cacophony of voices, the headaches, the inability to bond with other people, and having no empathy or connectiveness to [other people]…it was all there.”

Selvin doesn’t think that “the needle has moved too much on treating schizophrenia” in 2024 compared to the ‘70s and ‘80s, but he notes that the recovery community is far more involved and organized. He also says there’s more awareness of the connection between mental illness and drug and alcohol use.

By the early ‘80s, the musician who played with a pantheon of Rock Gods and had every whim catered as part of the lifestyle was reduced to playing with a pickup band in a Santa Monica dive bar for $30 a night. And then, the murder.

For the author Drums & Demons, this project has stuck with him in a way nothing else has in his entire career. “Jim’s story really got to me. I saw into his troubled heard and realized how little compassion he was shown in his life. It became really emotional for me,” Selvin sums up.

“I like my books fine, but this one has some significance that none of my other works have. As a society, as a culture, we need to deal more honestly with mental illness,” he continues.

“Jim was in this golden place. Tall, handsome, engaged to a beautiful blond dancer in California, pulling down huge money and making important records. He was scheduled to have a wonderful, happy, and extraordinary life. But it couldn’t have been taken off the rails more thoroughly, completely, and tragically than it was.”

Originally appeared at HoustonPress.com

For more on Joel Selvin, visit JoelSelvin.com

Posted in Books, Derek and the Dominos, Eric Clapton, Jim Gordon | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

A Beatles Insider Gets His Own Story in a Titanic Tome

Posted on January 13, 2024 by Bob Ruggiero
Mal Evans with Paul McCartney in Tokyo, Japan, during the Beatles 1966 tour. The Malcolm Frederick Evans Archives/Courtesy of Dey St. Books.

Non-Beatlemaniacs who saw Peter Jackson’s 2021 Beatles documentary Get Back may have wondered just who the large, bespectacled gentleman was often in the background. He can be seen setting up equipment, writing down lyrics for bandmembers, or even fetching tea.

Later, during the climactic rooftop concert, he acts as a buffer between the Beatles and local police officers intending to shut the proceedings down. Had he not been there, one of the most famous outdoor concerts in history could have been a lot shorter.

That 6’ 3”, 205-lb. frame belonged to one Mal Evans, whose history with the group stretched back to 1962. He was working as a bouncer at Liverpool’s Cavern Club, where he befriended the then-unknown and quite scruffy foursome (his own favorite artist was Elvis Presley).

Over the years, Evans filled a plethora of roles: road manager, equipment lugger (singlehandedly lifting heavy amps and instruments), bodyguard, secret keeper, fixer, and procurer of tea, guitar picks, women, and weed for the group. He could also add confidant, travel companion, and even artistic collaborator to the mix.

Now, the life of a beloved figure in Beatles history is told by one of the group’s most expert experts in Kenneth Womack’s Living the Beatles Legend: The Untold Story of Mal Evans (592 pp., $50, Dey Street Books).

When he died, Evans left a recently- manuscript for a memoir. He also had more than 2,000 never-before-seen pictures, lyrics sheets, drawings, receipts, memorabilia, and his own detailed diaries—most of which has never been seen by anyone until now.

“When this stuff showed up, it just blew my mind!” Womack says via Zoom from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland where he was scheduled to give a presentation. A surprise guest joined him on the video—Mal Evans’ son, Gary.

Gary knew he’d found the right author for the job after decades of inquiries about the contents of those battered banker’s boxes.

Mal Evans protects Paul McCartney from an overzealous fan at San Francisco’s Cow Palace. The Malcolm Frederick Evans Archives/Courtesy of Dey St. Books.

“This guy, for me, is just the most wonderful human being, and with the most beautiful brain to do this job,” he notes. “It’s a testament to Ken that my dad’s legacy will be there. He’s been on the periphery, but now he’s front and center. The Ringo Starrs have aligned.”

Womack also conducted more than 200 original interviews for the book, many with subjects who had never spoken on the record before.

Longing to be an entertainer himself, Evans was ecstatic (despite freezing temperatures) to appear as the “Channel Swimmer” in the Beatles film Help! He also threw back and forth ideas with Paul McCartney during the birth of concepts for the Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band album and Magical Mystery Tour film.

Evans even contributed some lines a few songs, most notably supposedly “Fixing a Hole” (though he did not receive any songwriting credit). Finally, he also brought a group named the Iveys—soon to change their name to Badfinger—to the band’s Apple Records. Only to see any role as A&R man or manager wrested from him by a vengeful Allen Klein, then serving as the Beatles’ manager.

Mal Evans (left) with Beatles George Harrison and John Lennon during the recording of the “Let it Be” album at Twickenham Studios, January 1969. Screenshot from “Get Back.”

Houston pops up a couple of times in the book. Womack notes that the flat, wide-brimmed black bolero-style had that John Lennon famously wears in the last-ever group photo session was actually Mal’s, purchased in 1964 at Stelzig Saddlery in Houston (for the shoot, it was wrapped with a purple band by Mal’s wife Lil).

The other time was for an incident less charming, and points to the dark side to all that black and white footage of screaming teenage girls in the shows and on the streets.

In the frantic touring days of 1964/65, Mal would contact local police about providing enough security for the group, where things could get very hairy very quickly (and indeed, the book details many such time where the fans and the group themselves barely escaped serious injury).

When the band’s plane landed in Houston on August 19, 1965, for a pair of shows at the Sam Houston Coliseum, it was greeted by more than 2,000 frantic local fans. In their excitement, they swarmed the tarmac and indeed the plane itself—which was still running before the pilot shut it off as fans clambered all over it.

Trapped inside, the Beatles were eventually evacuated via forklift, but now exposed and were pelted with all sorts of items, thrown in adulation. A rough drop to the ground actually caused manager Brian Epstein to injure his spine.

And once they reconvened at the hotel, a furious John Lennon noted “This always bloody well happens in Texas! I told Brian before we left that we should double-check the security arrangements for Houston!”

“It’s incredible how many times he would warn city authorities. He’d go ‘What do you mean you’re only going to send two constables? And they just wouldn’t get it,” Womack says. “And that Houston story was pretty dangerous. There are so many wonderful, good sides to Beatlemania, but there is also a violent side.”

The book does great services in addressing the two primary dichotomies in the life of Mal Evans. The first is the balance between his roles as the band’s true friend, but also employee (and often, servant).

Ringo Starr and Mal Evans during the recording of the “Let it Be” album at Twickenham Studios, January 1969. Screenshot from “Get Back.”

Womack tells a story of one late night when John Lennon decided he needed some new footwear and simply commanded “Socks, Mal!” Evans went away and dutifully reappeared in the middle of the night with a packet of brightly colored socks.

“Mal had a fundamental problem. People wanted to portray him as this gofer and oaf, but he was very smart, well-read, engaged, and a great conversationalist that folks were drawn to,” Womack says.

“But he was the guy they had to have, the guy with the Rolodex who could make things happen. And every time Mal got an opportunity for himself, the Beatles would draw him back into the studio.”

The other dichotomy is the pull Mal felt between wanting to be a good husband to wife Lil and father to children Gary and Julie, but then dive head-long into the bacchanalia that surrounded the Beatles, especially when it came to women. Lil would empty Mal’s luggage after a tour to wash dirty clothes and find notes from women with phone numbers and addresses from all over the world.

Mal Evans as the “Channel Swimmer” who asks directions to the White Cliffs of Dover. Screenshot from “Help!”

