Sons of Champlin

All Music Guide:

The Sons of Champlin did not rank in the first tier of the San Francisco psychedelic rock bands of the '60s with the Grateful Dead and Jefferson Airplane, but they did qualify for the second tier along with Moby Grape and Quicksilver Messenger Service, playing a more soul- and R&B-influenced style of music than their peers. Despite a somewhat lackadaisical attitude toward the demands of a professional career, they managed to chart a handful of albums in the late '60s and ‘70s.

The group was formed out of the remnants of the Opposite Six, an earlier band led by singer/keyboardist Bill Champlin, playing its first show at the College of Marin in Marin County, CA, in the spring of 1965, with a lineup also including saxophonist Tim Caine, guitarist Terry Haggerty, bassist Al Strong, and drummer Jim Myers, later replaced by Bill Bowen. (Although still a teenager, Champlin was married and a father, which inspired the band name.) By July 1966, they were playing at the Fillmore Auditorium in San Francisco. They released their debut single, "Sing Me a Rainbow," on Verve Records in March 1967, but when it failed to chart, a full-length LP was shelved. (It later earned release under the title Fat City.) Undaunted, the group added two horn players, Geoff Palmer and Jim Beem (who left in 1969), and turned to a more R&B/jazz-oriented style. It took more than a year before they got another chance to record, signing to Capitol Records in 1968 and releasing their label debut, the double-LP Loosen Up Naturally, in April 1969. It peaked at number 137. The band quickly recorded a second album, for which they temporarily shortened their name to the Sons; the LP, released in October, bore that name. It reached number 171. Tim Caine left the band after the album's release.

The Sons toured to support their second album and played in the Bay Area in the winter of 1970, but then broke up. Various members played in other bands until the fall, when they were called back into the studio by Capitol, which demanded another album on their contract. Thus, their third LP (again as the Sons of Champlin), Follow Your Heart, appeared in April 1971. It did not chart, and the band broke up again after a few promotional shows. Champlin, Haggerty, and Palmer continued to perform together, however, adding bassist David Schallock and drummer Jim Preston. They were at first reluctant to use the old group name, but eventually relented, reverting to calling themselves the Sons of Champlin in 1972. In 1973, they signed to Columbia Records and cut their fourth album, Welcome to the Dance, released in April. Hailed by many as their best album, it unfortunately got lost in corporate politics as company president Clive Davis was ousted; it peaked at number 186.

The Sons responded to the debacle by forming their own label, Gold Mine Records, for their next LP, titled simply The Sons of Champlin and released in 1975. By that time, they had added a horn section consisting of Phil Woods, Mark Isham, and Michael Andreas. The independent release attracted sufficient attention that the Sons were able to sign a regular recording contract with Ariola America, which gave the LP a national release. In the run-up to their next album, Schallock left the group along with the horn section. The new bassist was Rob Moitoza (formerly of the Opposite Six), while saxophonist Steve Frediani also joined, followed by trumpeter David Farey by the time A Circle Filled with Love, the sixth album, was released in May 1976. For the disc, the Sons turned to producer Keith Olsen, just off producing Fleetwood Mac's big-selling self-titled album, in search of a more commercial sound. The LP reached number 117, the band's highest chart ranking, as the single "Hold On" got halfway up the Hot 100 and "Here Is Where Your Love Belongs" also charted. The Sons released their seventh album, Loving Is Why, in April 1977, and when it turned out to be a commercial disappointment, peaking at number 188, Bill Champlin, who had been doing session work in Los Angeles, decided to leave the band and did so at the end of their promotional tour for the LP.

The Sons of Champlin tried to carry on with other singers, but soon disbanded. There were occasional one-off reunions over the years, and the group finally reorganized on an ongoing part-time basis in the late '90s, as Champlin was able to fit it in around his solo career and membership in Chicago. A concert album fittingly called Live was released in 1998 by Arista Records. By 2002, Haggerty had dropped out and been replaced by Tal Morris, who appeared on a second live album (with accompanying DVD), Secret. DIG Music released a new Sons of Champlin studio album, Hip Li'l Dreams, in 2005.

Wikipedia:

The Sons of Champlin is an American rock band, formed in the late 1960s and hailing from the San Francisco-Bay area. They are fronted by vocalist/keyboardist/guitarist Bill Champlin, who was also a member of the rock band Chicago.

