The Peanut Butter Conspiracy

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The Peanut Butter Conspiracy
Origin	Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Genre(s)	psychedelic rock
Years active	1966-1970
Label(s)	Columbia Records Challenge
Associated acts	The Ashes Spencer Dryden Clear Light
Former members
John Merrill Alan Brackett Barbara "Sandi" Robison Lance Baker Fent Jim Voigt Bill Wolff Ralph Schuckett Michael Ney (Stevens)

The Peanut Butter Conspiracy was an American psychedelic pop/rock group in the 1960s.

They formed in Los Angeles in 1966 out of a folk-rock group, The Ashes, who included John Merrill (guitar/ vocals), Alan Brackett (bass/ vocals), Barbara "Sandi" Robison (vocals), Spencer Dryden (drums) and Jim Cherniss (guitar/ vocals). The group had earlier been known as The Young Swingers, who released two obscure singles. The Ashes released one single in 1966 on the Vault label, "Is There Anything I Can Do?" written by Jackie DeShannon. Dryden then left The Ashes to replace Skip Spence in Jefferson Airplane, Robison left to give birth, and the group temporarily disbanded.

Alan Brackett hooked up with a new guitarist, Lance Baker Fent, and a new drummer, Jim Voigt, naming the new trio The Crossing Guards. Merrill and Robison rejoined, and the five-piece band became The Peanut Butter Conspiracy.

The group signed with Columbia Records in late 1966, releasing a single "It's A Happening Thing", produced by Gary Usher, which reached #93 on the national pop chart. The band's first album, The Peanut Butter Conspiracy Is Spreading, followed, also produced by Usher who brought in studio musicians including Glen Campbell and James Burton to bolster the group's sound. Their late 1967 single "Turn On a Friend (to the Good Life)" failed to chart. However, they toured nationally, added a new guitarist, Bill Wolff, and recorded a second album for Columbia, The Great Conspiracy, generally regarded as their best.

In 1968 they moved to the Warner Bros. Records subsidiary label Challenge, with a revamped line-up featuring ex-Clear Light organist Ralph Schuckett and drummer Michael Ney (Stevens), recording their final album For Children of All Ages. The record was written and conceived by Brackett. Meanwhile, Merrill had reformed a version of Ashes, whose only LP was eventually released in 1970 on the Vault label.

The Peanut Butter Conspiracy undertook a final tour and split up in about 1970. Merrill and Brackett continued writing and producing for other artists. Robison also toured in the 1970s, but died in 1988.

Guitarist Lance Baker Fent continues to create rock-and-roll through his GreenManMedia label.