Blue Cheer
Encyclopedia
Blue Cheer was an American psychedelic blues-rock
band that initially performed and recorded in the late 1960s and early 1970s and was sporadically active until 2009. Based in San Francisco, Blue Cheer played in a psychedelic
blues-rock style, and is also credited as being pioneers of heavy metal
(their cover of "Summertime Blues
" is sometimes cited as the first in the genre), punk rock
, stoner rock
, doom metal
, experimental rock
, and grunge
. According to Tim Hills in his book, The Many Lives of the Crystal Ballroom
, "Blue Cheer was the epitome of San Francisco psychedelia." Jim Morrison
of The Doors
called the group "The single most powerful band I've ever seen."
The band is said to have been named after a street brand of LSD
and promoted by renowned LSD chemist and former Grateful Dead
patron, Owsley Stanley
.
and Jerry Russell
, music aficionados who wanted to become involved with the San Francisco music scene of the 1960s. Both moved with Dickie Peterson from Davis, California
, to San Francisco. Peterson had previously been with the Davis-based band Andrew Staples & The Oxford Circle, as well as future Blue Cheer members Paul Whaley
and Gary Lee Yoder
. The original Blue Cheer personnel were singer/bassist
Dickie Peterson, guitar
ist Leigh Stephens
and Eric Albronda as drummer
. Albronda was later replaced by Paul Whaley, who was joined by Dickie's brother Jerre Peterson (guitar), Vale Hamanaka (keyboards), and Jerry Whiting (vocals, harmonica
). Albronda continued his association with Blue Cheer as a member of Blue Cheer management, as well as being the producer or co-producer of five Blue Cheer albums.
The band was managed by an ex-member of the Hells Angels
named Gut. Early on, it was decided that the lineup should be trimmed down. It is said that Blue Cheer decided to adopt a power trio
configuration after seeing Jimi Hendrix
perform at the Monterey Pop Festival
. Hamanaka and Whiting were asked to leave. Jerre Peterson didn't want to remain in the group without them, so he departed as well, leaving Dickie, Leigh and Paul as a trio.
Their first hit was a cover version
of Eddie Cochran
's "Summertime Blues
" from their debut album Vincebus Eruptum
(1968). The single peaked at #14 on the Billboard Hot 100
chart, their only such hit, and the album peaked at #11 on the Billboard 200
chart.
The group's sound was hard to categorize, but was definitely blues
-based, loud and psychedelic
.
The "Summertime Blues" single was backed with Dickie Peterson's original song "Out Of Focus".
Peterson also contributed to the album the eight-minute "Doctor Please" and "Second Time Around", which features Paul Whaley's frantic drum solo. Filling out the record, the band cranked out blues covers "Rock Me Baby
" and Mose Allison's
"Parchman Farm
" (titled "Parchment Farm").
The group underwent several personnel changes, the first occurring after the 1968 release of Outsideinside
after Leigh Stephens left the band due to musical differences or, as some report, deafness. He was replaced by Randy Holden
, formerly of Los Angeles
garage rock
band The Other Half
. On 1969's New! Improved! Blue Cheer
there were different guitarists on side 1 and side 2 (Randy Holden and Bruce Stephens) due to Holden's unanticipated departure from the band. Another guitarist that was in the band for a short stint was Tom Weisser, who recorded his material with Mitch Mitchell on drums and Dickie Peterson on bass. Later, Ralph Burns Kellogg
also joined the band on keyboards. Blue Cheer's style now changed to a more commercial hard rock sound à la Steppenwolf
or Iron Butterfly
. For the fourth album Blue Cheer
, Bruce Stephens left and was succeeded by Gary Lee Yoder
who helped complete the album.
According to Dickie Peterson the group's lifestyle during this period caused problems with the music industry and press. Peterson said the group was outraged by the Vietnam War
and society in general.
, Norman Mayell (drums) and Yoder in 1970 saw the release of The Original Human Being
, followed by 1971's Oh! Pleasant Hope
. When Oh! Pleasant Hope failed to dent the sales charts, Blue Cheer temporarily split up in 1972.
There was a temporary resumption in 1974 with Dickie Peterson being joined by brother Jerre, Ruben de Fuentes (guitar) and Terry Rae (drums) for some tour dates. This grouping continued on briefly in 1975 with former Steppenwolf bassist Nick St. Nicholas
replacing Dickie. The group was then largely inactive for nearly three years, until 1978.
Dickie returned in 1978-79 with a fresh line-up of Tony Rainier on guitar and Mike Fleck on drums. This version of the group never got out of rehearsal studios.
, which was released on the New York label Megaforce Records
. Whaley left again in 1985 as drummer Brent Harknett took over, only to be succeeded by Billy Carmassi in 1987. That same year, Dickie led yet another new lineup of the Cheer that had Ruben de Fuentes back on guitar and Eric Davis on drums. In 1988, the line-up changed once again, being now composed of Dickie Peterson (bass), with Andrew "Duck" MacDonald
(guitar) and Dave Salce (drums).
From 1989 to 1993, Blue Cheer toured mainly in Europe. During this time, they played with classic rock acts as well as then-up-and-coming bands: Mountain
, Outlaws, Thunder
, The Groundhogs
, Ten Years After
, Mucky Pup
, Biohazard and others.
