The Chambers Brothers | Artist
The Chambers Brothers are an American psychedelic soul band formed in 1954 in Los Angeles by four brothers, Willie (vocals, guitar), George (Vocals, Bass), Joseph (vocals, guitar) and Lester Chambers (vocals Harmonica). Originally a gospel and folk quartet, they added drummer Brian Keenan 1965 when they moved to NYC and shifted towards a more hard-edged electric style. They are best known for their eleven-minute 1967 psychedelic soul hit "Time Has Come Today". The group was part of the wave of new music that integrated American blues and gospel traditions with modern psychedelic and rock elements. While still a quartet, they played at places like The Ash Grove, a popular LA folk club, which brought them into contact with blues singer and political activist Barbara Dane. Dane saw the brothers as a perfect voice to perform the freedom and protest songs that people then wanted to hear. Dane became a great supporter, performing and recording with the brothers, and with the addition of Brian Keenan (incidentally making them a multi-racial group), Dane took them on tour and helped get them on the bill of the 1965 Newport Folk Festival. The album Barbara Dane and the Chambers Brothers was released in 1966 on the Folkways label. The band released their own album The Time Has Come in 1968, which produced their only major hit single "Time Has Come Today", an 11-minute opus written by Joe and Willie Chambers and highlighted by echoing vocal effects and Keenan's drumming which gave the song a psychedelic feel. The song spent five weeks at #11 on the Billboard Hot 100. The band's best recordings were made between 1967-1971 when they released excellent albums such as The Time Has Come (1968), Are You Ready EP (1969), Feelin' the Blues (1970) and New Generation (1971). Also recommended is the compilation Time Has Come: The Best of the Chambers Brothers (1996). Later incarnations of the group included session guitarist Steve Hunter, known for his work with Alice Cooper. Although the group disbanded in 1972, they reformed and released several more records and have toured irregularly since. At one stage they were signed to support Maria Muldaur on her Gospel Nights album and they also made commercials for Levi's Jeans. As the original band disintegrated, Lester formed a band with former Electric Flag bassist Harvey Brooks, guitarists Willie and Joe found work as session men, and George went back to singing gospel music and later became a deacon of his church. Keenan retired to Stamford, Connecticut where he set up his own recording studio. It's not widely know but the Chambers Brothers also changed the course of music when they introduced their rock infused soul sound at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival, on the same bill as the newly electrified Bob Dylan.
Artist Website: wikipedia/The_Chambers_Brothers
Featured Albums: The Chambers Brothers
Related Artists: Barbara Dane
