Hampton Grease Band
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The Hampton Grease Band was an American rock band, beginning as a blues-rock group in the late 1960s in Atlanta, Georgia. They performed with several major bands in this period, including Grateful Dead and the Allman Brothers. The band gained a reputation for wacky stage antics, and eventually garnered enough attention to sign to Columbia Records. They recorded a double album, Music to Eat, which is apocryphally said to have been the second-lowest selling album in Columbia's history, second only to a yoga instructional record.
The band then signed to Frank Zappa's Bizarre/Straight label, but broke up in 1973. Several of the members went on to more renowned music careers, including Glenn Phillips' solo work and Bruce Hampton's work with the Aquarium Rescue Unit. Music to Eat gained a cult following, and was re-released in 1996.
Lead guitarist Harold Kelling died in May, 2005. He was the musical genius of the band.
The Hampton Grease Band held their first reunion concert on June 2nd, 2006, at the Variety Playhouse in Little 5 Points, Georgia, a commercial area in Atlanta. They played the "Music to Eat" album but also played some covers in their two encores, including an incendiary version of "Rock Around the Clock".
