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Matthew Kelly formed Kingfish to play some bluesy rock and roll in early 1974. Rather unexpectedly, he had been joined at its inception by his old pal Dave Torbert, who would leave the New Riders of The Purple Sage at their high water mark in order to join up with Kelly. Torbert and Kelly had been in bands in 1968 and '69, so they had plenty of history, but it was still a surprising move for Torbert. In the Fall of 1974, there was a bigger surprise: Bob Weir, a teenage school friend of Kelly's, asked to join forces with Kingfish, since the Grateful Dead were on hiatus. By the end of 1974, Kelly was working with two well-known rock stars in his band.
From late 1974 through mid-1976, Kingfish found an audience of Deadheads eager for some danceable rock and roll. Kingfish played steadily in the Bay Area, toured around the country and released an album on the Grateful Dead's Round Records label. The album, distributed by United Artists, was quite successful, even though poor distribution and doubtful accounting from UA left much to be desired. By the middle of 1976, however, the Dead's hiatus was over. The members of the Dead were looking forward to playing live again, and of course their organization was completely broke. They were ready to play and they needed the money, so the Dead returned to the stage in June and July of 1976.
Initially, Bob Weir continued to perform with Kingfish in July and August of 1976. Nonetheless, Kingfish had already played some gigs around the Bay Area as "the Kingfish Quartet," indicating in nightclub ads that Weir wouldn't be playing with them. So Kingfish was preparing for a future without Weir, or at the very least with him as only a part-time member. The Grateful Dead got serious about touring at the end of September 1976, and Kingfish moved on from Weir. Weir would eventually return to the group in 1980, and was a part-time member after 1984.
Remarkably, however, Kingfish soldiered on for the next several years. While not nearly so high profile as they had been with Weir, they released two more albums, played numerous concerts, toured Europe and the United States playing major arenas as an opening act and had a following of their own in the States. This post focuses on the live performances of Kingfish from Weir's departure in August, 1976 through February 1979, when Matthew Kelly left the band. I have detailed posts on the performance history of Kingfish prior to this period. The previous post, covering Kingfish from January through August 1976, can be found here. For a complete list of the performance history of Matthew Kelly and Kingfish, see the Appendix below.
Initially I only had the scarcest of information about the 1976-78 period, but that was rectified by the astonishing research of David Kramer-Smyth, without whom this post would not have been possible. Also, thanks to Roy D, who sent me some great information on the '77 Rainbow tour, and to those behind the Ronnie James Dio site and the Electric Light Orchestra histories, who provided valuable information about the major tours that Kingfish was on.
Anyone with additional information about Kingfish performances during this period, whether they are eyewitness accounts, additions, corrections, reflections or just interesting speculation, please include them in the Comments. Flashbacks are always welcome.
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| Kingfish In Concert, a double cd released by King Biscuit Flower Hour Records in 1995, remains the definitive document of Bob Weir's time in Kingfish. The set has the complete concert from Kingfish's April 3, 1976 show at the Beacon Theater in Manhattan (part of which was broadcast on KBFH) |
Kingfish Performance History, August 1976-February 1979
August 1, 1976 Calderone Theater, Hempstead, NY: Kingfish [Sunday]
The Grateful Dead's summer tour had ended at the Orpheum in San Francisco on July 18. Weir immediately went out for a short East Coast tour with Kingfish. Weir played at least five July dates with the band, and then a Sunday night show in the well-conquered territory of Long Island, where Kingfish and The Grateful Dead had played many times before. The next night the Grateful Dead would play Colt Stadium in Hartford, CT. August 5, 1976 My Father's Place, Roslyn, NY: Kingfish/Graham Parker and The Rumor (Thursday)
David Kramer-Smyth found an ad for Kingfish and Graham Parker for August 4 and 5. Since the Dead played at Roosevelt Stadium in Jersey City on August 4, Kingfish must have canceled, or possibly played without Weir. But David found a commenter on a Graham Parker site who recalls them opening, so the August 5 show must have happened.
August 6, 1976 The County Carousel, Stanfordville, NY: Kingfish [Friday]
DKS found a listing in the Poughkeepsie (NY) Journal.
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| August 26, 1976 SF Examiner listing for the Long Branch |
August 27, 1976 Long Branch, Berkeley, CA: Kingfish [Friday]
DKS found what appears to be the final show for Bob Weir with Kingfish for the next 4 years. The Long Branch Saloon, at 2504 San Pablo Avenue (at Dwight Way) was an infamous music address for Berkeley. Members of the Grateful Dead only played the Long Branch occasionally, since it was just two miles from the Keystone Berkeley, and the clubs competed with each other. Given the way it was booked, without fanfare, I don't think Weir necessarily planned this as his last gig with the band, but that's the way it worked out.
August 30-31, 1976 Golden Bear Saloon, Huntington Beach, CA: Kingfish/Grinderswitch (Tuesday-Wednesday)
The Golden Bear was at 308 Pacific Coast Highway in Huntington Beach, an Orange County town midway between Long Beach and Newport Beach. It had been a legendary club in its own right going back to the mid-60s. Weir and Kingfish had played there many times.
In Fall '76, the remaining Kingfish was a quartet:
Robbie Hoddinott-lead guitar, vocals
Matthew Kelly-harmonica, guitar, vocals
Dave Torbert-bass, lead vocals
Chris Herold-drums
Grinderswitch was a bluesy ensemble from Macon, GA, founded by former Allman Brothers Band roadie Joe Dan Petty. Not surprisingly, they were signed to Capricorn Records, and would have just released their third album Pullin' Together. They weren't a bad band, but they never managed to break out of the second tier. Besides Petty on bass and Dru Lombar and Larry Howard on guitars, this configuration included ex-Elvin Bishop Group organist Stephen Miller.
The odd double booking of two bands with albums on a weeknight suggests some kind of showcase for record companies or booking agents.
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| September 12, 1976 listings for the LA Times |
September 15-16, 1976 Starwood, W. Hollywood, CA: Kingfish Quartet (Wednesday-Thursday)
The Starwood, at 8151 Santa Monica Boulevard (at North Crescent Heights Blvd), had been a West Hollywood club called PJ's in the '60s. By 1973, it had changed its name to the Starwood, and was owned by a notorious character named Eddie Nash. The Starwood was open until 1981, and is famous for breaking lots of punk and metal bands. Lots of now-famous bands, as well as now-infamous bands, played the Starwood. But like any club, it was open most nights of the week and booked all sorts of acts. Kingfish played Wednesday and Thursday. Disco singer Vickie Sue Robinson ("Turn The Beat Around") played Monday, while the legendary Runaways (with Joan Jett and Lita Ford on guitars) were playing Tuesday.