Early years [edit]

Champlin started his musical career in high school as a member of a popular local band, The Opposite Six. One of his teachers encouraged Champlin to drop out of school and pursue music full-time. In 1965 the draft claimed the drummer and bass player of the Opposite Six, and Champlin joined forces with guitarist Terry Haggerty, sax player Tim Cain, bassist John Prosser and drummer Jim Meyers in the band that became the Sons of Champlin. By late 1967 the lineup had changed to include keyboardist/saxman Geoff Palmer, trumpeter Jim Beem, bassist Al Strong, and drummer Bill Bowen, creating a funky Hammond B3-and-horns sound that was distinctive from the rest of the Bay Area’s psychedelic guitar bands (one bandsman referred to the music as "acid jazz").

The Sons recorded their first album in 1967 for Trident Records, owned by Kingston Trio manager Frank Werber. They released a single, "Sing Me a Rainbow," (B-side "Fat City") which got airplay in the Bay Area but did not crack the national charts. The plan was to follow this release with another song from the album, a Barry Mann/Cynthia Weil composition called "Shades of Grey." Unfortunately for The Sons, the Monkees released their version before this could happen. The album was not released and the Sons left Trident Records. In February 1999, this collection was released on a British CD under the title Fat City.

During the late 1960s, The Sons of Champlin performed regularly at the San Francisco venues, the Avalon Ballroom and the Fillmore West. They shared billing with, among many others, the Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, Quicksilver Messenger Service, Country Joe and the Fish, and The Youngbloods. They were also the opening act at The Band's first concert at which they used the name "The Band," along with The Ace of Cups.

Record deal [edit]

In 1968, the Sons of Champlin signed with Capitol Records, releasing Loosen Up Naturally in January 1969. Two more Capitol albums followed, The Sons and Follow Your Heart. In 1970, the band broke up and Bill Champlin moved to Santa Cruz, where he joined Moby Grape guitarist Jerry Miller in a short-lived project called The Rhythm Dukes.

The Sons reformed in 1971 as a five-piece band with Bill Vitt on drums and David Schallock on bass. Briefly, the group went by the name Yogi Phlegm, as which they played one of the last concerts at Bill Graham's Fillmore West on June 30, 1971. In 1972 James Preston replaced Bill Vitt on drums, and the band once again went by the name Sons of Champlin.

After recording their 1972 Columbia album, Welcome to the Dance, as a five piece, The Sons once again added a horn section, which included Mark Isham, now a film scorer and composer, on trumpet and synthesizer.

In 1975, The Sons recorded The Sons of Champlin in their own studio, and released it on their own label, Goldmine Records. This was purchased and re-released by Ariola America. The next two albums, Circle Filled With Love and Loving is Why, were also released on Ariola.

In 1977, the Sons of Champlin played what many assumed to be their last gig at the Kirkwood Meadows ski resort.

The Sons released seven albums between 1969 and 1977, including Loosen Up Naturally, Welcome to the Dance, and Circle Filled With Love. The albums were generally well-reviewed, but were low sellers. In 1977, Champlin went solo, recording Single (1978) and Runaway (1981), before joining Chicago in 1981.

Later years [edit]

On November 25, 1985, the Sons reunited for the first time in a surprise appearance at the Fillmore in San Francisco on a bill with Huey Lewis and the News, KBC Band and a reunited Country Joe and the Fish. The reunion comprised Champlin, Terry Haggerty, Geoffrey Palmer, Tim Cain, David Schallock and James Preston with Huey Lewis and the News drummer Bill Gibson sitting in as well as the Freaky Executives Horn Section, who provided the brass.

The 1985 show proved to be a one-off as Champlin returned to his regular gig with Chicago. But in 1997, the Sons got together again for a series of reunion gigs, then recorded and released their first live CD in 1998. In 2002, Champlin said it was, "too good not to continue," and the Sons have since put out several new CDs, Hip L'il Dreams and Secret among them (they have also remastered much of their back catalogue).

To date, Champlin appears with original members Palmer, Schallock, and Preston. Guitarist Carmen Grillo has replaced Haggerty, and Tower of Power alumnus Mic Gillette handles trumpet, trombone, and tuba parts. The Sons generally feature guest artists on alto and tenor saxophone.