And as Womack notes, when a decision had to be made between the needs of and spending time with his family versus the Beatles, he usually chose the latter.

“When I was seven, I knew my parents’ marriage had failed. So, it was kind of a sham that it went on for another almost six years before he left us for his girlfriend in early ‘74,” Gary says, choking up a bit.

“I said to him ‘Dad, you’re going to leave us.’ And he couldn’t even be honest about that. I loved the guy so much, but he treated us very badly. And I don’t think many women would have put up with that for so long.”

Mal Evans died a sudden and shocking death in 1976 at the age of 40 when he was fatally shot by Los Angeles police responding to disturbance call. A reportedly depressed and drugged Evans was found with his rifle, refused to put it down, and then purportedly raised it at officers before the fatal fusillade.

Today, with Living the Beatles Legend behind them (though a second volume featuring photos and memorabilia is on the way), both men have had epiphanies. For Womack, it’s discovering how “dynamic and intellectually curious” Mal Evans was. For his son Gary, he learned “1000% more” about his father’s life.

For a band that broke up 53 years ago, the Beatles never seem to be out of public consciousness with new projects constantly popping up.

Whether it was the Beatles Anthology, the 1 compilation, or Cirque de Soleil Love show to the Peter Jackson Get Back documentary and now the current Last Beatles Song “Now and Then” which at the time of this writing is #1 in the UK and #7 in the U.S. The Beatles—in a way unlike any of their contemporaries or bands since—are always alive.

“It’s not driven by Baby Boomers and Gen X. We’ll have social media influencers at our talk tonight who are 20,” Womack says. “And this story will be told in new and different ways forever. And new things will be discovered.”

Finally, Womack has a local connection—he grew up in the Houston suburb of Kingwood. He’ll be back in town early next year for a talk and hopes to bring someone special along for the journey.

“I’m trying to get Gary to come,” Womack laughs. “He’s never seen the Alamo!”

But alas, Gary Evans will have a different destination in mind.

“My wife wants to go to Texas to see the biggest Buc-ee’s!” he says. “They do have the cleanest restrooms in the U.S.!”

For more on Living the Beatles Legend and Kenneth Womack, visit KennethWomack.com

This interview originally appeared at HoustonPress.com

Posted in Beatles, Books | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Boogie & Blues Rockers Foghat Keep Up Their Sonic Mojo

Posted on December 26, 2023 by Bob Ruggiero
Foghat in 2023: Rodney O’Quinn (Bass), Bryan Bassett (Lead/Slide Guitar), Roger Earl (Drums) and Scott Holt (Lead Vocals/Lead Guitar). Photo by Jake Coughlin.

Turn on any Classic Rock radio station—terrestrial, satellite or streaming—and you’re sure to hear something by Foghat. The UK-bred boogie blues band scored in the ’70s with hits like “I Just Want to Make Love to You,” “Drivin’ Wheel,” “Fool for the City,” “Stone Blue,” “Third Time Lucky (First Time I Was a Fool)” and of course signature tune “Slow Ride.”

Cut to 2023 and the band, which currently features original founding member Roger Earl (drums), along with Bryan Bassett (lead guitar), Rodney O’Quinn (bass) and brand-new member Scott Holt (lead vocals/guitar) is still on the road and still making new music in the studio. Foghat has just released their 18th studio record, Sonic Mojo (Foghat Records).

“It’s in your DNA as an artist and a musician to continue being creative,” Earl says from the band’s rehearsal studio in DeLand, Florida. “That doesn’t just stop. And our fans are very tolerant of us with the [new material]. You carry on and you play. That’s what you do.”

The record features 12 tracks, evenly divided by originals (“Drivin’ On,” “She’s a Little Bit of Everything,” “Time Slips Away,” “I Don’t Appreciate You”) and covers (Willie Dixon’s “Let Me Love You Baby,” Howlin’ Wolf’s “How Many More Years,” B.B. King’s “She’s Dynamite” and even “Song for the Life” from “the Houston Kid,” Rodney Crowell).

Those first three originals were co-writes between the band and Kim Simmonds, co-founder of ‘60s-born British blues rock band Savoy Brown who—like Earl—the only member to appear on every album. The pair first met when Earl was hired for the drummer’s seat in Savoy Brown way back in 1967. It was an encounter and process he remembers to this day.  

“I auditioned and didn’t get the job, but they called me back a month or two later to try again, and I did!” Earl says.

“I turned up at the Nag’s Head pub in Southwest London and played for well over two hours. I started packing up the drums and they said, ‘Where are you going?’ I told them I had a day job. I was a commercial artist. And they said ‘We’re playing in Birmingham tonight. Welcome to the band, Rog!’”

Earl further says that he and Simmonds never had a cross word or argued, even when he and lead singer/guitarist “Lonesome” Dave Peverett left Savoy Brown together to form Foghat in 1971 with another Savoy Brown alumni, bassist Tony Stevens, and lead guitarist Rod “The Bottle” Price.

And though Savoy Brown only had three charting singles in the U.S. (though none cracking the Top 60) with “I’m Tired,” “Tell Mama” and “Run to Me,” they were much more well-regarded in their native UK. And Earl says that leader Simmonds wasn’t even that upset when he lost his entire group.

“He was OK with it. He fired Tony for some reason—Tony was always getting fired! And the band was doing great, earning between $7,000 and $15,000 a night, and that was a lot!” Earl recalls (those numbers roughly $53,000 to $114,000 in 2023). “But we never got paid for albums, recordings, writing, or co-writing, so it was time for a change.”

Earl says a meeting with Simmonds and his brother Harry (the group’s manager) didn’t go as they wanted. At a second meeting with just Harry, the pair informed him that they were leaving the group but would stay as long as Kim wanted.

“Harry Simmonds blackballed us in England. And he said we’d never work in the U.S. again, but he didn’t have that clout,” Earl laughs. “It didn’t stop us. It wasn’t Kim that was doing that. And we [reconnected] in 1976 and remained friends.”

Simmonds had played on a previous Foghat record, 2016’s Under the Influence, and expressed an interest in writing some new material with the group, which he did.

Unfortunately, Simmonds died in December of 2022 from colon cancer at the age of 75. He had been ill for some time, so was not able to actually play on any of the Sonic Mojo material he’d had a hand in creating. I spoke with him in 2017.

“It was very sad. I wasn’t able to visit him, still because of the COVID nightmare,” Earl says. “And there was a time I couldn’t even call him because they wouldn’t let any calls go through. I don’t know what that was about. Even his wife, Debbie, had a problem. But that’s another story. It’s always sad when you lose someone you’ve known pretty much all your life. He was a brilliant blues guitar player.”

Earl adds that Simmonds and Savoy Brown put out an album of original music “pretty much every year” for more than the past decade, and that example of new creativity also inspired Foghat with Sonic Mojo.

Of the covers on the album, many were selected simply from jams the band had, already familiar to members. But one of the originals—the Hank Williams’ name-invoking “Wish I’d Been There”—took the band in another direction.

Yes, it’s a country song by Foghat, written by all four members and Earl’s brother Colin, who was also a member of one hit wonders Mungo Jerry (“In the Summertime”).

“I’ve always been a Johnny Cash fan and I love country music. And we can all relate to Hank Williams,” he says. “America gave music to the world. This is the land of blues, jazz, country, gospel, folk and rock and roll. It’s a wonderful melting pot of these genres. And that’s one of the reasons that I love this country.”