Note that the band is billed as "Kingfish Quartet," an implicit admission that Weir would not be present.
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| Joel Selvin's September 19, 1976 column in the SF Chronicle announced that Kingfish would be recording a new album. Selvin also mentioned that Weir was no longer a member, as Kingfish would record as a quartet. |
The September 19 Chronicle had an item from music columnist Joel Selvin, who noted that Weir had left Kingfish. Selvin wrote "Grateful Dead guitarist Bob Weir has left Kingfish, and the band will record its second album as a quartet." While Weir had a peculiar part-time status in any case, his departure was not insignificant. In this window, the Grateful Dead's self-financed record company had disintegrated, and their deal with United Artists was effectively terminated.
According to Round Records documentation in the Grateful Dead Archives (at UC Santa Cruz), the contract for the Kingfish album was for Bob Weir and Dan Healy to produce the record as independent contractors. Dave Torbert and Matthew Kelly signed on behalf of Kingfish. While Weir ultimately received approximately the same amount of royalties as Torbert and Kelly, the contractual arrangement kept clear boundaries for Weir, with the Grateful Dead and Kingfish as two independent entities.
Kingfish, as we will see below, ended up remaining with a wing of United Artists Records. The Grateful Dead were urgently looking for a new record company, and Weir would have needed to be as unencumbered as possible. Thus a formal "announcement" in the local paper helped emphasize that Weir was a free agent along with the other Dead members (the Dead would ultimately sign with Arista Records by the end of 1976).
September 24-25, 1976 The New Riverside Back Room, Santa Cruz, CA: Kingfish (Friday-Saturday)
The Riverside was a Szechuan Restaurant in Santa Cruz, fondly recalled by Banana Slugs of that era, just across the San Lorenzo River from downtown (on Barson and Riverside). As you can see from the Santa Cruz Sentinel ad above, there was both a lounge and a "Back Room," which was kind of like a pub (if one that served spicy Chinese food). Robert Hunter and Roadhog had played the night before Kingfish (attended by esteemed scholar CryptDev, who recalled the club).
Kingfish may have played a few more low-key club dates, but in general they went to ground. Around this time, drummer Chris Herold retired as a professional musician. Herold had played with Torbert in the New Delhi River Band from 1966 thru '68, and then with Torbert and Kelly in various bands (such as Horses and Shango) afterwards. Herold, a confirmed Pacifist, had driven a hospital truck in the early 70s as an alternative to military service, and only drummed a little bit on weekends. Around 1973, however, he had returned to full-time drumming with Kelly, in Lonesome Janet and then Kingfish. Herold had great left-foot time and a good blues feel, and his understated style had fit very well for Kingfish. After a decade, however, it seemed time for him to move on. Ultimately he was replaced by Dave Perper, but I don't know anything about Perper's background.
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| A logo for the Jet Records label. Jet Records was formed by UK manager Don Arden, and mainly featured groups like ELO and Black Sabbath. The US subsidiary (formed in 1974) was distributed by United Artists Records, although Jet moved distribution to CBS (Columbia) in 1978. |
Jet Records
In the Fall of 1976, the Grateful Dead dissolved what was left of Grateful Dead Records, and moved from United Artists to Arista. Somehow, Kingfish ended up on Jet Records, which was distributed by UA. Matthew Kelly was kind enough to speak to me in February 2022 about the history of Kingfish, and even he couldn't remember how they ended up on Jet. Kingfish, however, was a stand-alone act and had released a successful album on Round. Granted, Weir had been a member of Kingfish on their debut, but the album had sold pretty well. It's possible that Kingfish wound up on Jet as a kind of consolation prize from UA (Kelly couldn't recall, but he thought that was plausible). At this time, Jet was expanding from the UK to the US, and was surely looking to expand their roster with any promising US rock bands. Apparently, Kingfish was the first US band signed by Jet.
Matt Kelly told me in 2022 that he had hired an attorney in 1978 who had found evidence that United Artists owed him significant royalties for the Kingfish album. It remains a little known fact that Gold Records were effectively "requested" by record companies, and if they had good record sales and did not want to pay them out they would simply not request "Certification" from the RIAA (the sanctioning body). Kelly had good reason to think that the Kingfish record would have sold enough to qualify for a Gold record. To some extent, Ron Rakow's recollection about the history of Round Records bears this out. Rakow recalled (on the Deadcast) that Round received an award from a magazine for the Kingfish album having been added to the most FM radio playlists in early 1976. In this era, radio play equaled record sales. The Kingfish album had good sales, too, and maybe really good sales. So it makes sense that Jet Records would have been interested in picking up Kingfish.
The Jet Records label run by an absolutely legendary English band manager named Don Arden. Arden had been the manager of the Small Faces in the 1960s, among many others. According to legend, Arden's business practices included bribing djs, threatening to throw Eric Clapton's manager out of a second story window and many other thuggish procedures. Arden made huge amounts of money for his bands, but his bands saw almost none of the money, because Arden frittered it away and kept dubious account books. Arden also consorted with numerous gangsters. The source for all these terrible stories about Don Arden, is, in fact, Don Arden, mainly in his 2007 biography Mr Big. In the mid-70s, Arden's principal lieutenant was his daughter Sharon. In 1978, Sharon Arden ran off with one of Don's most popular acts, Ozzy Osbourne, later becoming infamous herself as Sharon Osbourne and the reality TV show with her family.
Back in '76, Jet Records biggest act was Electric Light Orchestra. Kelly recalled the band being ushered down to Los Angeles to meet Arden, in early '77 or so. Arden greeted them on a raised golden chair, like a throne, and lectured the band that he was indeed important. Arden made it clear that they should do whatever he told them without question and not screw up.
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| Bob Weir appears on the back cover of Kingfish's March 1977 Jet Records album Live 'N' Kickin' |
Live N Kickin'-Kingfish (Jet Records) 1977
In March 1977, Jet released a Kingfish album called Live 'N' Kickin'. The album consisted of material that had been recorded live at the Roxy in March, 1976. The cover of the album suggested the band was a quartet, and that Bob Weir had "guested" on two numbers (of 10). An attempt was made to remove Weir's contribution to this recording, since he had left the group. His lead vocals were retained, as were his guitar parts on songs where he sang lead vocals. Other guitar parts were removed but they are slightly audible as they were also audible on the drum track. His picture appears on the back of the album cover.
