Drummer Jim Fox first played with the Cleveland-area band The Outsiders but left them in 1965 to attend college. After they had a national hit the following year with "Time Won't Let Me", Fox returned temporarily to play with them after their drummer was drafted. After leaving them again to return to school, Fox, heavily influenced by the sound of British outfits, such as The Beatles, The Who and The Yardbirds, began to think about forming his own band, and teamed up with schoolmate Ronnie Silverman (guitar), bassist Tom Kriss, and keyboardist Phil Giallombardo in 1966.
The James Gang's earliest lineup consisted of drummer Fox, Tom Kriss (bass), Ronnie Silverman (guitar), Phil Giallombardo (vocals, keyboards) and, after auditioning some twenty five candidates for lead guitar, the band decided to go with Greg Grandillo. He later played with another popular Cleveland band Rainbow Canyon. He was soon replaced by Dennis Chandler, who was then succeeded by John "Mouse" Michalski who, with the Count Five, had just enjoyed a national hit with "Psychotic Reaction".
A short time later, Fox was invited to auditions for a nine piece rhythm and blues band that was being assembled. Fox initially declined the offer but changed his mind when he heard that local guitar legend Glenn Schwartz, who was fresh out of the army, was to be in attendance. After hearing Schwartz play, and hearing that two of his influences were the Spencer Davis Group and Jeff Beck, Fox was impressed and invited Schwartz to join the James Gang. However, Michalski was not as enthused by Glen's playing as Fox and left the band immediately. Ronnie Silverman soon departed as well to enter the military. Bill Jeric was then brought in to play alongside Schwartz. Unfortunately, no recordings were ever released by any of these early lineups of the band.
Around Christmastime of 1967, Schwartz, who turned out to be AWOL from the army, and was breaking up with his wife, decided to leave the band and move to California, where he ended up forming the band Pacific Gas & Electric.[2]
Just days later, shortly after the new year of 1968, a friend of Schwartz's, Joe Walsh (from a band called The Measles), knocked on Fox's door and asked to be given a tryout as Glen's replacement. Walsh was accepted and the band continued as a five piece for a short time until Giallombardo, who was still in high school at the time, left. Jeric and Walsh worked together on guitar parts but, in spring 1969, Jeric ended up leaving as well. He was replaced by a returning Ronnie Silverman, who had been discharged from the military.
On Sunday June 9, 1968, the group played a concert in Detroit at the Grande Ballroom opening for Cream. At the last minute, Silverman informed the others that he would not be joining them at the show. The band, desperately in need of the money, took to the stage as a trio. They liked their sound as a threesome and decided to remain that way.
In 1968 the band signed with manager Mark Barger, who was handling the career of a fellow Ohio band, The Lemon Pipers, who had just scored a big hit with "Green Tambourine". Barger put the Gang in touch with ABC Records staff producer Bill Szymczyk, who got them signed to ABC's new Bluesway Records subsidiary in January 1969.
In March 1969 the band, now consisting of Fox, Kriss, and Walsh and produced by Szymczyk, released its debut LP, Yer' Album.[2]
Later in 1969, Szymczyk was music coordinator for the George Englund movie Zachariah (which was eventually released in 1971), based on the novel Siddhartha by writer Hermann Hesse. Szymczyk arranged for the band to appear in the movie, with two James Gang songs, "Laguna Salada" and "Country Fever", also being used. For the recording of these two songs, vocalist Kenny Weiss, a friend of Fox's, was brought in to allowing Walsh to focus on his guitar playing. However, Weiss was gone by the time the group arrived in Mexico to film their scenes in the movie. "Laguna Salada" and "Country Fever" later reappeared as bonus tracks on the 2000 re-release of The James Gang Greatest Hits.[3]
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发表于 2020-1-11 16:04:21
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