1989 saw the release of Blue Cheer's first official live album, Blitzkrieg over Nüremberg. This album was recorded during Blue Cheer's first European tour in decades.
1990 saw the release of the Highlights and Lowlives
studio album, composed of blues-based heavy metal
and one ballad. The album was co-produced by notable grunge producer Jack Endino
and producer Roland Hofmann. The line-up was Peterson, Whaley on drums and MacDonald on guitars.
Blue Cheer followed up "Highlights" with the much heavier Dining with the Sharks. Duck MacDonald was replaced by German ex-Monsters guitar player Dieter Saller in 1990. Peterson was on bass and vocals and Paul Whaley was again on drums. Also featured is a special guest appearance by Groundhogs
guitarist Tony McPhee
. The album was co-produced by Roland Hofmann and Blue Cheer. Gary Holland
(ex-Dokken
) replaced Whaley on drums in 1993.
In the early 1990s, Peterson and Whaley re-located to Germany. In 1992 Peterson recorded his first solo album "child of the darkness" in Cologne with a band named "The Scrap Yard". The album appeared five years later in Japan on Captain Trip Records. After Peterson came back to the U.S. (1994), Blue Cheer was dormant from 1994 to 1999.
In 2000, Blue Cheer was the subject of a tribute album, Blue Explosion - A Tribute to Blue Cheer, featuring such bands as Pentagram
, Internal Void
, Hogwash and Thumlock
.
Peterson and Leigh Stephens were together once again in Blue Cheer with drummer Prairie Prince
at the Chet Helms Memorial Tribal Stomp
in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park
on October 29, 2005, and their lively performance drew old rockers like Paul Kantner
and others from backstage to observe. They did some recordings in Virginia
in Winter 2005 with Joe Hasselvander
of Raven
and Pentagram
on drums, due to Paul Whaley choosing to remain in Germany. While Hasselvander played on the entire album, his contribution was reduced to drums on five songs, with Paul Whaley re-recording the drum parts on the balance of the album. This was because Whaley was set to rejoin the band and it was felt that he should contribute to the album, prior to touring. The resulting CD, What Doesn't Kill You..., released in 2007, features contributions from both Whaley and Hasselvander as a consequence.
Blue Cheer's video for Summertime Blues
made an appearance in 2005 documentary Metal: A Headbanger's Journey
, where Geddy Lee
of Rush
referred to the group as one of the first heavy metal bands.
. After Peterson's death, longtime Blue Cheer guitarist Andrew MacDonald wrote on the group's website that "Blue Cheer is done. Out of respect for Dickie, Blue Cheer (will) never become a viable touring band again."
, assisted by Randy Pratt of The Lizards band, had trademarked the Blue Cheer band name. Holden's association with Blue Cheer was quite brief; his only recorded output with the band is three tracks on New! Improved! Blue Cheer
in 1969. The matter had upset Dickie Peterson, given his position as a co-founder of the band and the only continuing member since its inception, but does not appear to have been resolved.
According to Randy Pratt, this report is not entirely accurate. Pratt provides uncited commentary as follows:
Blues-rock
Blues rock is a hybrid musical genre combining bluesy improvisations over the 12-bar blues and extended boogie jams with rock and roll styles. The core of the blues rock sound is created by the electric guitar, piano, bass guitar and drum kit, with the electric guitar usually amplified through a...
band that initially performed and recorded in the late 1960s and early 1970s and was sporadically active until 2009. Based in San Francisco, Blue Cheer played in a psychedelic
Psychedelic rock
Psychedelic rock is a style of rock music that is inspired or influenced by psychedelic culture and attempts to replicate and enhance the mind-altering experiences of psychedelic drugs. It emerged during the mid 1960s among folk rock and blues rock bands in United States and the United Kingdom...
blues-rock style, and is also credited as being pioneers of heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
(their cover of "Summertime Blues
Summertime Blues
"Summertime Blues" is the title of a song co-written and recorded by American rockabilly artist Eddie Cochran. It was written in the late 1950s by Cochran and his manager Jerry Capehart. Originally a single B-side, it was released in August 1958 and peaked at number 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 on...
" is sometimes cited as the first in the genre), punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
, stoner rock
Stoner rock
Stoner rock or stoner metal is a subgenre of heavy metal, combining elements of psychedelic rock, blues rock, traditional heavy metal and doom metal. Stoner rock is typically slow-to-mid tempo and features a bass-heavy sound, melodic vocals, and 'retro' production...
, doom metal
Doom metal
Doom metal is an extreme form of heavy metal music that typically uses slower tempos, low-tuned guitars and a much "thicker" or "heavier" sound than other metal genres...
, experimental rock
Experimental rock
Experimental rock or avant-garde rock is a type of music based on rock which experiments with the basic elements of the genre, or which pushes the boundaries of common composition and performance technique....
, and grunge
Grunge
Grunge is a subgenre of alternative rock that emerged during the mid-1980s in the American state of Washington, particularly in the Seattle area. Inspired by hardcore punk, heavy metal, and indie rock, grunge is generally characterized by heavily distorted electric guitars, contrasting song...