This oddly dishonest record was a throwback to the old '60s record industry, assuming that fans would believe anything on the back of the album. Of course, Don Arden had been one of the Kings of the '60s record industry, at least in the UK, so it was somewhat par for the course. No band members were named on the record, but Dave Torbert and Matthew Kelly were listed as the producers, which fits what we know as their partnership arrangement with Round.
May 14, 1977 Winterland, San Francisco, CA: Dickey Betts and Great Southern/Kingfish/38 Special (Saturday)
A new edition of Kingfish made a high profile debut in the Bay Area. They were second on the bill at Winterland, not playing in some local dive as they had before. Dickey Betts and Great Southern were touring behind their second Arista album, Atlanta's Burning Down. The Allmans were not nearly as big as they had been a few years earlier, but Betts was still popular in San Francisco. Openers 38 Special, having just released their second album (Special Delivery) were also a rising band, featuring Donnie Van Zandt (the brother of the Lynryd Skynyrd singer). This was a good booking for Kingfish, a sign of record company clout. There may have been a stealth club gig warmup, but as far as I know this was the debut of the new lineup, with Barry Flast on keyboards and Dave Perper on drums joining Torbert, Kelly and Robbie Hoddinott.
Kingfish's performance was a debacle. Robbie Hoddinott was not present. The official line was that he was "sick," although the general feeling around the Deadhead world was that Hoddinott had taken too many drugs. Now, in fact, Hoddinott did have very serious health problems. None of these health problems were helped by his bad habits. Whatever happened on this night, it seems to have happened at the last minute. An unprepared Kingfish had John Cipollina guesting on lead guitar (along with singer Pam Tillis, a pal of Cippo's), but the tape tells us clearly that Kingfish was faking it. This was their high profile moment and they blew it.
May 20-22, 1977 Whisky-a-Go-Go, W. Hollywood, CA: Kingfish (Friday-Sunday)
Kingfish was booked for a weekend at the infamous Whisky-A-Go-Go in West Hollywood. Bands never made money playing the Whisky, but it was the easiest place for the industry to see a new band. If typical practices were followed, Jet would have put numerous djs, talent agents and scene-makers on the guest list and bought them drinks.
Kingfish brought in guitarist Michael O'Neill to replace Hoddinott. I assume this was done immediately, and he had a quick week of rehearsal. O'Neill, a bluesy guitarist who was a good slide player, was from Wichita Falls, TX, but had moved to the West Coast in the 1960s and played with a variety of bands.
The new lineup wasMichael O' Neill-lead and slide guitar, vocals
Matt Kelly-harmonica, guitar, vocals
Barry Flast-keyboards, vocals
Dave Torbert-bass, vocals
Dave Perper-drums
Barry Flast had come from the Boston area, and in 1968 he had been in a band with guitarist Billy Squier called The Tom Swift Electric Band. The group was booked regularly at an infamous club called The Psychedelic Supermarket, and opened for many well-known touring bands. Flast ended up in San Francisco a few years later, playing piano and organ with various groups. He even had a brief stint with Kingfish in Summer '74, playing with them in Juneau, AK, prior to Bob Weir joining the band. Now he had joined them again, sharing some of the lead vocals along with harmonies. I don't know anything about Dave Perper's musical history prior to Kingfish.
Sometime in late May Kingfish played the Quadrangle, booked with the New Riders of The Purple Sage and the Flying Burrito Brothers. The New Riders, along with Torbert, had in fact played a free concert at the Wash U Quad back on May 13, 1970, although I suspect that neither Torbert nor the Riders recalled it. The Flying Burrito Brothers configuration at this time may have included Bobby Cochran on lead guitar, himself a future member of Kingfish (the Burritos' 1977 album would be released under the band name Sierra).
May 30-31, 1977 Bottom Line, New York, NY: Kingfish (Monday-Tuesday)
The Bottom Line, at 15 W 4th Street in Greenwich Village, was Manhattan's showcase rock club from its opening in 1974. John Rockwell of the New York Times gave Kingfish's Monday night show a favorable, though not enthusiastic, review in the June 1 paper:
Kingfish is a band with strong associations with the San Francisco rock scene—the Grateful Dead and the New Riders of the Purple Sage in particular —so its appearance Monday and yesterday at the Bottom Line, just before tonight's world premiere of the Grateful Dead's movie, is all the more appropriate.
But Kingfish now is mostly a new band, because only Dave Torbert, the bass player, and Matthew Kelly, a singer and guitarist, remain from the original configuration Barry Flast, another singer and the keyboard player; Mike O'Neill, the lead guitarist and Dave Perper, the drummer, are new.
The band's music on Monday was primarily instrumental, a funky, jumping, high‐energy jazzish rock akin to that of Stuff or Little Feat. At the moment the vocals are down‐played, although Mr. Flast seems to have a pleasant, guttural baritone.
There's nothing wrong with all this, and at times Kingfish's execution had a genuine intensity. But the trouble with this whole genre is that it tends to sound faceless, and Kingfish falls right into that trap.
June 2, 1977 The Cellar Door, Washington DC: Kingfish/Valerie Carter (Thursday)
June 3, 1977 The Cellar Door, Washington DC: Kingfish/Legendary Cowboy Folk (Friday)
This brief Northeastern tour by Kingfish followed record company orthodoxy at the time. The band played two-night stands at high profile clubs in New York, DC and Boston (below). The goal was to attract dj and critical attention. It certainly worked in New York, as they were reviewed in the Times. The Cellar Door was a tiny club--just 163 seats--at 34th and M Street NW. Despite or perhaps because of it's tiny size, it was a popular place for record companies to highlight their new acts. Valerie Carter, for example, had just released her second album (Wild Child, on Columbia), and she was opening for Kingfish on Thursday.
June 4, 1977 Lighthouse, (unknown city), PA: Kingfish (Saturday)
We're not even sure which Pennsylvania town the Lighthouse was in. It's pretty likely we are missing several tour dates over the next two weeks.
June 9, 1977 Hoffman Beach House, Point Pleasant Beach, NJ: Kingfish (Thursday)
Of course, not every gig was high profile. Some of the bookings were just to make a few bucks and build audiences out in the trenches. In the Summer, Jersey Shore destinations like Point Pleasant Beach (10 miles South of Asbury Park and 75 miles East of Philadelphia) were busy, prosperous places. Anyone there was on vacation and looking to go out.