And it’s been well documented how in the ‘50s and ‘60s young English teens went nuts for American music, put their own twist on it, and brought it back to these shores with bands ranging from the Beatles, Rolling Stones and Who to the Kinks, Cream and even Foghat.

Earl remembers seeing Chicago bluesman like Muddy Waters in his youth, and how he was treated like musical royalty in the UK, playing large venues Across the Pond while at the same time gracing tiny club stages in his home country.

Sonic Mojo also marks the recorded debut of Scott Holt with the band as lead singer/guitarist. But it’s really more of a promotion.

As a hedge against any member of Foghat falling ill or for some reason not able to perform (and thus leaving the band not able to fulfill concert commitments and open to lawsuits and lost income), they agreed in 2014 that each member, including Earl, would have a “stand-in” player to step in when needed.

It worked for Earl when he accidentally fell off a stage in Oklahoma and injured his back, keeping him offstage for a dozen-plus shows (subbing was Bobby Rondinelli, who worked with Blue Oyster Cult, Rainbow, and Quiet Riot). Holt was the “stand-in” for lead vocalist/guitarist Charlie Huhn, who retired last year after more than two decades of service. Though Earl has no idea what he’s up to today.

“Charlie decided he was going to retire and gave us three days’ notice. We were about to start rehearsals and had just released a live record 8 Days on the Road, so it was kind of strange,” Earl, who also spoke with me at the time of the release, says. He noted that Huhn had begun to have vocal and physical issues.

“It’s hard to say, ‘I can’t do this anymore’ or ‘It’s not fun anymore.’ So that’s what I put that down to. I haven’t heard from him since. He [quit] by sending an email to our managers saying he wouldn’t be at rehearsals. Which is kind of weird when you work with somebody for 20 years. I guess we all deal with these things in different ways. I bear him no ill will, and I hope he’s OK.”

As for the now 77-year-old Roger Earl, he has no plans to put down his sticks unless he is forced to. “I have a blast with this band. Foghat has always been about the four of us onstage, whatever the lineup was,” he says.

“Scott brings energy to the band, and he’s a ton of fun to play with. The other day we did a show in El Dorado, Arkansas. And afterwards we were backstage having a glass of wine and he said ‘Isn’t this great! We finish work and people stand up and clap and cheer. How many jobs to you get that at?’ And I think that sums it up rather succinctly!”

For more on Foghat, visit Foghat.com

This interview originally appeared at HoustonPress.com

Posted in Foghat, Savoy Brown | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

When Mark Farner Funked Up Woodstock Nation

Posted on December 23, 2023 by Bob Ruggiero
Mark Farner onstage recently Photo by Jim Summaria.

There have been three “official” iterations of the Woodstock Festival. The 1969 original that gave its name to an entire generation and spawned almost as many myths as truths; the 1994 edition that attempted to bridge the music, and the 1999 version infamous for its destruction, chaos, and bonfires.

But many “unofficial” gatherings have flown under the flag, including the California-held “Woodstock: 20 Years After” festival in 1989.

The lineup included acts that grace the stage in 1969 (Melanie, Canned Heat, Edgar Winter), others of the era (Humble Pie, Blood, Sweat and Tears, Iron Butterfly), and Mark Farner, lead singer/guitarist for Grand Funk Railroad (later shortened to Grand Funk).

Audio and video from Farner’s set has been unearthed as Rock ‘n’ Roll Soul: Live 1989 (Liberation Hall). His backing band on this date included Arnie Vilches (guitar), Lawrence Buckner (bass), Mike Blair (keyboards) and Mike Maple (drums).

Perhaps the person most surprised about this record is Mark Farner himself. He’d been told long ago that the audio/video was missing or unusable, so it was a pleasant surprise to find out otherwise.

“It’s so crisp and live and captures the spirit of the audience and captures the interaction between the audience and the band. I was just really pleased with it. I think people will embrace it,” Farner says over the phone.

From 1969 until their original dissolution in 1976, the Flint, Michigan-based meat-and-potatoes power trio Grand Funk Railroad (later shortened to Grand Funk and including drummer Don Brewer and bassist Mel Schacher) had plenty of hits.

There were originals (“I’m Your Captain [Closer to Home],” “Bad Time,” “We’re an American Band,” “Walk Like a Man,” “Rock ‘n Roll Soul”) along with covers (“The Loco-Motion,” “Some Kind of Wonderful”) and deeper FM cuts (“Paranoid,” “Mean Mistreater,” “Heartbreaker”). Many of them appear on Rock ‘n’ Roll Soul: Live 1989.

The famously sold-out Shea Stadium faster than the Beatles, and later added keyboardist Craig Frost. Over the ensuing decades, they had several full and partial reunion records and tours.

In 2000, Farner was voted out of the group by his bandmates, though each side has a different story. Farner contends it had (mostly) to do with his Christian faith and conservative political and social beliefs. Brewer and Schacher shot back it was over control and financial issues.

At the time of 1989, Farner’s invigorated faith naturally seeped into his art. He addresses it to the audience on Rock ‘n Roll Soul: Live 1989. “I want to put away a little myth, something that’s going around. Some people said ‘Man, I heard you got religion!’ I want to put that thing to rest because I want to tell you something. I didn’t get religion. I got Jesus Christ!” he says on the record.

The set includes a trio of songs “Come to Jesus,” “Judgement Day Blues,” and “Isn’t It Amazing” that would each fall into the categories of any blues, rock, and power ballad structures.

The last was written by musician John Beland for his 8-year-old daughter. Farner had heard the demo, which was more countrified in a way that Kenny Rogers might interpret it. But he knew underneath that was a rock power ballad. His studio version it nearly topped on the Contemporary Christian singles charts and was nominated for a Dove Award.

“Everyone has an occasion to pray, whether someone has been hardened or doesn’t believe. Maybe music can break through the shell of that individual and get to the softness of the heart. And that’s the hope in that song,” Farner says.

“People tell me that all the time. And I did it in bars and nightclubs and concert halls and casinos. I want to increase the knowledge of love and the chance for peace while we’re still on the planet.”

Of all the GFR songs Farner has written, probably his most lasting and impactful is “I’m Your Captain (Closer to Home).” Really two songs in one about journeys, destinations, yearning, and a sense of belonging, it was originally championed by homesick Vietnam vets and has since taken on deeper meanings than just a singalong concert bit.

Farner says the words literally come to him in a dreamlike state in the middle of the night when he was only partially conscious. And though not yet “born again” as he would be years later, he was still spiritually in-tune.

“I always keep a Steno pad by my bed. And I asked God to give me a song that would reach and touch people, and that’s the one I was given. And Brother Bob, when I was done with those words, I was completely spent. Then I slept hard!” he laughs.

The next morning, Farner says he was having coffee in his kitchen and looking at the horses on his Michigan farm when he started playing with some chords on his George Washburn acoustic guitar. He came up with the opening lick, struck on odd chord that “sounded wonderful” and froze to memorize where his fingers were. Soon, he matched words in the other room with his music and hit “record” on his cassette player.

“I took it to rehearsal that day and we worked on it. Both Don and Mel told me it was a hit. And they were right!”

Mark Farner in 2019 at a homecoming concert in Flint, Michigan Photo by Brad Shaw.

