| Goose Creek Symphony | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Phoenix, Arizona, USA |
| Genres | Progressive, country, acid, folk, surf, rock music, jazz |
| Years active | 1968–1976, 1985, 1990–present |
| Labels | Capitol, Columbia |
| Members | |
| West Coast Line Up Charlie Gearheart/Acoustic Guitar-Percussion-Vocals Paul"Pearl"Spradlin/Electric & Acoustic Guitars-Jaw Harp-Vocals Bob"Willard"Henke/Electric & Acoustic Guitars-Bass-Keyboards-Percussion-Jaw Harp-Vocals Jon Parry/Fiddle Pat Moore/Bass Dennis Kenmore/Drums East Coast Line Up Charlie Pearl Willard Jon Parry/Fiddle Dan McGlamery/Electric & Acoustic Guitars David Heyer/Drums Doug Habbena/Bass-Vocals |
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| Past members | |
| Rick Gilbreath/Piano Bob James/Bass Paul Byes/Drums-Vocals-(dec.) Dave Birkett/Bass Mickey McGee/Drums Mike McFadden/Guitar-Vocals Doug Haywood/Bass-Vocals Fred Weisz/Fiddle-Banjo-Vocals Ed Black/Bass-Pedal Steel-Vocals-(dec.) Pat Moore/Bass Chris Lockheed/Drums Jim Tolles/Fiddle-Mandolin-Vocals Harold Williams/Alto-Tenor-Baritone Sax Randall Bramlett/Soprano-Alto-Tenor Sax Dennis Kenmore/Drums Gene Elders/Fiddle Ellis Schweid/Fiddle Chris Mostert/Sax-Flute Clarke Pierson/Drums Jack Schroer/Sax-(dec.) Ray Trainer/Bass-(dec.) Cleon Nalley/Bass-Vocals-(dec.) Matt McClure/Drums Vince Micko/Guitar-Vocals Gary Mackey/Fiddle Sid Walker/Fiddle Eric Day/ Guitar-Dobro Dave Duncan/Guitar Howard Naughton/Fiddle Tim Lorsch/Fiddle Kevin Arrowsmith/Fiddle-Mandolin Roy Agee/Trombone-Comedic Relief Dennis Taylor/Sax-(dec.) Tom McGinley/Baritone Sax Ritchie Albright/Percussion Steve Smith/Drums |
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| Notable instruments | |
| Guitars, Drums, Bass, Fiddles, Banjo, Mandolin, Keyboards, Horns, Voices, Jews Harp, Cows & Various Barnyard Animals | |
The Goose Creek Symphony is an American rock band with roots in Arizona and Kentucky. They were formed in 1968 in Phoenix, Arizona as an outlet for the songs of Charlie Gearheart, aka Ritchie Hart, and were best known for their 1972 cover of Janis Joplin's song, Mercedes Benz. The band recorded their first album at Audio Recorders in 1968-69 and were subsequently signed to Capitol Records in 1970. They continued recording until 1976, then reformed in 1990. The band is considered one of the tightest, musically, of its genre and has continued touring to popular acclaim.
The band appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show with Bobbie Gentry and shared the stage with Jimi Hendrix and The Allman Brothers Band among others at the 1970 Atlanta Pop Festival. Charlie Gearheart performed on American Bandstand as Ritchie Hart in 1959. The Goose Creek Symphony has been inducted into "The Arizona Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame" class of 2011.
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In the 70s they fit into a country rock mode, but they were more esoteric and versatile than many of their contemporaries and had more grit and a rugged, less commercial sound. They were/are a good time band that love to jam and stretch out regardless of the genre. They recorded three eclectic albums for Capitol, Est 1970, (1970) Welcome to Goose Creek (1971) and Words of Earnest (1972). All were moderately successful with the last boasting a hit single cover of Janis Joplin’s “Mercedes Benz.” Re-mastered versions of these discs are available on the group’s website (http://www.GooseCreekSymphony.com). In 1974 the band moved over to Columbia Records and recorded Do Your Thing But Don’t Touch Mine, which was perhaps the weakest to date, but its still a solid, if misguided set (as the label decided they needed a producer, which they clearly did not). Shortly thereafter the band took a hiatus which lasted almost 17 years. Then, out of nowhere, they came back (and musically it sounds like they never went away), and lo and behold they sound almost contemporary.
In the years since they resurfaced, they’ve played many festivals and released a slew of albums, including the superb live set The Goose Is Loose in 1995, which highlights their extended jamming, witness the meandering 20 minutes or so of “Talk About Goose Creek and Other Important Places.” They’ve done the Acoustic Goose, as well as excellent studio albums, such as Going Home (1998) and I Don’t Know (2003). They’ve also released a couple of lost albums, such as Head For the Hills (recorded in 1975-76 and released in 1997) and recently The Same Thing Again (one music CD and a bonus DVD). The latter was recorded in the mid-70s and essentially forgotten about for three decades. Ironically the title cut has Gearheart singing, “If I could live my life over I’d do the same thing again, for 20 long years I’ve picked and I’ve sung.” Well, the band has gotten a new lease on life and while one could say they are doing the same thing again, it's only in that they are playing great music that’s outside the norm and remarkably refreshing, and more than that, they simply exude good vibes.
Goose Creek's mixed genre versatility is demonstrated in their 2003 appearance as sole guest on show 259 of the WoodSongs Old-Time Radio Hour. The WoodSongs Archive has both the radio program and a 111 minute video of the show which includes 20 minutes of performance not included in the hour long radio show.