. According to Tim Hills in his book, The Many Lives of the Crystal Ballroom
Crystal Ballroom (Portland, Oregon)
Crystal Ballroom, originally built as Cotillion Hall, is a historic building in Portland, Oregon, United States. Cotillion Hall was built in 1914 as a ballroom, and dance revivals were held there through the Great Depression...
, "Blue Cheer was the epitome of San Francisco psychedelia." Jim Morrison
Jim Morrison
James Douglas "Jim" Morrison was an American musician, singer, and poet, best known as the lead singer and lyricist of the rock band The Doors...
of The Doors
The Doors
The Doors were an American rock band formed in 1965 in Los Angeles, California, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, drummer John Densmore, and guitarist Robby Krieger...
called the group "The single most powerful band I've ever seen."
The band is said to have been named after a street brand of LSD
LSD
Lysergic acid diethylamide, abbreviated LSD or LSD-25, also known as lysergide and colloquially as acid, is a semisynthetic psychedelic drug of the ergoline family, well known for its psychological effects which can include altered thinking processes, closed and open eye visuals, synaesthesia, an...
and promoted by renowned LSD chemist and former Grateful Dead
Grateful Dead
The Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in the San Francisco Bay Area. The band was known for its unique and eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, folk, bluegrass, blues, reggae, country, improvisational jazz, psychedelia, and space rock, and for live performances of long...
patron, Owsley Stanley
Owsley Stanley
Owsley Stanley also known as Bear, was an essential and transitional personality in the development of the San Francisco Bay counter-culture. Spanning the Beat-era years of Ken Kesey's Merry Pranksters scenes, he was equally pivotal to the explosion of 1960's Psychedelia culture...
.
Golden years (1966–1969)
Blue Cheer came together in 1966. It was co-founded by Eric AlbrondaEric Albronda
Eric Albronda is a co-founder of the band Blue Cheer. Along with Jerry Russell, Albronda initially organized the San Francisco-based band in 1966 and provided financing. Albronda was also the first drummer for the band, prior to being replaced by Paul Whaley. He then was involved in Blue Cheer...
and Jerry Russell
Jeremy Russell
Jeremy Russell , also known as Jerry Russell, was a co-founder, with Eric Albronda, of US rock band Blue Cheer. Russell and Albronda were music aficionados who organized the band and provided initial financing....
, music aficionados who wanted to become involved with the San Francisco music scene of the 1960s. Both moved with Dickie Peterson from Davis, California
Davis, California
Davis is a city in Yolo County, California, United States. It is part of the Sacramento–Arden-Arcade–Roseville Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, to San Francisco. Peterson had previously been with the Davis-based band Andrew Staples & The Oxford Circle, as well as future Blue Cheer members Paul Whaley
Paul Whaley
Paul Whaley is an American drummer best known as the drummer for rock band Blue Cheer. He and Dickie Peterson were the only two founding members still in the band when it broke up in late 2009, following Peterson's death at age 63....
and Gary Lee Yoder
Gary Lee Yoder
Gary Lee Yoder is a musician who was part of several 1960s San Francisco psychedelic rock bands, including Kak, Oxford Circle, and Blue Cheer.Oxford Circle and Kak were both formed in Yoder's hometown of Davis, California, and featured the same nucleus of members...
. The original Blue Cheer personnel were singer/bassist
Bassist
A bass player, or bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments...
Dickie Peterson, guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
ist Leigh Stephens
Leigh Stephens
Leigh Stephens is an American guitarist and songwriter.Stephens became famous as the former lead guitarist of the San Francisco psychedelic rock group Blue Cheer. He was ranked number 98 on Rolling Stone Magazine's list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time. He has claimed to have been the...
and Eric Albronda as drummer
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
. Albronda was later replaced by Paul Whaley, who was joined by Dickie's brother Jerre Peterson (guitar), Vale Hamanaka (keyboards), and Jerry Whiting (vocals, harmonica
Harmonica
The harmonica, also called harp, French harp, blues harp, and mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used primarily in blues and American folk music, jazz, country, and rock and roll. It is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes or multiple holes...
). Albronda continued his association with Blue Cheer as a member of Blue Cheer management, as well as being the producer or co-producer of five Blue Cheer albums.
The band was managed by an ex-member of the Hells Angels
Hells Angels
The Hells Angels Motorcycle Club is a worldwide one-percenter motorcycle gang and organized crime syndicate whose members typically ride Harley-Davidson motorcycles. In the United States and Canada, the Hells Angels are incorporated as the Hells Angels Motorcycle Corporation. Their primary motto...
named Gut. Early on, it was decided that the lineup should be trimmed down. It is said that Blue Cheer decided to adopt a power trio
Power trio
A power trio is a rock and roll band format where the traditional power trio has a lineup of guitar, bass and drums, leaving out the rhythm guitar or keyboard that are used in other rock music to fill out the sound with chords...
configuration after seeing Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
perform at the Monterey Pop Festival
Monterey Pop Festival
The Monterey International Pop Music Festival was a three-day concert event held June 16 to June 18, 1967 at the Monterey County Fairgrounds in Monterey, California...
. Hamanaka and Whiting were asked to leave. Jerre Peterson didn't want to remain in the group without them, so he departed as well, leaving Dickie, Leigh and Paul as a trio.