June 15-16, 1977 Pauls Mall, Boston MA: Kingfish (Wednesday-Thursday)
Paul's Mall was Boston's showcase club, just like the Bottom Line was for Manhattan. 733 Boylston Street was the entrance to a pair of side-by-side nightclubs, the Jazz Workshop and Paul's Mall. The Jazz Workshop, at least, had opened in 1963. Paul's Mall wasn't large, but its location ensured that performers regularly got reviewed in the paper.
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| From the July 24 '77 SF Examiner |
July 25, 1977 Miramar Beach Inn, Half Moon Bay, CA Kingfish (Monday)
Kingfish was setting out on a big European tour, so they probably played this out-of-the-way gig to try out some new material. The Miramar Beach Inn was a tiny place that had "name" rock bands on Monday nights. The rest of the time it mostly featured locals. I'm pretty sure that this was the former Ocean Beach Motel, at 131 Mirada. If so, in the late 60s and early 70s it had been known as The Spouter and then the Shelter Inn. There were very few substantial buildings in Half Moon Bay at the time, so I assume it was the same (note that the address is just "Coast Highway, Half Moon Bay," which I assure you was all that was necessary).
August 13, 1977 Sierra Beer Hall at The Hofbrau, Squaw Valley Lodge, Olympic Valley, CA: Kingfish (Saturday)
Kingfish had regularly played the Lake Tahoe area when Weir had been in the band. Lake Tahoe was full of vacationers in both the Summer and Winter, mostly from Sacramento and the Bay Area suburbs, so gigs could be pretty lucrative. Once again, I think this was used as a warm-up gig for the band, rather than specifically a money maker (although they were probably paid pretty well).
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Rainbow Rising, by Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow, was the second album by the band, released on Polydor in 1976. It was a hugely popular record, but after heavy touring, bandleader Blackmore fired bassist Jimmy Bain and organist Tony Carey (retaining singer Ronnie James Dio and drummer Cozy Powell). Their search for a new bass player unexpectedly affected Kingfish. |
European Tour with Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow, Summer/Fall 1977
The playbook for breaking a band in the '70s was having them open for a larger band on a major tour. The idea was that even if only half the crowd paid attention to the opening act, that was more than would hear them playing at a nightclub. In 1975, former Deep Purple guitarist Ritchie Blackmore had left that band to form his group Rainbow, joining forces with singer Ronnie James Dio. Dio's band Elf had opened for Deep Purple on tour in the early 70s. Dio, from upstate Cortland, NY, would go on to become a metal legend himself, but at this time he was just becoming a star with Rainbow. The band's 1976 album Rising (their second) had made them into stars in the US, UK, and Europe. An opening slot on a Rainbow tour would be coveted by rock managers on multiple continents.
Ritchie Blackmore and Rainbow were on Polydor, and had no connection to Jet Records. Yet the story of how Kingfish came to open for them on tour is worth telling, if only to show the many levers at play in the high-stakes rock business. Deadheads tend to think of Kingfish as a sort of "Grateful Dead/Bob Weir-spinoff band," and maybe they were, but at this juncture they were part of the big money rock machine. No one rolled bigger than Don Arden.
After Rising, Rainbow had toured very successfully. Blackmore and Dio were unhappy with their band, however. The initial (1975) lineup of Rainbow had been revamped for '76, and now they revamped the that version as well. Blackmore kept drummer Cozy Powell, whom he had added 1976, but he summarily fired the bass player (Jimmy Bain) and keyboard player (Tony Carey) in early '77, without any warning. The band was busy recording their followup album, and planning UK and US tours starting in July. Rainbow hired Mark Clarke on bass (ex-Uriah Heep, among other bands), but couldn't find a keyboard player. Blackmore thus invited Tony Carey to return.
The recording sessions went poorly. Clarke's bass playing didn't meet their needs, and Blackmore ended up playing bass on much of the album himself. Carey, meanwhile, was unhappy working with Blackmore--supposedly too many practical jokes--and he left the sessions. The album was delayed, and the band wanted to tour Europe. Blackmore found David Stone (ex-Symphonic Slam) to play keyboards and one Bob Daisley to play bass. Still, some booked US dates in September had to be scrapped.
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| Australian bassist Bob Daisely was on the 1972 Chicken Shack album Unlucky Boy (London Records). Chicken Shack is largely forgotten today, a blues band led by guitarist Stan Webb, remembered only slightly for the introduction of singing piano player Christine Perfect (later better known by her married name, Christine McVie). Unlucky Boy was an excellent album. |
Australian transplant Bob Daisley had been in some second-tier UK bands, such as Chicken Shack (he was on 1972's Unlucky Boy) and Mungo Jerry (in '73). By 1975, Daisley had joined a band called Widowmaker, signed to Jet Records. Widowmaker featured ex-Spooky Tooth guitarist Luther Grosevnor, using the name "Ariel Bender" (which is the name he had used in Mott The Hoople). Widowmaker had released albums in 1976 and '77, but fell apart. Daisley got the opportunity to jam with Blackmore, probably in Los Angeles. Blackmore wanted him in the band, and he wanted him in the band right away, because Rainbow was not only recording but had a big tour coming up. But Daisley was under contract to Arden and Jet Records via Widowmaker.
Arden cut a deal. In return for letting Daisley join Rainbow, Jet not only received money ($10K, apparently), but got Rainbow to agree to let a Jet Records band open their tour. Whether or not you think Kingfish opening for Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow in Europe was optimal wasn't part of the equation. There was a deal, and basically Kingfish's opening slot was traded for Bob Daisley's services. At the time, Jet Records had Kingfish ready to tour, and made the deal, like baseball teams swapping a catcher for a relief pitcher.
The revised Rainbow tour was supposed to start with four nights at the Rainbow Theatre in London from September 18-21, but those dates were canceled. The tour would begin on September 25 in Stockholm. Nonetheless, Kingfish came over in mid-August. They spent 3 weeks at the legendary Clearwell Castle in Gloucester. The Gothic castle had been reconfigured to include recording and rehearsal studios, and Kingfish were put up there (the hosts were thanked on the back cover of the 1978 Trident album: "Very special thanks to - Bernard and Sue Yates of Clearwell castle, Gloustershire, England for inspiration and the time of our lives!" ).
August 18, 1977 Odeon, Birmingham, UK: Ted Nugent/Kingfish (Thursday)Kingfish also played a few gigs in England prior to the Rainbow tour. They were booked to open for Ted Nugent in Birmingham.