In between stints with Grand Funk Railroad, Farner spent 1994-95 as one of the still-rotating cast of players in Ringo Starr’s All-Starr Band. His group was especially full of heavy Classic Rock hitters and included Randy Bachman (Guess Who/Bachman-Turner Overdrive), Felix Cavaliere (Rascals), keyboardist and “Fifth Beatle” Billy Preston, and Starr’s son Zak Starkey on drums with multi-instrumentalist Mark Rivera.

What Farner remembers most about his time playing An Actual Beatle was not Starr’s stature in the music world, but how “normal” he was, down to coming to Farner’s apartment to meet his family before rehearsals started.

“He’s such a wonderful individual. And he’s just a regular guy. I wasn’t as much star struck as respectful. In Japan we had a press conference with the whole band at a long table. We filed in on either side or Ringo, sort of like the Last Supper!” Farner laughs.

“This young gal comes up and asks me ‘What is it like playing with a Beatle?’ And I said ‘Honey, let me tell you something. Ringo puts his pants on one leg at a time just like I do!’ Ringo stood up, came over and hugged me and was elated! From that point on. I knew I was on the right track with Ringo. To treat him as a brother, instead of as superstar.”

Unfortunately, Farner’s relationship with two other brothers—Brewer and Schacher—and not a similar Mutual Admiration Society. Farner says that for more than two decades he’s expressed a desire both to their faces and otherwise for the original lineup to reunite for one more tour. So far, to no avail.

Their current Grand Funk Railroad lineup just announced a celebration and live dates for the 50th anniversary of the single and album “We’re an American Band.” And it likely chaps Farner—who sang and wrote almost all of the band’s material—that their likely best-known hit came from the pen and mouth of Brewer.

“There’s only three guys on the planet that can make that sound and give Grand Funk fans Grand Funk. And we’re all still alive,” he offers. “We should just bury the hatchet long enough to give the fans what they can’t get from them alone or me alone. But I’m met with the same criticisms and harsh, evil words every time I present it.”

Today, Farner is concentrating on making music and playing gigs with his Mark Farner’s American Band, as well as filming segments for his “Farner’s Chords” online guitar instructions series. He’s also very excited about Rock ‘n’ Roll Soul: Live 1989.

“Man, the people were eating it up! And that started from the get-go!” he says, still marveling at the project’s rediscovery. “It’s got the energy and the love. It’s so positive. To bring that out, it’s exciting for me. I thought it was kaput for so many years. And now here it is!”

For more on Mark Farner, visit MarkFarner.com

This interview originally appeared at HoustonPress.com

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A Half Century of KISStory is Celebrated—Loudly—in New Book

Posted on December 22, 2023 by Bob Ruggiero
KISS made literal Rock Star Superheroes. Their 1976 “Destroyer” record remains their best seller. Record cover detail/Art by Ken Kelly.

If you’ve got a KISS fan on your upcoming gift list and don’t know what to possibly get for he or she (though it’s probably a he…), fear no more! Your shopping stress just got a little easier with the arrival of the fine and fantastic new glossy tome KISS at 50 by Martin Popoff (192 pp., $40, Motorbooks/Quarto Publishing).

Popoff is perhaps music journalism’s most prolific scribe, with approximately 115 books and nearly 8,000 record reviews to his credit. Though as he says upfront, this subject is particularly close to him as fan since the two bands he most cherishes are KISS and his fellow Canadian countrymen in Rush.

Taking a track from some of his previous work, instead of a straight biography (of which there are several already), Popoff instead choose 50 different events, albums, or important points in the band’s career to tell their story since their founding in 1973. And gets into the nitty gritty detail that a card-carrying member of the KISS Army can appreciate.

As in when he offers that Michael Doret, when he designed the cover for the Rock and Roll Over album, had already birthed from his mind the official logo for the New York Knicks. Or that the actor who overdubbed all of drummer Peter Criss’ unintelligible (or not recorded) dialogue lines for the now-punchline TV movie KISS Meet the Phantom of the Park was by Michael Bell, who would later lend his voiceover talents to The Smurfs cartoon.

The story is evenly told across time, with attention even given to the years that KISS was creatively afloat and out of contemporary pop culture (this includes their forays into hair metal, soppy balladry, “grunge” and—gasp!—disco.

And what makes Popoff’s writing a bit refreshingly different here is that he seems to give voice to common opinions of fans about both the high and low points of KISStory.

Popoff covers pretty much everything here, with two nitpicky omissions. He could have devoted one of his sidebar chapters to books written by and about KISS, as well as a look at the merchandising from the most-merchandised band in history. After all, there were not only dolls and lunch boxes and games and makeup kits for the original childhood fans, but later KISS condoms and deodorant. And, infamously, the KISS Kasket (which Pantera’s murdered guitarist Dimebag Darrell was laid to rest in, reportedly as a gift from the group).

As usual with Popoff’s coffee table books, this one is visually stunning with more than 300 color images. There’s plenty of posed and live shots of the band over the decades, but the fun stuff is in the ephemera: posters, advertisements, rare album and single covers, backstage passes, buttons and even patches.

And while the original foursome of Paul, Gene, Ace and Peter get the most attention (including the latter two’s in-and-outs of the lineup), other members of the family get ink as well.

Like a lot of other rock bands, the previously-announced KISS “farewell” or last tours have proven to be premature. But their current “End of the Road” world tour—begun in 2019—recently brought the party to a stop in New York City, the band’s birthplace. Most fans think this one will actually stick to that promise. Especially since at the end of the show as the flesh-and-blood KISS left the stage, they immediately introduced…Animated Avatar KISS. Who can tour forever and don’t need per diem.

The article originally appeared at HoustonPress.com

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Beck, Bogert & Appice—Classic Rock’s “Lost” Power Trio—Thunder on Live Box Set

Posted on December 21, 2023 by Bob Ruggiero
Carmine Appice, Jeff Beck and Tim Bogert during their short-lived time together as a band. Photo by and © Sam Emerson/Courtesy Rhino-Warner Music.

Though it’s been nearly a year since the sudden and unexpected death of guitarist Jeff Beck from bacterial meningitis, his former bandmate, drummer Carmine Appice, is still stunned.

Especially since the two had been working closely together on a new box set project featuring archival live recordings from their short-lived early ‘70s Classic Rock trio Beck, Bogert and Appice.

“It’s so weird. My manager had written the liner notes and we had delivered them to Jeff and his manager to look over on a Sunday. We were waiting to hear back, and he passed away on Tuesday,” Appice says from his Florida home.

“I was shocked and I felt very empty. I wasn’t in contact with Jeff all the time, but he was a part of my life. It just blew me away.”

That project comes to fruition with next month’s release of Beck, Bogert & Appice: Live in Japan 1973 and Live in London 1974 (Atco/Rhino). Available in multiple formats, it includes two discs of music recorded in each location in a handsome box that includes a hardcover book with those extensive liner notes, a reproduction Japanese show program, and a replica poster.

“I helped mix the set with Jeff’s engineers and he had personally okayed all of them. The last thing he said to me when we talked was ‘Not only is the playing great, but it’s humorous.’” Appice says. “I didn’t know what he meant. And he said he’d play something silly and Tim would answer him and I’d answer Tim.”

Carmine Appice onstage with BBA Photo by and © Barry Plummer/Courtesy Rhino-Warner Music.

Tim would be Tim Bogert, the third member of the power trio. And while he died in 2021, he knew about the project and was able to overdub some vocal fixes to the original recordings. Appice is well aware he’s The Last Man Standing now, noting he’s even saved the last two texts Bogert ever sent him.