Their first hit was a cover version
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of Eddie Cochran
Eddie Cochran
Eddie Cochran , was an American rock and roll pioneer who in his brief career had a small but lasting influence on rock music through his guitar playing. Cochran's rockabilly songs, such as "C'mon Everybody", "Somethin' Else", and "Summertime Blues", captured teenage frustration and desire in the...
's "Summertime Blues
Summertime Blues
"Summertime Blues" is the title of a song co-written and recorded by American rockabilly artist Eddie Cochran. It was written in the late 1950s by Cochran and his manager Jerry Capehart. Originally a single B-side, it was released in August 1958 and peaked at number 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 on...
" from their debut album Vincebus Eruptum
Vincebus Eruptum
-Personnel:Blue Cheer*Dickie Peterson – vocals, bass*Leigh Stephens – guitar*Paul Whaley – drumsAdditional personnel*Abe "Voco" Kesh – production*John MacQuarrie – engineering*John Van Hamersveld – photography...
(1968). The single peaked at #14 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
chart, their only such hit, and the album peaked at #11 on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
chart.
The group's sound was hard to categorize, but was definitely blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
-based, loud and psychedelic
Psychedelic
The term psychedelic is derived from the Greek words ψυχή and δηλοῦν , translating to "soul-manifesting". A psychedelic experience is characterized by the striking perception of aspects of one's mind previously unknown, or by the creative exuberance of the mind liberated from its ostensibly...
.
The "Summertime Blues" single was backed with Dickie Peterson's original song "Out Of Focus".
Peterson also contributed to the album the eight-minute "Doctor Please" and "Second Time Around", which features Paul Whaley's frantic drum solo. Filling out the record, the band cranked out blues covers "Rock Me Baby
Rock Me Baby (song)
"Rock Me Baby" is a blues standard that has become one of the most recorded blues songs of all time. When B.B. King released "Rock Me Baby" in 1964, it became a Top 40 hit reaching #34 in the Billboard Hot 100. The song is based on earlier blues songs and has been interpreted and recorded by a...
" and Mose Allison's
Mose Allison
Mose John Allison, Jr. is an American jazz blues pianist and singer.-Biography:...
"Parchman Farm
Parchman Farm (song)
"Parchman Farm" is the title of a number of songs about Mississippi State Penitentiary, known as Parchman Farm, a hard time prison because of the Trusty system which was later outlawed....
" (titled "Parchment Farm").
The group underwent several personnel changes, the first occurring after the 1968 release of Outsideinside
Outsideinside
Outsideinside is Blue Cheer's second LP, released by Philips Records in August 1968. Its tracks were recorded both outdoors and indoors - hence the title of the album. The record's tracks feature contributions from all members, along with two covers: "Satisfaction" by The Rolling Stones and "The...
after Leigh Stephens left the band due to musical differences or, as some report, deafness. He was replaced by Randy Holden
Randy Holden
Randy Holden is a guitarist best known for his involvement with the West Coast proto-metal group Blue Cheer on their third album, New! Improved! Blue Cheer .-Biography:...
, formerly of Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
garage rock
Garage rock
Garage rock is a raw form of rock and roll that was first popular in the United States and Canada from about 1963 to 1967. During the 1960s, it was not recognized as a separate music genre and had no specific name...
band The Other Half
The Other Half (band)
For the Canadian 2000s tour band, see: Leslie Carter.The Other Half were a psychedelic hard rock band, based in San Francisco, active in the mid to late 1960s.-History:...
. On 1969's New! Improved! Blue Cheer
New! Improved! Blue Cheer
New! Improved! is the third album by Blue Cheer, first released in March 1969 on Philips Records. It was re-released in 1999 by Italian indie label Akarma Records. The album features Randy Holden on guitar on side B...
there were different guitarists on side 1 and side 2 (Randy Holden and Bruce Stephens) due to Holden's unanticipated departure from the band. Another guitarist that was in the band for a short stint was Tom Weisser, who recorded his material with Mitch Mitchell on drums and Dickie Peterson on bass. Later, Ralph Burns Kellogg
Ethan James (producer)
Ethan James was a musician, record producer, and recording engineer best known for his work on the Minutemen's seminal album Double Nickels on the Dime. He also produced and engineered albums for such acts as Black Flag, The Bangles, Rain Parade, Dos, and many others...
also joined the band on keyboards. Blue Cheer's style now changed to a more commercial hard rock sound à la Steppenwolf
Steppenwolf (band)
Steppenwolf are a Canadian-American rock group that was prominent in the late 1960s. The group was formed in 1967 in Los Angeles by vocalist John Kay, guitarist Michael Monarch, bassist Rushton Moreve, keyboardist Goldy McJohn and drummer Jerry Edmonton after the dissolution of Toronto group The...
or Iron Butterfly
Iron Butterfly
Iron Butterfly is a US psychedelic rock band best known for the 1968 hit "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida".Their heyday was the late 1960s, but the band has been reincarnated with various members. In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida is the 31st best-selling album in the world, selling more than 25 million copies.-History:The...