The Reading Festival, 40 miles West of London, was an annual three-day event featuring most of the bands touring around each year. There were also some big attractions from America, in this case Aerosmith and the Doobie Brothers. Kingfish definitely played (their presence is reliably confirmed), but they were probably added at the last minute, since they aren't in any of the pre-show ads. Don Arden's crew had plenty of clout, so if there was any value to Kingfish getting heard they were going to take care of it. There had been endless rain for weeks prior to the concerts, so the venue was a sea of mud. The Friday bands are listed in reverse order above--Kingfish came on after U-Boat (Woody Woodmansey had been David Bowie's drummer).
? [summer] 1977 The Marquee, London, UK: Kingfish/Clover
Kelly, when I spoke to him, specifically recalled playing the legendary Marquee club with fellow Marin residents Clover. Clover had been struggling for years, and had been unexpectedly discovered by Nick Lowe, who had thought they had broken up years before. Lowe got Clover a contract, and they spent a fair amount of time recording and touring in England. They had released their album Unavailable on Vertigo (distributed by Mercury) in March, 1977, recorded and produced by Mutt Lange in Wales. Kelly and Torbert, at least, had known Clover forever, and shared many bills with them (I saw Clover open for Kingfish at Winterland in 1975, for example). Michael O'Neill had played a little bit with Clover as well.
Kelly generally recalled that Kingfish played a few other smaller gigs around England during this period. He is sure that U2 opened for them in some joint (the timeline would fit but it's impossible to confirm).
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| In July 1977, as a placeholder, Polydor released the double live album Rainbow On State (on the Oyster Records imprint). It would reach #7 on the UK album charts. |
Rainbow Tour September 25-November 22, 1977
Rainbow began their European tour in Sweden. Rainbow was increasingly popular, even though their next album was still being recorded and would not be released until April 1978. Rainbow's previous studio album had been released way back in February '76, but their audience continued to grow. In the meantime, they had released a live album (On Stage, released July '77). Rainbow would play 41 dates in 59 days, across 9 countries. Kingfish played every date. The history of the tour is quite intricate, with various complications, but you can read about it on the first-class Ronnie James Dio site.
Matthew Kelly recalled the tour as quite difficult. While the band stayed in nice hotels, they were rushing from place to place almost every day. In general, Kelly was focused on not screwing up, in order to ensure that Don Arden did not get mad at them. Potentially, this tour was a big break for Kingfish and it was important for them to do well. Unfortunately, Dave Torbert's habits were getting the better of him. Kelly, ironically enough, was the one who had to go out in European cities and score for him, to ensure that Torbert could keep it together. Kelly spoke neither French nor German, which didn't help, but he managed to find a way, and Kingfish did not miss a date.
September 25, 1977 Konserthuset, Stockholm, Sweden: Rainbow/Kingfish (Sunday)
September 26, 1977 Scandinavium, Gothenburg, Sweden: Rainbow/Kingfish (Monday)
September 27, 1977 Chateau Neuf, Oslo, Norway: Rainbow/Kingfish (Tuesday)
September 28, 1977 Nidaroehallen, Trondheim, Norway: Rainbow/Kingfish (Wednesday)
September 30, 1977 Idraettens Hus Vejle Denmark: Rainbow/Kingfish (Friday)
October 1, 1977 Falkoner Teatret, Copenhagen, Denmark: Rainbow/Kingfish (Saturday)
October 2, 1977 Vejlby Risskov Hallen Aarhus Denmark Rainbow/Kingfish (Sunday)
October 4, 1977 Congresgebouw Prinz Willem Alexanderzaal, The Hague, Netherlands: Rainbow/Kingfish (Tuesday)
October 6, 1977 Grugahalle, Essen, West Germany: Rainbow/Kingfish (Thursday)
October 8, 1977 Sporthalle, Cologne, West Germany: Rainbow/Kingfish (Saturday)
October 10, 1977 Stadthalle, Bremen, West Germany: Rainbow/Kingfish (Monday)
October 11, 1977 Ebertshalle, Ludwigshafen, West Germany: Rainbow/Kingfish (Tuesday)
October 12, 1977 ? Friedrichshafen West Germany: Rainbow/Kingfish {didn't likely happen}
October 13, 1977 Sportshalle, Stuttgart, West Germany: Rainbow/Kingfish (Thursday)
October 14, 1977 Sportshalle, Hanover, West Germany: Rainbow/Kingfish (Friday)
October 15, 1977 Deutschlandhalle, Berlin West Germany: Rainbow/Kingfish (Saturday)
October 16, 1977 Congresszentrum, Hamburg, West Germany: Rainbow/Kingfish (Sunday)
October 18, 1977 Stadthalle Theatre, Vienna, Austria: Rainbow/Kingfish (Tuesday)
Ritchie Blackmore got in a scuffle with a security guard, and was arrested after the show and taken to jail.
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| Rainbow Live In Munich 1977, a DVD release from 2006 (fully restored in 2013), featuring Rainbow in Munich on October 20, 1977. It was filmed and broadcast on the West German TV show Rock Palast. Opening act Kingfish was also filmed, and at least one track was broadcast on Rock Palast |
October 20, 1977 Olympiahalle, Munich, West Germany: Rainbow/Kingfish (Thursday)
This show was originally scheduled for 19th October but, with bail refused in Vienna, the Munich show had to be rearranged. Ritchie was late arriving from Austria and the start was considerably delayed. After Kingfish's set, refunds were offered and it wasn't until midnight that Rainbow finally took to the stage.
Kingfish appeared on the West Germany show Rock Palast, and it appears that the Munich show was the one filmed. One pro-shot Kingfish track used to circulate on YouTube, but it's no longer available. I don't know whether more was ever broadcast, or if more Kingfish video from the Munich show even exists. The Rainbow set was broadcast, widely bootlegged, and ultimately released in 2006 as Live In Munich 1977.
October 21, 1977 Messehalle, Nuremberg, West Germany: Rainbow/Kingfish (Friday)
October 22, 1977 Rhein-Main-Halle, Wiesbaden, West Germany: Rainbow/Kingfish (Saturday)
October 23, 1977 Eulachhalle, Winterthur, Switzerland: Rainbow/Kingfish (Sunday)
October 24, 1977 Colmar Salle D'Exposition, France: Rainbow/Kingfish (Monday) - also seen listed as Marseille Salle Vallier.