When the names of Classic Rock’s greatest power trios are evoked, Cream, ZZ Top, the Jimi Hendrix Experience, and Rush come trippingly off the tongue. Deeper fans might also toss out Emerson, Lake and Palmer, Mountain, Blue Cheer, the James Gang, or early Grand Funk Railroad.

Rarely mentioned on that list—despite boasting what many consider as Rock’s Greatest Guitarist in the lineup as well as the rhythm section of Vanilla Fudge and the mighty Cactus—is Beck, Bogert and Appice.

Perhaps because the lifespan of that unit only lasted from 1972-74, producing only one studio record. And like many on the list, aficionados note they were better in a live situation that encouraged experimentation and improvisation.

While Bogert and Appice had sung an occasional lead vocal with their previous groups, they found themselves splitting the duties in BBA.

“We know some of the PR at the time talked about how the singing wasn’t strong, but at that time people were writing songs that jammed. The quicker you got to the jam, the better. And we had brought some of that boogie sound over from Cactus,” Appice says (though at one point, Beck’s estranged former bandmate in the Jeff Beck Group, Rod Stewart, was a possible choice from front man).

The Live in Japan set was recorded on May 18 & 19 at Osaka’s Koseinenkin Hall and had been previously released in that country only. The January 26, 1974, Live in London at the Rainbow Theatre had been broadcast across U.S. radio stations later that year, but the full tapes sat in Beck’s archives for half a century. Sessions started in January 1974 for a follow up studio record, but the group unceremoniously disbanded shortly thereafter.

The material on the box set runs the gamut from live versions of both original tracks on the BBA album (“Black Cat Moan,” “Lady,” “Sweet Sweet Surrender,” “Livin’ Alone,” “Why Should I Care”) and covers (the Impressions’ “I’m So Proud,” Stevie Wonder’s “Superstition”). Also tunes earmarked for the second studio record (“Jizz Whizz,” “Satisfied,” “Solid Lifter”). Beck also uses a talk box on several tracks—pre-Peter Frampton!

“On the Live in London set, there’s like seven new songs. And versions that were better than what we had planned for the second record,” Appice says. “I was just amazed as the power and level of energy when I heard the test pressings. And I’ve got a nine-minute drum solo. You can’t do that today. People will get up and go get popcorn!”

When BBA first got together, expectations were high. Beck was already hailed as a Guitar God for his early work in the Yardbirds and his own Jeff Beck Group. Bassist Tim Bogert and drummer Carmine Appice had bona fide pedigrees from Vanilla Fudge (“You Keep Me Hangin’ On”) and cult favorite Cactus.

England music mag Melody Maker called BBA “the first successor to Cream” while NME hailed them as “an ensemble of virtually unparalleled magnificence.” Interestingly, the trio first jammed together in 1969 and were set to form the group then, but it was put on ice when Beck was involved in a major car crash and upon recovery, formed The Jeff Beck Group without the pair.

Carmine Appice: The inspiration for the Animal the Muppet? Photo by and © Barry Plummer/Courtesy Rhino-Warner Music.

Still, to this day, Appice can dwell on what could have been if BBA stuck it out a bit longer.

“We never reached the potential we could have. It was stupid. We could never get in the studio what we wanted, and Jeff was always unhappy there,” Appice says. He notes that he and Beck would also travel to gigs together in the same car, where the American skin thumper would play English guitar slinger more experimental rock music like Mahavishnu Orchestra and Billy Cobham records.

Appice also thinks that Beck was “tired of competing with Tim” onstage when it came to their instruments. Bogert was well known for playing bass as if it were a lead on par with the guitar in terms of volume and impact. Maybe not the best move in a band that has Jeff Beck in the lineup.

After BBA, Beck would put out his solo Blow by Blow LP, his hugely successful 1975 solo effort. Appice even traveled to England and play on some tracks, but business decisions kept him off the final mix.

Jeff Beck onstage Photo by and © Barry Plummer/Courtesy Rhino-Warner Music.

“I was pissed. But then I joined Rod Stewart and ended up co-writing ‘Do Ya Think I’m Sexy’ with him’ [the pair also penned “Young Turks”]. “We had huge records and played in front of zillions of people. So, it turned out OK!”

Appice did broker a meeting between Beck and Stewart when both were on the road in the same city, and it turned out well. The former bandmates reunited on disc for a 1985 cover of Curtis Mayfield’s “People Get Ready.” Appice tells the full story on his website on one of a series of videos.

As for his previous groups, Vanilla Fudge’s biggest hit—a heavy cover of the Supremes’ “You Keep Me Hangin’ On”—got a recent boost when a considerable chunk of it was featured in perhaps the most pivotal scene of Quentin Tarantino’s 2019 film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.

Appice—who calls himself a movie buff—made sure he saw it for the first time in an actual theater, his pounding drums kicking things off on the track and the scene. And while he says it was “amazing” to see it, he notes it’s not the only time the song has soundtracked violence in mayhem onscreen.

“They used it three times in the Sopranos, the last time when they killed Phil [Leotardo]!” Appice laughs. “I said ‘Man, what is this? The Killing Spree Song?”

Today, the 76-year-old Carmine Appice remains quite busy. In addition to promoting the BBA release, he puts down original music in his new home studio, gigs/records occasionally with the current Vanilla Fudge, plays drums in “The Rod Experience” (A Rod Stewart tribute act), and holds drums clinics and speaking engagements.

He’s also finishing up production on a brand new Cactus record with their current lineup coming out next March. The discs revisits their ‘70s catalog but with an extensive group of high-profile guests including Ted Nugent, Joe Bonamassa, Steve Stevens, Dee Snider, Billy Sheehan, and Dug Pinnick and Ty Tabor of Houston’s King’s X.

“I got a lot going on!” Appice laughs. “I’m just sorry that Jeff and Tim aren’t around anymore to see this [box set] come out. They would have loved it.”

For more on Carmine Appice, visit CarmineAppice.net

This interview originally appeared at HoustonPress.com

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Mark Volman of the Turtles is Happy—Forever!

Posted on December 18, 2023 by Bob Ruggiero
The Turtles in 1967, Hollywood Bowl promo photo: Jim Pons, Mark Volman, Johnny Barbara, Howard Kaylan, and Al Nichol.

He wasn’t the lead singer—that would be his lifelong partner in music and comedy, Howard Kaylan.

He didn’t write any of his band’s many ‘60s hits like “Happy Together,” “It Ain’t Me Babe,” “Elenore,” “You Showed Me,” “You Baby,” “She’d Rather Be With Me,” or “She’s My Girl.”

And he didn’t play any traditional rock musical instrument—unless you count the tambourine permanently implanted in his head and with which he could do all sorts of acrobatic tricks.

But Mark Volman was arguably the heart and soul of the Turtles. Easily identifiable on stage and in videos with his large frame, wild frizzy halo of black hair, thick, black-rimmed glasses, and permanent smile singing the high harmony that was crucial to the band’s sound.

He tells his story—with more than a little help from his friends—in the new book written with John Cody Happy Forever: My Musical Adventures with the Turtles, Frank Zappa, T. Rex, Flo & Eddie, and More (368 pp., $24.95, Jawbone Press).

In a unique twist, Volman’s story is told largely through the 100+ interviews Cody conducted with his musical contemporaries, collaborators, bandmates, friends, lovers, ex-wives, and children. Classic Rockers Alice Cooper, Micky Dolenz, Tommy James, Leslie West, Chuck Negron and Felix Cavaliere are included.

