1971: Humble Pie’s lead guitarist announces he’s leaving the band to pursue a solo career. 
We're all about the history of rock & roll at BoomtownAmerica.com!
Every week, we present “ROCK REMEMBERED,” a deep dive into the hidden history of rock & roll, the stories behind the artists and songs that changed the world. Join host “Boomtown Bill” Cross each Wednesday at 7 pm (Eastern) with an encore broadcast on Saturday at noon (Eastern).
Wear some flowers in your hair and join us this Wednesday as we relive "The History of Psychedelic Rock!"
Throughout the early days of rock, many, many hit records were put together by producer/songwriters using session singers and musicians and then released with a made-up name for the recording act. Perhaps no such group ever achieved so much as the Grass Roots, who actually, ultimately became a real touring band and wound up in the American Pop Music Hall of Fame!
Their story begins at the fledgling 60s record label, Dunhill. The label had been started by producer Lou Adler. Together with the songwriting duo of P.F. Sloan and Steve Bari, they had recorded a song called “Where Were You When I Needed You.” They made-up the group name the Grassroots (originally one word) and shopped the record to stations around California. Music people liked the tune, but thought the vocals needed punching up. So, Adler, Sloan and Bari recruited a San Francisco band called the Bedouins. Vocals on the record were replaced with the Bedouins’ lead singer, Willie Fulton. The song was a modest chart success, cracking the Top 30, and the Bedouins began touring as the Grass Roots (Now two words).
Eventually Fulton and most of the rest of the band became frustrated with a lack of input into the group’s recordings and departed Dunhill Records. However, when they tried to continue appearing as the Grass Roots, they discovered that the label, not the band, owned the name. So much for that plan.
Meanwhile Sloan and Bari hired another local band to become the Grass Roots. The band was playing gigs as the 13th Floor (not to be confused with the 13th Floor Elevators). As with the Bedouins, Adler, Sloan & Bari used studio musicians during the sessions and employed the band only for the vocal tracks. Luck was with them as the 13th Floor’s bass player and key vocalist was a gentleman named Rob Grill. Their first collaboration in early 1967, “Let’s Live for Today,” made it into the Top 10.
Over the next several years, band members came, went, sometimes returned and left again with head-spinning speed. It didn’t matter. L.A.’s top sessions players (now known as “the Wrecking Crew”) and Grill’s lead vocals kept the hits coming. The Grass Roots put 14 songs into the Top 40 between 1966 and 1972.
When the hits dried up, Grill and an ever-changing assemblage of musicians continued to tour as the Grass Roots (Grill having been granted ownership of the name). One of the most famous was Creed Bratton, who gained fame playing a highly ficitionalized version of himself on the long-running NBC comedy, The Office.The group was inducted into the American Pop Music Hall of Fame in 2015.
Sadly, Rob Grill passed away in 2011, but there is still a group touring as the Grass Roots, which somehow seems fitting for a band that was created out of thin air!
In the early days of TV, most major Hollywood studios saw it as “the enemy,” the force that was driving down attendance at movie theaters.
In those days, only Universal (which frankly could use the money), Walt Disney (who knew how to use TV to promote his movies and new theme park) and Warner Brothers really embraced the new medium.
Warner Brothers specialized in churning out 60-minure Westerns and private eye shows for ABC-TV. They began with the Western Cheyenne. When that clicked, others soon followed. One of the first was Sugarfoot, starring Will Hutchins.
While the show lasted 4 seasons, it didn’t run every week. Its first season (1957-58), it alternated with Cheyenne. The 2nd season, Bronco was added to the rotation. It wasn’t until the 4th season (1960-61) that Sugarfoot got a regular weekly airing.
The premise of the show involved Hutchins character, Tom Brewster, the proverbial tinhorn from the East – a guy so bad at being a cowboy the other ‘ombres nicknamed him “Sugarfoot” (apparently “Twinkletoes” was a little too over the line in the late 50’s).
Sugarfoot was ostensibly a lawyer, but he seemed to get involved in a fair amount of gunplay. He also seemed to roam far from the show’s Oklahoma setting (especially given how difficult long distance travel was back in the late 1800’s.
Like another W-B Western, Maverick, Sugarfoot was played very tongue-in-cheek. Jack Elam, veteran (or should that be “grizzled veteran”) of many Westerns was a frequent co-star as Hutchins’ sidekick Toothy Thompson.
As the vogue for all things Western began to fade as our attention would turn to doctors and spies, Sugarfoot rode off into that TVland sunset, occasionally returning in reruns.
The entire series is currently available on DVD.
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As we grow older, many of us begin experiencing trouble sleeping through the night. If you find yourself waking up in the dark multiple times during the night, try these “sleep hacks” to getting a good night’s rest:
- Stay in the Dark – If you do wake up, don’t turn on a light, check your cell phone, or get up to watch TV. This can mess up your internal clock and make you more likely to wake up at the same time the next night.
- Upgrade Your Bedding – Is your pillow worn out or uncomfortable? How long has it been since you replaced your mattress? New bedding may be your ticket to dreamland!
- Stick to a Schedule – Our internal clocks are not as adjustable as they once were. Try and keep your bed time and the time you rise the same – 7 days a week. (No matter how tempting it may be to sleep in on Saturday morning.)