Vanilla Fudge | Artist
Vanilla Fudge was an American psych-rock band formed 1966 in New York by Mark Stein (vocals, organ, keyboards), Vince Martell (guitar, vocals), Tim Bogert (bass, vocals), and Joey Brennan (drums). Brennan was soon replaced by Carmine Appice. They are known for their slow extended heavy rock arrangements of contemporary hit songs, and have been cited as "one of the few American links between psychedelia and heavy metal" and as a proto-prog band. Starting out, Stein and Bogert played in a garage band, and the pair were so impressed by the swinging, organ-heavy sound of The Rascals they decided to form their own band called The Pigeons. Renamed as Vanilla Fudge, they soon cut the single "You Keep me Hangin' On" and got signed to Atlantic Records. The band members were all great admirers of the Beatles, covering several of their songs including "Ticket to Ride", "Eleanor Rigby", and "You Can't Do That". The self-titled debut album also quotes lyrics from "Strawberry Fields" at the end. According to Ritchie Blackmore and Jon Lord, Vanilla Fudge's organ-heavy sound was a large influence on the British band Deep Purple, with Blackmore even stating that his band wanted to be a "Vanilla Fudge clone" in its early years. Their first three albums were produced by Shangri-Las producer Shadow Morton, whom the band met through The Rascals. Although they made many excellent Singles, their album output is somewhat patchy. Standout releases include Vanilla Fudge (1967), Renaissance (1968), and Near the Beginning (1969). The 2016 Atco compilation You Keep Me Hanging On is also highly recommended. When Led Zeppelin first toured the US in early 1969, they opened for Vanilla Fudge on some shows. In an interview Carmine Appice spoke about how Vanilla Fudge "blew Led Zeppelin Off The Stage" in their first tour, but six months later when Zeppelin returned, "we toured together again, but this time it was equal bill. They got so big so fast, then they went on to become the biggest band in the world. We played with Hendrix, Cream, The Who, and at times, we blew everybody off the stage." As a result of their work in Vanilla Fudge, Tim Bogert and Carmine Appice became one of the most sought after rhythm sections in rock. In 1970 they joined former Amboy Dukes singer Rusty Day and Detroit Wheels guitarist Jim McCarty to form the supergroup Cactus. Two years later, Jeff Beck joined them to form power trio Beck, Bogert & Appice. Carmine Appice also played alongside Mike Bloomfield and Ric Grech in KGB. Since the band's breakup in 1970, Vanilla Fudge has reunited several times, including to support Atco Records' Best of Vanilla Fudge in 1982. Ron Mancuso played guitar along with Jeff Beck, who guested under the moniker "J. Toad". The band name came about when the Pigeons got signed to Atlantic but label boss Ahmet Ertegun told them to change their name. They knew a club dancer named dee-dee who worked as "Vanilla Fudge" and the band adopted the name themselves.
Artist Website: vanillafudge.com
Featured Albums: Vanilla Fudge
Related Artists: Cactus, Beck Bogert & Appice, Boomerang