“You never know what you’re going to say until you put pen to page, and it took a long time to feel comfortable as a writer doing this. But I wanted to try something new here,” Volman says from somewhere out on the road. “In this, you think ‘Well, what’s a true story? What’s not a true story?’ I enjoyed the shift.”

The format has its risks because while most of the remembrances are positive or factual, not everyone interviewed sings his praises. Volman is sometimes painted as greedy, shifty, a cheating husband and an absent father, control freak, substance abuser, and ego tripper.

“There is that. And some of it also vindicates me. But only a few people stepped out to air their hostility,” he says. “There’s a lot of different layers there. I just hope that people enjoy it.”

Fans certainly enjoyed the Turtles and their offbeat and always on display sense of humor, even if the rock cognoscenti of then (and now) dismiss them for daring to be fun or include comical interludes and satirical songs onstage.

Starting as a mostly instrumental surf-rock group called the Crossfires, they became the Turtles almost as a joke because there were a lot of bands named after animals and insects.

Their first single was a cover of Bob Dylan’s “It Ain’t Me Babe,” which came out at exactly the same time Dylan’s own “Like a Rolling Stone” did. And their first gig? In front of 87,000 people on a package show at the Rose Bowl.

The Turtles’ signature tune, of course, is “Happy Together.” And as the book points out, had already been turned down by the vocal groups the Vogues, the Happenings and the Tokens.

Written by Garry Bonner and Alan Gordon, it hit #1 in March 1967. It not only became a big hit and the biggest of the Turtles’ discography, but an anthem of love and positivity in the 1960’s with an incredible afterlife in movies, TV shows, and commercials. And anytime the original recording is used, Volman and Kaylan get paid.

“It gets reborn all the time. It has a life totally of its own. We make it easy to use and realized it’s bigger than whatever we were going to earn otherwise,” he says.

“It showed us the importance of a song in a variety of different [media] and the teamwork that went into not just the performance but the songwriters who were involved. The family of Alan Gordon opened the door for us to take care of that song for them. They knew Howard and I wouldn’t sell it. And lot of offers have come through!”

While turtles can live up to 100 years, these musical ones only lasted in their original form from 1965-70, though Volman and Kaylan would use the valuable name for decades only after a lengthy legal fight for use of it.

Mark Volman and Howard Kaylan as “Flo and Eddie” at New York’s KROCK radio with guest Ozzy Osbourne (center) in 1989.

In fact, the pair seem to have spent a lot of time in court (and usually emerging victorious) concerning the band’s name, royalties, and illegal sampling in rap songs. As when De La Soul illegally sampled “You Showed Me” in their “Transmitting Live from Mars” one of the first legal motions of its kind.

And—more recently—SiriusXM Radio for playing and not offering royalties to groups on pre-1972 recordings. Kaylan and Volman lead a class action suit that in 2016 saw a judgement against the satellite radio provider and a settlement, though appeals reduced that amount.

“I truly believe the Turtles became a bit enigmatic because we were kind of outspoken about problems as a band and had a lot of problems with management. Ultimately, the business that gave us the success was the same one that [used] us,” Volman says, adding that he had to make “seven round trips” between New York and Los Angeles during the SiriusXM suit, which he called “draining.”

In fact, it seems like the pair could practically be lawyers for all the writs and depositions over the years. Most famously when they were prevented from first label White Whale from not only recording and performing as their Turtles but from using their actual real names.

Thus, copping the nicknames of two of their roadies, they became “Flo & Eddie” while working with Frank Zappa, T. Rex, and an entirely separate career as live and studio backing vocalists. Most famously adding the ‘aah-aaah’ choruses that lifted Bruce Springsteen’s “Hungry Heart.”

The book shows that Volman and Kaylan were nothing if not masters of reinvention. In addition to gigging, they segued into stints as morning DJs on New York’s K-ROCK and doing music for children’s cartoons like Strawberry Shortcake and The Care Bears.

In the 1990s while in his 40s, Mark Volman returned to school and earned a Master in Fine Arts degree from Loyola Marymount University and was named class valedictorian. He is currently an Associate Professor and Coordinator of the Entertainment Industry Studies Program at Belmont University. 

Asked what’s the #1 thing he’d tell his students today they should know that he wished he did in 1965, the answer comes easy.

“Publishing! And understanding about performance royalties and those things that can be a financial winner. You’ve got to understand that from Day One,” he offers.

Mark Volman today Photo by Blake Wylie.

Last summer, Volman is on the road as part of the oldies “Happy Together” package tour he’s had a hand in running since its late ‘80s inception. On a personal note, I saw it first in the late ‘80s on the Arena Theatre’s revolving stage, and Volman and Kaylan generously spoke for a while to my teenaged self and a friend after the show.

As usual, the “Turtles” headline, though Volman is the only reptile left. None of the original/classic members play with this group, and Kaylan retired from performing in 2017. Replacing him is Ron Dante (“Sugar, Sugar,” the Archies). Also on board at various stops are Little Anthony, Gary Puckett, The Vogues, The Classics IV and The Cowsills.

When the I interviewed Kaylan a decade ago for his autobiography, he noted that a key aspect of keeping his and Volman’s relationship good was that they didn’t socialize and kept very different hours. Volman laughs when told this.

“Even in high school back in 1962, Howard was much more in the business of going to school and I was a bit of a troublemaker!” he says. Still, it must have been hard initially to look over on stage and not see Kaylan there after a half century performing together.

“It wasn’t completely a shock, and there were times we didn’t [perform] together. Part of it was me being comfortable onstage without him. But I had done some [solo] things around Nashville,” Volman says.

“Howard had some health issues beginning to get in the way. And he had several surgeries this past year. But about two months ago, we talked about doing some podcasting together!”

This article originally appeared at HoustonPress.com

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Geezer Butler’s Lifetime of Sabbaths—and the Days of Metal In Between

Posted on December 17, 2023 by Bob Ruggiero
Geezer Butler today, trusty bass in hand. Photo by Ross Halfin.

The song opens unlike anything else that had been heard in rock music to date. The sounds of a howling wind, drizzling rain, thunder, and then the slow, repetitive tolling of a bell. Just when you think it’s a Halloween sound effects record, instruments kick in—most prevalent the deep notes of an ominous, eerie guitar. Then, the vocals of a seemingly unhinged and unbelieving narrator.

“What is this that stands before me?/Figure in black which points at me/Turn ‘round quick and start to run/Find out I’m the chosen one…Oh Nooooooooo!”

The song is “Black Sabbath.” The lead track off Black Sabbath. The 1970 debut record by…Black Sabbath (there’s something to be said for repetition in marketing). Its lyrics were mainly written by the band’s bassist, Terence “Geezer” Butler, based on an actual vision he had one night and whose title was inspired by the 1963 horror anthology film featuring Frankenstein himself, Boris Karloff.

And while Black Sabbath didn’t singlehandedly “invent” a new form of music known as heavy metal with Classic Rock Warhorses like “Paranoid,” “Iron Man,” “Into the Void,” “War Pigs,” “Children of the Grave,” and “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath,” they were certainly one of the Founding Fathers.

With a career spanning decades, commercial and critical highs and lows, an interchangeable lineup, and a body of work that still inspires and horrifies listeners today.

Butler tells the hang-on-to-your-seats story of his life, his band, and his music with unusual candor in the new memoir Into the Void: From Birth to Black Sabbath—and Beyond (288 pp., $29.99, William Morrow).