. For the fourth album Blue Cheer
Blue Cheer (album)
Blue Cheer is the fourth album by Blue Cheer, released in 1969 on Philips Records. Gary Lee Yoder contributed songwriting for the opening and closing tracks and would later join the group as guitarist on their next album The Original Human Being .The album is the first Blue Cheer release as a four...
, Bruce Stephens left and was succeeded by Gary Lee Yoder
Gary Lee Yoder
Gary Lee Yoder is a musician who was part of several 1960s San Francisco psychedelic rock bands, including Kak, Oxford Circle, and Blue Cheer.Oxford Circle and Kak were both formed in Yoder's hometown of Davis, California, and featured the same nucleus of members...
who helped complete the album.
According to Dickie Peterson the group's lifestyle during this period caused problems with the music industry and press. Peterson said the group was outraged by the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
and society in general.
Reconfigurations, inactivity and first extended hiatus (1970s)
The new line-up of Peterson, Ralph Burns KelloggEthan James (producer)
Ethan James was a musician, record producer, and recording engineer best known for his work on the Minutemen's seminal album Double Nickels on the Dime. He also produced and engineered albums for such acts as Black Flag, The Bangles, Rain Parade, Dos, and many others...
, Norman Mayell (drums) and Yoder in 1970 saw the release of The Original Human Being
The Original Human Being
The Original Human Being is Blue Cheer's fifth album. It was released in 1970 and shows Blue Cheer exploring a more psychedelic and laid‑back rock 'n' roll with horn sections on a few of the songs. This album features a very unusual, and different, song for Blue Cheer: "Babaji ", which...
, followed by 1971's Oh! Pleasant Hope
Oh! Pleasant Hope
Oh! Pleasant Hope is the sixth, and last, album by Blue Cheer until 1983's The Beast Is Back. This album features less psychedelia and includes more blues-rock, hard rock, with some country rock leanings on some songs. This is an unusual Blue Cheer album in that Dickie Peterson only sings lead on...
. When Oh! Pleasant Hope failed to dent the sales charts, Blue Cheer temporarily split up in 1972.
There was a temporary resumption in 1974 with Dickie Peterson being joined by brother Jerre, Ruben de Fuentes (guitar) and Terry Rae (drums) for some tour dates. This grouping continued on briefly in 1975 with former Steppenwolf bassist Nick St. Nicholas
Nick St. Nicholas
Nick St. Nicholas is a bassist, and is best known for his membership in Steppenwolf from 1968 to 1970, and then again from 1976 to 1980. After World War II, his family moved to Toronto and became Canadian citizens. Sister Maren joined the Canadian Ballet Company & Conservatory of Music as pianist...
replacing Dickie. The group was then largely inactive for nearly three years, until 1978.
Dickie returned in 1978-79 with a fresh line-up of Tony Rainier on guitar and Mike Fleck on drums. This version of the group never got out of rehearsal studios.
Further reconfigurations, relocation to Germany, second and third extended hiatus (1980s–1998)
Blue Cheer was once again inactive in the early 1980s. There was another attempt to reunite in 1983, but that fell through. In 1984, Peterson had better luck when he returned with Whaley and Rainier as Blue Cheer and a brand new album The Beast Is BackThe Beast Is Back
The Beast is Back is the seventh album by a newly reformed Blue Cheer, 13 years after their previous album, Oh! Pleasant Hope . It contains re-recorded versions of some of the band's most popular songs from their late-60s heyday as well as new material. The album features founding members Dickie...
, which was released on the New York label Megaforce Records
Megaforce Records
Megaforce Records is an American independent record label which was founded in 1982 by Jon and Marsha Zazula to publish the first works of Metallica. It has offices in New York and Philadelphia. The label is distributed in the U.S. by Sony Music Entertainment/RED Distribution...
. Whaley left again in 1985 as drummer Brent Harknett took over, only to be succeeded by Billy Carmassi in 1987. That same year, Dickie led yet another new lineup of the Cheer that had Ruben de Fuentes back on guitar and Eric Davis on drums. In 1988, the line-up changed once again, being now composed of Dickie Peterson (bass), with Andrew "Duck" MacDonald
Duck MacDonald
Andrew MacDonald, a.k.a Duck MacDonald, is an American heavy metal/hard rock guitarist, who has played in several bands, the most well-known of which being Blue Cheer....
(guitar) and Dave Salce (drums).
From 1989 to 1993, Blue Cheer toured mainly in Europe. During this time, they played with classic rock acts as well as then-up-and-coming bands: Mountain
Mountain (band)
Mountain is an American hard rock band that formed in Long Island, New York in 1969. Originally comprising vocalist and guitarist Leslie West, bassist Felix Pappalardi and drummer N. D. Smart, the band broke up in 1972 before reuniting in 1974 and remaining active until today...
, Outlaws, Thunder
Thunder (band)
Thunder were an English hard rock band, who originally formed in 1989 when the band Terraplane broke up, leaving lead singer Danny Bowes and guitarist/main songwriter Luke Morley to form a new group, namely Thunder...
, The Groundhogs
The Groundhogs
Groundhogs are a British rock band founded in late 1963, that toured extensively in the 1960s, achieved prominence in the early 1970s and continued sporadically into the 21st century.-Career:...