October 25, 1977 Palais Du Sport, Lyon, France: Rainbow/Kingfish (Tuesday)
October 27, 1977 Porte de Pantin Pavillion, Paris, France: Rainbow/Kingfish (Thursday)
October 31-November 1, 1977 City Hall, Newcastle, UK: Rainbow/Kingfish (Monday-Tuesday)
November 3, 1977 Guildhall Lockley Grand Hall, Preston, UK: Rainbow/Kingfish (Thursday)
November 4-5, 1977 Empire Theatre, Liverpool, UK: Rainbow/Kingfish (Friday-Saturday)
November 7, 1977 Capitol Aberdeen, Scotland: Rainbow/Kingfish (Monday)
November 9, 1977 Apollo, Glasgow, Scotland: Rainbow/Kingfish (Wednesday)
November 11-14, 1977 Rainbow Theatre, London, UK: Rainbow/Kingfish (Friday-Monday)
November 16, 1977 New Theatre, Oxford UK: Rainbow/Kingfish (Wednesday)
November 17, 1977 Granby Halls, Leicester, UK: Rainbow/Kingfish (Thursday)
November 18, 1977 Bingley Hall, Stafford, UK: Rainbow/Kingfish (Friday)
November 20-21, 1977 Apollo, Manchester UK: Rainbow/Kingfish (Sunday-Monday)
November 22, 1977 Capitol Theatre, Cardiff, Wales: Rainbow/Kingfish (Tuesday)
April 16, 1978 Old Waldorf, San Francisco, CA: Kingfish/Goodman Brothers/Blessing/Eggs Over Easy (Sunday) Set Bruce Loose Benefit for Bruce Baker
Kingfish returned home after their grueling European tour. The exact timing is uncertain to me, but it looks like they recorded their first studio album for Jet Records early in the year. Trident would be released in mid-1978, but I don't know the exact date. Based on album credits, we can see that the album was recorded at The Record Plant in Sausalito with producer Johnny Sandlin. Sandlin had been a staff producer for Phil Walden's Capricorn Records. In particular, he produced a number of albums for the Allman Brothers Band, notably their hit Brothers And Sisters.
Appearing at a benefit concert was a very San Francisco thing to do, not at all a Jet Records thing to do. They probably didn't ask the permission of Jet. I don't know who Bruce Baker was, or why (or from what) he had to be set loose. The Goodman Brothers had recently moved to the Bay Area from Northeastern Pennsylvania, and included lead guitarist Steve Kimock. Nearly a decade later, Kimock would end up joining Kingfish. Eggs Over Easy was the legendary Berkeley band who had started Pub Rock in England, playing the Tally Ho in Kentish Town. Around 1973 they had moved back to the Bay Area, and they would struggle on until about 1981. Keyboard player Austin DeLone would end up playing with Elvis Costello and many other artists. Blessing is unknown to me.
It's impossible to say who was in Kingfish for this gig, besides Kelly, Torbert and O'Neill.
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August 12, 1978 North Shore Club Pavilion, Crystal Bay, NV: Kingfish (Saturday)
Presumably, Kingfish played this gig as a warmup for supporting the Electric Light Orchestra on their upcoming National tour. Although aggressive major labels like Jet discouraged club gigs, in this case they likely would have approved it as a chance to try out new material and a new lineup. North Lake Tahoe gigs could be lucrative, but they didn't attract any attention from the likes of Rolling Stone. Perhaps there were a few other Northern California club gigs around this time, but not likely in Berkeley or San Francisco.
It remains uncertain who was playing keyboards and drums for Kingfish at this time. '70s rock fans (such as me) tended to assume that when a band went on tour, whoever was on the back of the previous album went on the next tour. Jet Records had released Trident sometime in the Summer, and I myself assumed that it represented the touring version of Kingfish. I now think that was not the case. On the Trident album, Bob Hogins is listed as the keyboard player, and Joe English as the drummer. Dave Perper, the drummer in 1977, is only listed as background vocalist (Perper would later end up drumming for the band Dixie Dregs for some years).
The Trident album credits (Appendix 2 below) can be read as "meta-data." The album was recorded in Sausalito, but then "additional recording" was done at Capricorn Studios, which was Johnny Sandlin's home studio in Macon, GA. Joe English was the drummer in a Capricorn band called Sea Level, which featured various ex-Allman Brothers members. I think Sandlin returned to Macon, didn't like Perper's drumming, and had his own guy overdub it. Perper's background vocals seem to have remained. Note also that Sandlin played bass on one track (he was a fine bass player), another sign of a producer overdubbing parts he didn't like.
Bob Hogins, meanwhile (spelled Hoggins on the album cover), was a pretty good Bay Area organ player, and had played live and on record with Quicksilver, Buddy Miles, Country Joe and The Fish and others. He did not play much out of the Bay Area, however. David Kramer-Smyth found some snippets in newspapers naming different keyboard players and a different drummer. I think Hogins replaced Barry Flast, but only played on the album, and Perper left the band. My best guess at the 1978 band, at least once the ELO tour starts in August would be:
Michael O'Neill-lead and slide guitar, vocals
Matt Kelly-hamronica, guitar, vocals
David Merrill-keyboards
Dave Torbert-bass, vocals
Mark Neilson-drums
Merrill and Neilson are unknown to me. David Kramer-Smyth saw them listed as band members in the Shreveport Times (a different paper named the keyboard player as Richard Gibbs).
Electric Light Orchestra-Out Of The Blue Tour February-September 1978
Jet Records had released Electric Light Orchestra's double album Out Of The Blue in October 1977. It was ELO's 7th studio album, and it was hugely successful. It would reach #4 in the US, and by 2007 it had sold 10 million copies. ELO had an epic world tour in 1978, with a massive laser show. The tour began in Australia and New Zealand in February, moved on to Europe in the Spring, and then finally traversed the United States from June to September 1978. The lineup was the "classic" ELO, with the core quartet of Jeff Lynne, Richard Tandy (keyboards), Kelly Groucutt (bass, vocals) and Bev Bevan (drums), along with the electrified string trio of Mik Kaminski (violin), Hugh McDowell (cello) and Melvyn Gale (cello).
ELO was Jet's premier act, so they were going to use the high profile tour to showcase their own bands as opening acts. For much of the first half of the ELO tour, the opening act was a Birmingham band called Trickster (Jeff Lynne and Bev Bevan of ELO were from Birmingham). They had recorded their debut album at Rockfield in Wales, and it had been released by Jet in 1977.