“The original book was about 500 pages long. But when we sent it to the publisher, they said ‘Oh, you can’t say that!’” Butler says on the phone from his California home. “And I said, ‘I was in Black Sabbath—not the Osmonds!’ But unless you can prove something happened with letters or whatever, it couldn’t go in the book. They were afraid of getting sued!”

For much of his time in the group from the start (though there were some hiatuses), Butler was their chief lyricist. As he writes, the band would often have the music portion formed, with singer Ozzy Osbourne making up words of the top of his head to the melody. Butler would keep some of them, but mostly put his own spin and themes into it. Since the band agreed to split credits among the four (including guitarist Tony Iommi and drummer Bill Ward), all contributed in some way, though Iommi’s riffs were often the genesis.

But toward the end of the [original lineup’s first] time together, he says that Osbourne started losing interest in Buter’s words. “He wouldn’t even read them! And when [Osbourne’s replacement after he was fired] Ronnie James Dio came in, he could write his own lyrics.”

Butler covers his early life in the very working-class area of Birmingham, England in a strict Irish Catholic family. The gloominess and drudgery of the surroundings (and not just that infamous English weather) definitely influenced both him and his future Sabbath bandmates. Even as they tried to find their musical way in early versions with names like The Polka Tulk Blues Band (??) and Earth.

Central to the band’s image and music were themes of the occult, horror, black magic and Satanism—all early interests of Butler. Though, as he writes, there’s a considerable gap between showing curiosity or interest in something and actually becoming involved with it.

Young Terence Butler Geezer Butler photo/Courtesy of Romanello Public Relations.

“It was one of those passing fads you go through as a teenager. But as a strict Catholic, I was hearing about hell and Satan all of the time already. [My interest] was like a going against your parents sort of thing,” Butler says.

“Then horrible things started happening to me and I blamed it on me getting into black magic. So, I quit it. That’s where the song ‘Black Sabbath’ came from. Don’t get involved what you don’t have control over! But it wasn’t a glamorous place where we grew up. And the music reflected that.”

Black Sabbath was notorious for shifting lineups and questionable holds on the name after Osbourne was fired from the band in 1979. Even among a group of heavy drinkers and drug abusers, Ozzy was especially out of control. And the appeal of “fun” antics like him taking a full-on shit in the elevator of a busy hotel were growing thin among his band mates and management.

The book is full of wild tales and stories, like the recording of Vol. 4, where Butler says they spent more money on cocaine than actual recording costs. Or when they first came to America and asked a perplexed cab driver where they could find “10 fags…preferably English ones” and if there were a “gift shop” nearby they could get some. “Fags,” of course, at the time was perfectly acceptable English slang for cigarettes.


And how does a boy christened Terence end up being known for most of his life as Geezer? Well, it turns out that in Birmingham, the phrase “Alright, geezer?” is the English equivalent of “What’s up, dude?” on these shores.

Second singer Ronnie James Dio quit (or was fired) after creative and management struggles. Butler did mend fences with him and in the 2000’s successfully toured and recorded as Heaven and Hell with the Heaven and Hell/Mob Rules lineup of Dio, Iommi, Butler, and drummer Vinny Appice. The quartet chose not to fly under the “Black Sabbath” name for fear of litigation from Osbourne’s formidable wife/manager, Sharon.

Butler and his wife, Gloria, would also frequently socialize with Dio and wife Wendy. And the Butlers accompanied the Dios to Houston when Ronnie sought treatment for stomach cancer at MD Anderson hospital. The rapidly-forming disease would eventually kill him in 2010.

“Ronnie and I had our ups and downs in the band. But outside of the business and outside of music, Ronnie and Wendy were really good friends of ours,” Butler says. “He was really scared. Up until that time he thought it was just a stomachache. And when he got diagnosed, the best place in America to go for cancer treatment was Houston. I’m really glad that we went with him and checked him in.”

Butler and Osbourne Geezer Butler photo/Courtesy of Romanello Public Relations.

Black Sabbath made one final record, 2013’s 13, started a final world tour dubbed “The End” in 2016, and wrapped up their career with two final shows at the Genting Arena in their hometown of Birmingham. Onstage were Osbourne, Butler, Iommi, and…Tommy Clufetos on drums.

Founding member Bill Ward declined to take part in the tour after publicly stating he’d been given and “unsignable contract” by Sharon Osbourne and band management, likely involving his compensation. Barbs were traded in the press for months.

In Into the Void, Butler muses that perhaps the contract was deliberately meant to fall not in Ward’s favor as a way to eliminate his involvement (there were questions if the drummer—who had a series of physical ailments over the years—could handle the strenuous job). Butler says he has no inside information and doesn’t know what the contract terms were.

“We asked him if he’d do two or three songs a show or whatever he felt comfortable doing. And he said he’d do the whole show or nothing at all. And I totally respect that. If they told me to do two or three songs on bass and go away, I’d have told them where to go!” Butler says. “All I know is Bill was in the band, then me and my wife went to Hawaii for a week, and when we got back, Bill wasn’t in the band anymore.”

Finally, Into the Void makes a nice circular round when Geezer Butler proudly watches his own granddaughter play none other than Black Sabbath’s “Iron Man”—at her Catholic school no less. Well, Butler does write that the song was at least partially inspired by the thought of Jesus Christ coming back. Though not in a particularly happy or forgiving mood.

“She had the whole school choir singing it!” Butler laughs. “That was very strange for me. I thought people would be looking at me as if I was the devil or something!”

This interview originally appeared at HoustonPress.com

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Firefall Focuses on Famous Friends & Family

Posted on December 15, 2023 by Bob Ruggiero
Firefall 2023: Steven Weinmeister, Jim Waddell, Jock Bartley, John Bisaha, and Sandy Ficca. Photo by Firetours, Inc.

The country-tinged classic rockers in Firefall first ignited their musical ember in 1974. That means they’ve had nearly five decades worth of touring with other bands, while various members have also played with big-name artists or been in noted groups.

The band is best known for a trio of big ‘70s hits, all written by original guitarist/vocalist Rick Roberts (“You Are the Woman,” “Just Remember I Love You,” and “Strange Way”). As well as some more minor charting tunes (“Livin’ Ain’t Livin’,” “Cinderella,” “Mexico”).

On Friends & Family (Sunset Blvd.), their latest record set for release next month, the group pays homage to acts they’ve crossed paths and guitar wires with over the years with 13 cover tunes. But they’re not straight covers—all have been “Firefalled up” to reflect the band’s own sound.

“The truth is, I know how to make good Firefall records. The main thing about this album was to treat these songs and the bands that made them with respect and love and reverence,” guitarist/singer Jock Bartley offers. “To do right by them. But give them a sound like us.”

Friends & Family includes material from frequent tourmates like Fleetwood Mac (“World Turning”), Lynyrd Skynyrd (“Simple Man”), the Marshall Tucker Band (“Can’t You See?”), and the Band (“Chest Fever”).

And groups that current or former members were part of like Spirit (“I Got a Line On You”), Heart (“What About Love”) and the Byrds (“I’ll Feel A Whole Lot Better).” Tunes by pals and collaborators Dan Fogelberg, the Doobie Brothers, the Flying Burrito Brothers, Gram Parsons, and Loggins & Messina also make the cut.

Jock Bartley Photo by Firetours, Inc.