, Ten Years After
Ten Years After
Ten Years After is an English blues-rock band, most popular in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Between 1968 and 1973, Ten Years After scored eight Top 40 albums on the UK Albums Chart...
, Mucky Pup
Mucky Pup
Mucky Pup began as an American hardcore and crossover thrash band formed in Bergenfield, New Jersey in 1985, when brothers John and Chris Milnes joined up with Dan Nastasi and former Hades member, Scott LePage . The band went through various incarnations and several musical style changes while...
, Biohazard and others.
1989 saw the release of Blue Cheer's first official live album, Blitzkrieg over Nüremberg. This album was recorded during Blue Cheer's first European tour in decades.
1990 saw the release of the Highlights and Lowlives
Highlights and Lowlives
Highlights And Lowlives is the eighth studio album by American blues-rock band Blue Cheer released in 1990, and produced by Jack Endino, a prominent grunge producer.-Track listing:#«Urban Soldiers» — 4:09...
studio album, composed of blues-based heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
and one ballad. The album was co-produced by notable grunge producer Jack Endino
Jack Endino
Jack Endino is a producer and musician based in Seattle. Long associated with Seattle label Sub Pop and the grunge movement, Endino worked on seminal albums from bands such as Mudhoney, Soundgarden, and Nirvana...
and producer Roland Hofmann. The line-up was Peterson, Whaley on drums and MacDonald on guitars.
Blue Cheer followed up "Highlights" with the much heavier Dining with the Sharks. Duck MacDonald was replaced by German ex-Monsters guitar player Dieter Saller in 1990. Peterson was on bass and vocals and Paul Whaley was again on drums. Also featured is a special guest appearance by Groundhogs
The Groundhogs
Groundhogs are a British rock band founded in late 1963, that toured extensively in the 1960s, achieved prominence in the early 1970s and continued sporadically into the 21st century.-Career:...
guitarist Tony McPhee
Tony McPhee
Tony McPhee is an English blues guitarist, and founder of The Groundhogs....
. The album was co-produced by Roland Hofmann and Blue Cheer. Gary Holland
Dokken
Dokken is an American heavy metal and hard rock band formed in 1978. They split up in 1989 but reformed four years later. The group accumulated numerous charting singles and has sold more than 10 million albums worldwide...
(ex-Dokken
Dokken
Dokken is an American heavy metal and hard rock band formed in 1978. They split up in 1989 but reformed four years later. The group accumulated numerous charting singles and has sold more than 10 million albums worldwide...
) replaced Whaley on drums in 1993.
In the early 1990s, Peterson and Whaley re-located to Germany. In 1992 Peterson recorded his first solo album "child of the darkness" in Cologne with a band named "The Scrap Yard". The album appeared five years later in Japan on Captain Trip Records. After Peterson came back to the U.S. (1994), Blue Cheer was dormant from 1994 to 1999.
The return of Blue Cheer (1999–2009)
In 1999, Peterson & Whaley got together with guitarist MacDonald, to resume touring as Blue Cheer. This band configuration remained largely constant from 1999 until Peterson's death in 2009.In 2000, Blue Cheer was the subject of a tribute album, Blue Explosion - A Tribute to Blue Cheer, featuring such bands as Pentagram
Pentagram (band)
Pentagram is a American heavy metal band from Virginia, most famous as one of the pioneers of doom metal. The band was prolific in the underground scene of the 1970s, producing many demos and rehearsal tapes, but did not release a full-length album until reforming in the early 1980s with an almost...
, Internal Void
Internal Void
-Biography:Internal Void came together in 1987 after Kelly Carmichael, Eric Little and Adam Heinzmann attended a Saint Vitus concert. The band later recruited J.D. Williams as a vocalist and put out two demo recordings in the late 80s/early 90s...
, Hogwash and Thumlock
Thumlock
Thumlock were a stoner rock band from Wollongong. The bands name was derived from combining the words thumbscrews and hemlock. They formed in 1994 as a three piece by Ben Lough , Greg Eshman and Wayne Stokes . The band released Dripping Silver Heat and then expanded with the addition of Raff Iacurto...
.
Peterson and Leigh Stephens were together once again in Blue Cheer with drummer Prairie Prince
Prairie Prince
Prairie Prince is a rock drummer. He was a member of The Tubes and a founding member of Journey...
at the Chet Helms Memorial Tribal Stomp
Chet Helms
Chester Leo "Chet" Helms , often called the father of San Francisco's "1967 Summer of Love," was a music promoter and a cultural figure in San Francisco during its hippie period in the late Sixties....
in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park
Golden Gate Park
Golden Gate Park, located in San Francisco, California, is a large urban park consisting of of public grounds. Configured as a rectangle, it is similar in shape but 20% larger than Central Park in New York, to which it is often compared. It is over three miles long east to west, and about half a...
on October 29, 2005, and their lively performance drew old rockers like Paul Kantner
Paul Kantner
Paul Lorin Kantner is an American rock musician, known for co-founding the psychedelic rock band Jefferson Airplane and its spin-off band Jefferson Starship.- Overview :...
and others from backstage to observe. They did some recordings in Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
in Winter 2005 with Joe Hasselvander
Joe Hasselvander
Joe Hasselvander is a musician who has been playing professionally since the age of 9 years old in 1966. He was self-taught, playing the violin and later the drums. He has been the drummer of Raven since 1987.-Career:...