For the last month of the tour, Kingfish and Trickster alternated as the opening act. The list below only indicates shows where Kingfish opened (for a complete list of the ELO tour, see the excellent ELO page here). The opening act for some dates isn't always certain, as ads often gave different information. If anyone who saw ELO during this leg who can confirm (or "dis-confirm") Kingfish's presence as the opener at these shows, please do so in the Comments. It's also possible Kingfish substituted for Trickster at a few shows that I do not have listed below.
Jet Records released a "radio only" promtional album called Jet Set, that had one side of Trickster and one of Kingfish. It is one of the few Kingfish rarities that were ever released (I have never seen a copy, nor does it have music not on the Trident lp).
August 26, 1978 Anaheim Stadium, Anaheim, CA: Electric Light Orchestra/Journey/Trickster/Kingfish (Saturday)
Outdoor rock concerts in football and baseball stadiums had risen to prominence at Roosevelt Stadium in New Jersey, and had now spread to the rest of the country. Anaheim Stadium, home of baseball's California Angels, was the first stadium in the Los Angeles area to regularly host major rock events like this. For this show, Journey was second on the bill to ELO, and both Trickster and Kingfish played. Journey had just released their fourth album, Infinity, which was their first with new lead singer Steve Perry. It was hugely successful.
September 2, 1978 Hirsch Memorial Coliseum, Shreveport, LA: Electric Light Orchestra/Kingfish (Saturday)
September 3, 1978 The Summit, Houston, TX: Electric Light Orchestra/Kingfish (Sunday)
September 4, 1978 Assembly Center, LSU, Baton Rouge, LA: Electric Light Orchestra/Kingfish (Monday)
September 5, 1978 Mississippi Coast Coliseum and Convention Center, Biloxi, MI: Electric Light Orchestra/Kingfish (Tuesday)
September 7, 1978 Knoxville Civic Coliseum, Knoxville, TN: Electric Light Orchestra/Kingfish (Thursday)
September 8, 1978 University of Dayton Arena, Dayton, OH: Electric Light Orchestra/Kingfish (Friday)
September 9, 1978 Murphy Center, Middle Tennesse State U, Murfreesboro, TN: Electric Light Orchestra/Kingfish (Saturday)
September 11, 1978 Buffalo Memorial Auditorium, Buffalo, NY: Electric Light Orchestra/Kingfish (Monday)
September 12, 1978 Veterans Coliseum, New Haven, CT: Electric Light Orchestra/Kingfish (Tuesday)
September 14-15, 1978 Madison Square Garden, New York, NY: Electric Light Orchestra/Trickster (Thursday-Friday)
The shows were advertised with Kingfish as the opening act, but eyewitnesses report that Trickster opened. The record company probably made a decision for some marketing reason
September 18, 1978 The Spectrum, Philadelphia, PA: Electric Light Orchestra/Kingfish (Monday)
Trickster opened the second night at the Spectrum (Sep 19). The ELO Tour continued on with Trickster as the opening act for the next five dates (Hampton, Capitol Center, Pittsburg Civic, Boston Garden and Providence).
September 20-21 1978 The Cellar Door Washington DC: Kingfish (Wednesday-Thursday)
Kingfish may have played a few other Northeastern club dates during their hiatus from the ELO tour.
September 29, 1978 Cumberland County Civic Center, Portland, ME: Electric Light Orchestra/Kingfish (Friday)
The Portland, ME show was the last date of ELO's six-month long world tour. Kingfish was also booked at the Capitol Theater in Passaic, NJ this night, with the New Riders and Robert Hunter, but they probably didn't play. Kingfish may not have known whether they were going to open for ELO until late in the game, so they may have been provisionally double-booked.
The Grateful Dead held recording sessions for their next album at their rehearsal hall on Front Street in San Rafael, which they had rigged out as a studio. Recording for what would become Shakedown Street had begun in late August with Little Feat's Lowell George as the producer, but schedules caught up with both him and the band. The album was finished through October (after they returned from Egypt) with John Kahn and Jerry Garcia running the board.
Matt Kelly played harmonica on "I Need A Miracle" and "Minglewood Blues," probably recorded in October. Even if Kelly and Weir were no longer playing together in Kingfish, Kelly was still part of the orbit of the Dead.
December 7-9 1978 Whiskey A Go Go, West Hollywood, CA: Kingfish/Robert Hunter (Thursday-Saturday)
Kingfish pretty much dropped off the radar after the ELO tour. Trident had gotten the "full push" from Jet Records, and hadn't garnered any FM airplay or record sales. At the time, Jet Records was going through significant turmoil. Don Arden managed Black Sabbath, but they were not on Jet. When Ozzy Osbourne left Sabbath, however, he was signed to Jet. Ozzy had a dispute with Arden, however, and Arden's daughter Sharon sided with Ozzy, and later married him. She would not speak to her father for decades, and told her children their grandfather was dead (they were surprised to bump into him on the street in Los Angeles in the late 90s). Sharon Osbourne--thanked by name on the back of the Trident album--went on to manage her husband Ozzy to great success. His most popular albums came when he collaborated with none other than Bob Daisley, who had been (inadvertently) responsible for getting Kingfish on the '77 Rainbow tour.
Kingfish played the Whisky with Robert Hunter. This was a return to their Grateful Dead "roots," so to speak. Hunter had just jettisoned his band Comfort, and was mostly touring with just his bass player.
December 14, 1978 Rancho Nicasio, Nicasio, CA: Kingfish (Thursday)
Nicasio was a tiny little community, population 100, half an hour and a million light years from San Rafael. Rancho Nicasio was an old roadhouse that had been built in the 1940s, but had only really started booking rock bands around 1977. Since Nicasio wasn't on the way to anywhere, while the hall could accommodate up to 500 patrons, the Rancho was sort of a local secret. Marin bands liked to use it for warm-up gigs. Given that I'm not even sure who was in Kingfish at this point, and the high-profile Old Waldorf gig on the weekend, I think the $1 Thursday show was more like a public rehearsal.
December 17, 1978 Old Waldorf, San Francisco, CA: Kingfish (Sunday)
I have no idea who was in Kingfish at this point, save for Kelly, Torbert and likely O'Neill. Whoever had played keyboards and drums on the ELO tour had probably moved on, since the band wasn't gigging. Of course, the list of Kelly and Torbert friends in Marin County was long, so we might recognize the names of the other band members, but no one seems to recall.
The Old Waldorf was SF's "showcase" rock club, like the Bottom Line in New York or the Roxy in LA. Kingfish had enough status to headline a show, but just on a Sunday night. Tickets were only $4.50. The Runaways were headlining two nights, and charging $5.