There are musical tweaks. An accordion intro to “Simple Man” gives the song a more down-home feel. “My mom was an accordion player!” Bartley laughs. It is also the record’s first single. Slide guitar replaces synthesizer parts from “What About Love” Bartley’s own playing doesn’t exactly replicate those original versions either.

“I’m aware that I’m playing these guitar parts originally done by amazing players like [Marshall Tucker Band’s] Toy Caldwell and Lindsay Buckingham and Jim Messina and Dan Fogelberg,” Bartley says.

“And Randy California’s signature solo for ‘I Got a Line on You?’ I used to play that song when I was in a club band in college! Later, I got to know Toy a little bit. We’d compare Les Paul guitars!”

Friends & Family also features guest appearances by former members of Heart, Bad Company, Chicago, Desert Rose Band, the Subdudes, and the bands of Kenny Loggins and Elton John.

The last time we spoke with Firefall was for the release of 2020’s “Comet”, their first original studio effort in over 25 years. Since then, original member Dave Muse died from cancer in 2022 and near-original member Mark Andes retired.

That leaves Bartley with Last Man Standing syndrome. Though it’s not for the first time.

“I was the last man standing when everybody quit in the ‘80s and into the ‘90s. And I kind of didn’t like that. It was great when David would come back for a year or Mark came back,” he says.

“I’ve even heard arguments that we’re a Firefall cover band and not the original guys. Michael [Clarke] died. Rick and Larry [Burnett] aren’t in good voice and don’t perform anymore, and David passed away,” Bartley offers. “I don’t feel bad about continuing. We sound like Firefall in 2023. And when this project was put in front of us, we couldn’t pass it up!”

The current lineup includes members who have been on-and-off with the band since the mid-‘80s and in addition to Bartley include Steve Weinmeister (co-lead vocals/guitar), John Bisaha (co-lead vocals/bass), Sandy Ficca (drums), and Jim Waddell (flute/sax/keyboards)—on his fifth stint with Firefall.

“I tell you, the vocals on this record with Steve and John as the main singers, we can do anything. They’re fantastic,” Bartley says. Though he himself does sing lead on “Can’t You See,” “I’ll Feel a Whole Lot Better,” and album closer “Ooh Las Vegas.”

Of course, as scores of Classic Rock-era bands have discovered, putting out new music only brings in limited results. The records are usually sold only to diehard fans or at the gigs, and there’s no radio station on the ground or in the sky that will play it. That leaves more contemporary social media and streaming as the only way to get this music heard to new potential buyers.

“The truth is, moneymaking on royalties for selling albums doesn’t even figure into [a reason for] putting out new music. The industry and publishing is so weird now. Songwriters and publishers used to make fortunes back in the ‘70s and ‘80s. You could make millions,” Bartley says.

“That’s all gone now. Look at Toto! They put out new music, and there’s no support or airplay. The station will just play ‘Africa’ again. Same with the Doobie Brothers! Even the Eagles only had one new airplay song with [2007’s] Long Road Out of Eden.”

Instead, he says he looked at picking and playing the tunes on Friends & Family as “an opportunity and a challenge.” He also admits that though he’s “in his seventies and pretty arthritic,” he wanted to “burn” with his playing on the record where it counted.

Mortality is on the mind. Bartley says he turned in the final tapes for Friends & Family just over a year ago. And just in that time a number of people in the bands covered on the record have died: Christine McVie, Gary Rossington, David Crosby, and Robbie Robertson.

In fact, Bartley says that two of his favorite tours ever were when they opened for Fleetwood Mac on the massive Rumours stadium jaunt, and on the Band’s last tour. But he plans on continuing the tributes in Firefall’s future.

“I got a scoop for you too, Robert! We’re at the start of making Friends & Family II!,” he says.

“I’ve got a list going, and it will definitely have the Byrds’ ‘So You Want to Be a Rock ‘n’ Roll Star.’ We’ve got another song by Fleetwood Mac and one from Stephen Stills. I also want to do a Beach Boys song. Brian Wilson came out to see us in Japan once. But I don’t want to do any of the car songs.”

Firefall onstage recently Photo by Firetours, Inc.

As for their own hits, Bartley knows that’s the band’s bread and butter which brings people to their live shows. And while other bands often try to “reimagine” their hits to stave off boredom or lethargy, he says Firefall will not mess with the music—or people’s memories.

“As a bandleader, I know there’s a lot of people in the audience paying to hear ‘You Are the Woman’ and ‘Just Remember I Love You’ just like the records. Some bands like to change it up and the crowd doesn’t recognize it until two minutes in!” he says.

“We do have room every night on solos to stretch out and be spontaneous. But I’ve been playing ‘You Are the Woman’ the exact same way for 45 years!

For more on Firefall, visit FirefallOfficial.com

This article originally appeared at HoustonPress.com

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Celebrating Quadrophenia—The Who’s “Other” Rock Opera

Posted on December 14, 2023 by Bob Ruggiero

It’s not the Who’s most famous rock opera—that would be the one about the deaf, dumb and blind kid with great flipper action, Tommy. Nor is it the great “What If?” never-assembled rock opera—that would be Lifehouse, most of which ended up on Who’s Next, considered the band’s greatest album.

“Quadrophenia” record cover

After that pair came 1973’s Quadrophenia which, in a way, was closest to the band’s own history and background. Written entirely by guitarist/singer Pete Townshend and performed with bandmates Roger Daltrey, John Entwistle, and Keith Moon, it harkens back to the band’s own origins in England’s Mod youth movement.

With a penchant for short haircuts, smart suits, parkas, Italian scooters, and a love of R&B music and speed pills, the Mods also favored UK bands like the Kinks, the Small Faces, and the Who, who in turn adapted Mod looks in their image and themes in their music (at least early in their careers).

Everything about the writing, recording, and touring of Quadrophenia—as well as its lengthy afterlife and how it fits into the Greater Who History—is explored in Martin Popoff’s The Who & Quadrophenia (176 pp., $50, Quarto Press).

Over the course of four LP sides, Quadrophenia tells the story of a young Mod in 1964 named Jimmy as he struggles with his life, parents, girlfriend, buddies, rivals in “The Rockers,” and purpose in life. Before reaching a conclusion that’s open to interpretation about his ultimate fate.

The “Quadrophenia” title came from the fact that Townshend recorded part of the rock opera in the new quadrophonic sound system, but also a play on the word “schizophrenia.” In the songs, Townshend introduces four aspects of Jimmy’s personality, each one to mirror a specific member of the Who. Timely, as band relations weren’t always the best—and even got physical at some points.

The ultra-prolific Popoff, as usual, leaves no detail unexplored in his latest in a series of high-quality coffee table books. This one with its own slipcase and featuring 150 photos of the band in posed, casual, and live shots, along with ephemera like record covers, posters, and ticket stubs.

There’s also plenty about the filming and reception of the 1979 movie adaptation. A straight drama with the Quadrophenia tunes used as background or narrative progressors, it starred a then-unknown 19-year-old named Phil Daniels as Jimmy, with an on-the-cusp-of-fame Sting playing the role of the Mod’s former top dog, “Ace Face,” now reduced to working as a bell boy at a posh London hotel.

In short, while its text on the rock opera and the band is delivered in small-but-convenient bite-sized chapters, The Who & Quadrophenia, shines a fine light on Pete Townshend’s sonic meditation. A work not only about his and the Who’s own past, but also identity, mental health, anxiety, and youthful lusts and longings for a future.

This article originally appeared at HoustonPress.com

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