of Raven
Raven (band)
Raven are an English heavy metal band associated with the New Wave of British Heavy Metal movement. They had a hit with the single "On and On", and refer to their music as "athletic rock".-Formation:...
and Pentagram
Pentagram (band)
Pentagram is a American heavy metal band from Virginia, most famous as one of the pioneers of doom metal. The band was prolific in the underground scene of the 1970s, producing many demos and rehearsal tapes, but did not release a full-length album until reforming in the early 1980s with an almost...
on drums, due to Paul Whaley choosing to remain in Germany. While Hasselvander played on the entire album, his contribution was reduced to drums on five songs, with Paul Whaley re-recording the drum parts on the balance of the album. This was because Whaley was set to rejoin the band and it was felt that he should contribute to the album, prior to touring. The resulting CD, What Doesn't Kill You..., released in 2007, features contributions from both Whaley and Hasselvander as a consequence.
Blue Cheer's video for Summertime Blues
Summertime Blues
"Summertime Blues" is the title of a song co-written and recorded by American rockabilly artist Eddie Cochran. It was written in the late 1950s by Cochran and his manager Jerry Capehart. Originally a single B-side, it was released in August 1958 and peaked at number 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 on...
made an appearance in 2005 documentary Metal: A Headbanger's Journey
Metal: A Headbanger's Journey
Metal: A Headbanger's Journey is a 2005 documentary directed by Sam Dunn with Scot McFadyen and Jessica Wise. The film follows 31-year-old Dunn, a Canadian anthropologist, who has been a heavy metal fan since the age of 12...
, where Geddy Lee
Geddy Lee
Gary Lee Weinrib, OC, better known as Geddy Lee , is a Canadian musician, best known as the lead vocalist, bassist, and keyboardist for the Canadian rock group Rush...
of Rush
Rush (band)
Rush is a Canadian rock band formed in August 1968, in the Willowdale neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario. The band is composed of bassist, keyboardist, and lead vocalist Geddy Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson, and drummer and lyricist Neil Peart...
referred to the group as one of the first heavy metal bands.
Death of Peterson and disbandment (2009)
On October 12, 2009, Peterson died in Germany after development and spread of prostate cancerProstate cancer
Prostate cancer is a form of cancer that develops in the prostate, a gland in the male reproductive system. Most prostate cancers are slow growing; however, there are cases of aggressive prostate cancers. The cancer cells may metastasize from the prostate to other parts of the body, particularly...
. After Peterson's death, longtime Blue Cheer guitarist Andrew MacDonald wrote on the group's website that "Blue Cheer is done. Out of respect for Dickie, Blue Cheer (will) never become a viable touring band again."
Dispute over ownership of band name
In recent years, a dispute has arisen as to ownership of the Blue Cheer band name. It was reported that, as of the early 2000s, former Blue Cheer guitarist Randy HoldenRandy Holden
Randy Holden is a guitarist best known for his involvement with the West Coast proto-metal group Blue Cheer on their third album, New! Improved! Blue Cheer .-Biography:...
, assisted by Randy Pratt of The Lizards band, had trademarked the Blue Cheer band name. Holden's association with Blue Cheer was quite brief; his only recorded output with the band is three tracks on New! Improved! Blue Cheer
New! Improved! Blue Cheer
New! Improved! is the third album by Blue Cheer, first released in March 1969 on Philips Records. It was re-released in 1999 by Italian indie label Akarma Records. The album features Randy Holden on guitar on side B...
in 1969. The matter had upset Dickie Peterson, given his position as a co-founder of the band and the only continuing member since its inception, but does not appear to have been resolved.
According to Randy Pratt, this report is not entirely accurate. Pratt provides uncited commentary as follows:
- The Blue Cheer band name was trademarked in 2000 by fan and professional musician Randy Pratt. Pratt put the trademark in former Blue Cheer guitarist Randy Holden'sRandy HoldenRandy Holden is a guitarist best known for his involvement with the West Coast proto-metal group Blue Cheer on their third album, New! Improved! Blue Cheer .-Biography:...
possession after Dickie Peterson said he was finished with Blue Cheer and wanted nothing to do with it ever again, with his sole future interest in his new band, 'Mother Ocean'".
Studio
- Vincebus EruptumVincebus Eruptum-Personnel:Blue Cheer*Dickie Peterson – vocals, bass*Leigh Stephens – guitar*Paul Whaley – drumsAdditional personnel*Abe "Voco" Kesh – production*John MacQuarrie – engineering*John Van Hamersveld – photography...
(1968) Philips RecordsPhilips RecordsPhilips Records is a record label that was founded by Dutch electronics company Philips. It was started by "Philips Phonographische Industrie" in 1950. Recordings were made with popular artists of various nationalities and also with classical artists from Germany, France and Holland. Philips also... - single "Summertime Blues pt 1/2" (June 1968)
- OutsideinsideOutsideinsideOutsideinside is Blue Cheer's second LP, released by Philips Records in August 1968. Its tracks were recorded both outdoors and indoors - hence the title of the album. The record's tracks feature contributions from all members, along with two covers: "Satisfaction" by The Rolling Stones and "The...
