The Sons of Champlin's Long Road to Obscurity

Tuesday Mayhem 13 7PM-10PM
Hosted by Art Crimes

The Sons of Champlin began as a Marin-based band in 1967 that would later split and reform a number of times, seemingly calling it quits in 1977. Over the course of many years, the Sons employed some interesting business strategies, among them being (1) change your name so many times that nobody will be sure who you are, (2) hire a baseball team owner as your manager, and (3) getting high is a reasonable solution to any problem. But the Sons would be successful on their own terms, if not anyone else?s? they were the first San Francisco area band to feature a horn section as part of their sound -- not to mention a vibraphone and the ripping, jazz-infused playing of guitarist Terry Haggerty -- and they were far more influenced by R&B and jazz than by the electrified blues and folk music that served as the core of so many other SF bands? set lists. A new version of the Sons with several original members in the lineup has been back doing gigs since 1997, but we?ll focus on key tracks from the Sons? early LPs, live music from their appearances on the SF ballroom scene, and other audio evidence that shows how the Sons were truly a distinctive group, starting out in an era when psychedelic bands were a dime a dozen.