Quicksilver | Artist

Quicksilver Messenger Service aka Quicksilver was an American psychedelic rock band formed 1965 in San Francisco by Dino Valenti (guitar, vocals), John Cipollina (guitar), Gary Duncan (guitar, vocals), David Freiberg (bass, vocals) and Greg Elmore (drums). Within days of starting the band, Valenti was jailed for two years for Marijuana possession and missed the band's formative years. Valenti drew heavily on musical influences he picked up during the folk revival of his formative musical years. The style he developed from these sources is evident in Quicksilver Messenger Service's swing rhythms and twanging guitar sounds. Valenti rejoined the band in 1970. Quicksilver were one of the hottest Bay Area bands of the day with their fluid twin guitar psychedelic blues sound, particular in live performances, many of which were recorded by Owsley Stanley, the legendary sound engineer and LSD chemist. Though not as commercially successful as contemporaries Jefferson Airplane and the Grateful Dead, Quicksilver was integral to the beginnings of the West Coast psychedelic rock genre. With their jazz and classical influences and a strong folk background, the band attempted to create an individual, innovative sound. Their first two albums are west-coast Psych classics: Quicksilver Messenger Service and the live Happy Trails. Other studio albums worthy of note are Shady Grove (1969) and Quicksilver (1971). The live album Fillmore Auditorium – Nov 5th 1966 is also highly recommended. Dino Valente recorded one classic self-titled album before joining Quicksilver. After leaving Quicksilver David Freiberg worked with Jefferson Airplane, Starship, and with Paul Kantner and Grace Slick on the collaboration album Baron von Tollbooth and the Chrome Nun.

Artist Website: johncipollina.com/quicksilver.htm

Featured Albums: Quicksilver

Related Artists: Gary Duncan, John Cipollina, Dino Valente, David Freiberg, Quicksilver Messenger Service

Video Clips: Monterey Pop, Who do you Love, Fresh Air