(1968) Philips Records - single "Sun Cycle" / "Feathers From Your Tree" (November 1968)
- New! Improved! Blue CheerNew! Improved! Blue CheerNew! Improved! is the third album by Blue Cheer, first released in March 1969 on Philips Records. It was re-released in 1999 by Italian indie label Akarma Records. The album features Randy Holden on guitar on side B...
(1969) Philips Records - Blue CheerBlue Cheer (album)Blue Cheer is the fourth album by Blue Cheer, released in 1969 on Philips Records. Gary Lee Yoder contributed songwriting for the opening and closing tracks and would later join the group as guitarist on their next album The Original Human Being .The album is the first Blue Cheer release as a four...
(1969) Philips Records - The Original Human BeingThe Original Human BeingThe Original Human Being is Blue Cheer's fifth album. It was released in 1970 and shows Blue Cheer exploring a more psychedelic and laid‑back rock 'n' roll with horn sections on a few of the songs. This album features a very unusual, and different, song for Blue Cheer: "Babaji ", which...
(1970) Philips Records - Oh! Pleasant HopeOh! Pleasant HopeOh! Pleasant Hope is the sixth, and last, album by Blue Cheer until 1983's The Beast Is Back. This album features less psychedelia and includes more blues-rock, hard rock, with some country rock leanings on some songs. This is an unusual Blue Cheer album in that Dickie Peterson only sings lead on...
(1971) Philips Records - The Beast Is BackThe Beast Is BackThe Beast is Back is the seventh album by a newly reformed Blue Cheer, 13 years after their previous album, Oh! Pleasant Hope . It contains re-recorded versions of some of the band's most popular songs from their late-60s heyday as well as new material. The album features founding members Dickie...
(1984) Megaforce RecordsMegaforce RecordsMegaforce Records is an American independent record label which was founded in 1982 by Jon and Marsha Zazula to publish the first works of Metallica. It has offices in New York and Philadelphia. The label is distributed in the U.S. by Sony Music Entertainment/RED Distribution... - Highlights and LowlivesHighlights and LowlivesHighlights And Lowlives is the eighth studio album by American blues-rock band Blue Cheer released in 1990, and produced by Jack Endino, a prominent grunge producer.-Track listing:#«Urban Soldiers» — 4:09...
(1990) Nibelung Records - Dining With the SharksDining With the SharksDining With the Sharks is the ninth studio album by American blues-rock band Blue Cheer. It features a cover of Jimi Hendrix's classic "Foxey Lady".-Track listing:#"Big Noise" – 4:51...
(1991) Nibelung Records - What Doesn't Kill You...What Doesn't Kill You...(Blue Cheer album)What Doesn't Kill You... is the tenth and final studio album by American blues-rock band Blue Cheer. It includes a remake of their song "Just a Little Bit" originally from their album, Outsideinside and a cover of classic blues song, "Born Under a Bad Sign." David Fricke has called the album, "a...
(2007) Rainman Records
Live
- Blitzkrieg Over NürembergBlitzkrieg Over NürembergBlitzkrieg Over Nüremberg is the first live album by American blues-rock band Blue Cheer. It features a cover of Jimi Hendrix's classic "Red House".- Track listing :# "Babylon" /"Girl Next Door" – 9:20...
(1989) Nibelung Records - Live & Unreleased, Vol. 1: '68/'74 (1996) Captain Trip Records
- Live & Unreleased, Vol. 2: Live At San Jose Civic Centre, 1968 & More (1998) Captain Trip Records
- Hello Tokyo, Bye Bye Osaka - Live In Japan 1999 (1999) Captain Trip Records
- Live In Japan (2003) Track RecordsTrack RecordsTrack Records is an English record label founded in London in 1966 by Kit Lambert and Chris Stamp, then managers of hard rock band The Who. The most successful artists whose work appeared on the Track label were The Jimi Hendrix Experience, The Who, The Crazy World of Arthur Brown, Thunderclap...
(UK issue of Hello Tokyo, Bye Bye Osaka) - Live Bootleg: London - Hamburg (2005) Rockview Records
- Rocks Europe (2009) Rainman Records
Compilation
- Motive - Blue Cheer (1969) - German Release Only Philips RecordsPhilips RecordsPhilips Records is a record label that was founded by Dutch electronics company Philips. It was started by "Philips Phonographische Industrie" in 1950. Recordings were made with popular artists of various nationalities and also with classical artists from Germany, France and Holland. Philips also...
- Louder than God: The Best of Blue Cheer (1986) Rhino Records/Warner Music GroupWarner Music GroupWarner Music Group is the third largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry, making it one of the big four record companies...
- Good Times are so Hard to Find: The History of Blue Cheer (1990) Island RecordsIsland RecordsIsland Records is a record label that was founded by Chris Blackwell in Jamaica. It was based in the United Kingdom for many years and is now owned by Universal Music Group...
/Mercury RecordsMercury RecordsMercury Records is a record label operating as a standalone company in the UK and as part of the Island Def Jam Motown Music Group in the US; both are subsidiaries of Universal Music Group. There is also a Mercury Records in Australia, which is a local artist and repertoire division of Universal... - The Best of Yesteryear (1990)