Sonic's Rendezvous Band

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Sonic's Rendezvous Band in the late 1970s

Sonic's Rendezvous Band was a rock and roll band from Detroit, Michigan in the 1970s, featuring veterans of the 1960s Detroit rock scene. Led by guitarist Fred Sonic Smith, formerly of the MC5, SRB featured singer/ songwriter Scott Morgan formerly of the Rationals, a soul-influenced Detroit band of the 1960s, Gary Rassmussen of the Up and Scott Asheton of the Stooges.

They remained virtually unknown, but their one and only single retained high interest among fans of high energy rock and roll/ Detroit rock. A badly recorded bootleg LP called Strikes Like Lightning was traded in the 1980s. Strikes Like Lightning was hard to listen to, but revealed potential gems. Artists of note, such as David Bowie would speak fondly of SRB. But lack of recorded material made the band a bit of a phantom.

Interest in the band was kindled in the late 1990s when Alive/ Total Energy Records released a studio recording of the as-then unheard song Electrophonic Tonic. In 1999 Mack Aborn Rhythm Arts released a compact disc compilation of rare live and recorded SRB tunes called Sweet Nothing. So receptive was the clued-in audience that a second compilation called City Slang was released in 2000. Both albums quickly sold out.

This in turn sparked a renewed interest in Scott Morgan, who had floundered in the 1980s with basically unheard bands like Scots Pirates and the Scott Morgan Band. SRB disciples, Sweden's Hellacopters recorded no less than five Scott Morgan/ SRB compositions (City Slang, 16 With a Bullet, Downright Blue, Heaven, Slow Down (Take A Look)) which further popularized the group. Scott Morgan would go on to record with the Hellacopter's Nicke Royale, releasing two Hydromatics albums as well as a soul album by The Solution.

Scott Morgan teamed up with Radio Birdman's Deniz Tek and released a live Powertrane album.

In September 2006, UK legacy label Easy Action released a six-disc box set called "Sonic's Rendezvous Band", approved by the surviving band members and by Fred Smith's widow and children.