December 31, 1978 Winterland, San Francisco, CA: Grateful Dead/Blues Brothers/New Riders of The Purple Sage (Sunday)
Winterland closed for good on New Year's Eve. Various friends came by to jam. Matt Kelly joined in for "I Need A Miracle."
January ?, 1979 Knott's Berry Farm, Buena Vista, CA: National Association Of Music Manufacturers Convention
The National Association of Music Manufacturers held conventions every year in various cities. Mostly the events were to show off new gear to instrument stores. Well-known musicians were regular guests and often put on special performances. Bob Weir attended the 1979 NAMM Convention in Knotts Berry Farm, a theme park in Orange County (near Fullerton), as a featured guest of Ibanez. Weir had been playing a custom Ibanez guitar since at least 1976. Bobby Cochran, who had played lead guitar in the Bob Weir Band, had been introduced to Weir through Ibanez connections.
Ibanez, like most manufacturers at the show, assembled an "all-star" band of users for a concert. Ibanez' lineup included Weir, Cochran, Steve Miller, bassist Alphonso Johnson and drummer Billy Cobham. The casual group put on an hour-long show, with a somewhat rotating cast. Weir sang a couple of songs, including "Minglewood," and jammed along on a few others. Matt Kelly was there and played on the Weir numbers. There used to be video of the event available on YouTube, but I can't find it now.
The jam at this event led to an agreement by Weir, Cochran, Alphonso Johnson and Cobham to form a band. That band evolved into Bobby And The Midnites, even though it took a little while to clear everyone's schedule. Cochran, Johnson and Cobham had met at an earlier NAMM event, and Weir was the missing piece. The evolution of Bobby And The Midnites played a significant role in the evolution of Kingfish in the 1980s.
February 8, 1979 San Jose Center For The Performing Arts, San Jose CA: Camel/Kingfish (Thursday)
Camel was a progressive rock band, not particularly popular except in San Jose. KSJO-fm used to play them constantly, so they were a headline act in San Jose, even if they were just a club act elsewhere. In San Francisco, Camel was playing two nights at the Old Waldorf, but in San Jose they were at the 3,000 seat Center For The Performing Arts, with an opening band. This tour would have been behind Camel's sixth album, Breathless, although by the time of the tour keyboardist Peter Bardens had left, as had bassist Richard Sinclair. Kingfish appearing as the opener was probably the last gasp of Jet Records flexing their corporate muscle.
February 17, 1979 Pacific Strand Theatre, San Pedro CA: Kingfish/Warriors (Saturday)
David Kramer-Smyth found one last trace of Kingfish during this period, in San Pedro. We have no further details.
After a better five-year run than most bands, Kingfish seemed to be at the end of the line. They had released three albums, toured America and Europe and appeared on West German TV. Jet Records would drop them, however--exactly when isn't clear, but Jet was scaling back. At this point, Matthew Kelly left the band he had founded in 1974, and the Kingfish story seemed to be over.
But the Kingfish story wasn't over, not by a long shot. Amazingly, it wasn't even half over. Kelly left the band, yes. But Dave Torbert kept the band going, with Kelly's approval. Torbert relocated to Bucks County, PA, midway between Manhattan and Philadelphia. Kingfish had a new manager, Steve Amoroso, who had booked the band for an infamous concert with Aerosmith at the Trenton Motor Speedway back on August 24, 1975. Torbert and the Bucks County crew kept the band going through the rest of 1979, gigging all over the Northeast.
In 1980, Torbert would return to the West Coast and Kelly would rejoin Kingfish. Bob Weir would rejoin Kingfish, too. The band went on hiatus for a few years after 1980, and Dave Torbert would pass away from long-standing medical issues in 1982. Yet Kingfish would re-appear in 1984, joined at least some of the time by Bob Weir, and continued on until 1987.
Appendix 1: Matthew Kelly and Kingfish Performance History
Shango, Horses and Matt Kelly 1968 (Matt Kelly I)
--The backstory to Matt Kelly's links to the Grateful Dead start with his band Shango, with Torbert and Herold, back in 1968.
Gospel Oak/Mountain Current/33 1969-73 (Matt Kelly II)
--The Matt Kelly story goes to England, the Santa Cruz Mountains and throughout the United States
Lonesome Janet: The Kingfish Origin Story--1974 (Matt Kelly III, Kingfish 0)
--Matt Kelly returns to the Santa Cruz Mountains with the predecessor to Kingfish, and then Dave Torbert joins up in early 1974
Bob Weir and Kingfish Tour History Fall 1974 (Kingfish I, Matt Kelly IV)
--Bob Weir joins Kingfish, as the Dead have stopped performing
Bob Weir and Kingfish Tour History January-June 1975 (Kingfish II, Matt Kelly V)
Bob Weir and Kingfish Tour History July-December 1975 (Kingfish III, Matt Kelly VI)
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Appendix 2: Trident-Kingfish (Jet Records) 1978
- Dave Torbert - electric bass, lead vocals
- Michael O'Neill - lead guitar, slide guitar, lead and background vocals
- Matthew Kelly - harmonica, rhythm guitar, background vocals
- Bob Hoggins - keyboards, background vocals
- Joe English - drums, syndrums
- John Hug - acoustic guitar, electric guitar, harpolek
- Dave Perper - background vocals
- Johnny Sandlin - electric bass (on Magic Eyes)
- Producer - Johnny Sandlin
- Production assistant - Carolyn Harris
- Engineer - Tom Anderson, Tom Flye
- Assistant engineer - Alex Kash, Steve Fontano
- Additional recording and mixing - Kurt Kinzel, Johnny Sandlin, Carolyn Harris
- Trident logo design - James A. Nelson
- Photography - Michael Zigaris
- Management - R. Gregory Nelson
- Agency - Magna Artists
- Special thanks to - Johnny, Carolyn, Tom, Alex, Nina, Robin, Rosemary, Carol and Charles, Tim, Richard, Mark, Patty, Suzy, Greg, Jeff Samuels, Craig Champie, Donny Hamblin, Jeff Graubart, John Espedal, Renate Damm, John Downing, Peter Mertens, Tony Holmes, Linda Clark, Bryan Blatt, David, Sharon and Don Arden and Jet Records
- Very special thanks to - Bernard and Sue Yates of Clearwell castle, Gloustershire, England for inspiration and the time of our lives!
- Recorded at the Record Plant, Sausalito
- Additional recording and mixing at Capricorn Studios, Macon
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