Fever Tree
Encyclopedia
Fever Tree is a former American
psychedelic rock
band of the 1960s, chiefly known for their anthemic 1968 hit, "San Francisco Girls (Return of the Native)".
and began in 1966
as a folk rock
outfit called The Bostwick Vines. They changed their name to Fever Tree a year later after the addition of keyboard player Rob Landes.
Their fifteen minutes of fame arrived when their song "San Francisco Girls (Return of the Native)" reached #91 in the U.S. on the Billboard Hot 100
chart in June 1968
. Like most of the band's material, it was written by the couple of Scott and Vivian Holtzman, who also were their producers. This four-minute track captured all the band's trademarks: Dennis Keller's incantation-like vocals, the quick shifting between slow parts with an almost sacral feeling and faster, more rock-oriented parts, and especially the searing guitar work by Michael Knust.
Fever Tree also released their self-titled debut album, Fever Tree, in 1968, which charted at #156 on the Billboard 200
Chart. A second album, Another Time, Another Place, followed in 1969
and peaked at #83 with a third album Creation, charting at #97 on the Billboard 200 Chart in 1970. Apart from "San Francisco Girls", they never had another hit, although they later also tried writing songs themselves when they had dropped the Holtzmans as producers. The group disbanded in 1970
, but reformed in 1978
with only guitarist Michael Knust remaining from the original line-up. The new formation of the group had little commercial success; Fever Tree was not heard of again until 2003 when Michael Knust died.
Fever Tree's first two albums (Fever Tree and Another Time, Another Place) were re-released as a single CD on October 31, 2006. Fever Tree's third and fourth albums (Creation and For Sale) are also available as a single CD.
Their recording of "Ninety-Nine and a Half (Won't Do)" by Steve Cropper, Eddie Floyd, and Wilson Pickett was sampled as the primary riff in Madvillain
's "America's Most Blunted" from their 2004 self-titled debut
.
Singles
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
psychedelic rock
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...
band of the 1960s, chiefly known for their anthemic 1968 hit, "San Francisco Girls (Return of the Native)".
History
The group hailed from Houston, TexasHouston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
and began in 1966
1966 in music
-Events:*January 3 – Hullabaloo shows promotional videos of The Beatles songs "Day Tripper" and "We Can Work it Out".*January 8 – Shindig! airs for the last time on ABC, with musical guests the Kinks and the Who...
as a folk rock
Folk rock
Folk rock is a musical genre combining elements of folk music and rock music. In its earliest and narrowest sense, the term referred to a genre that arose in the United States and the UK around the mid-1960s...
outfit called The Bostwick Vines. They changed their name to Fever Tree a year later after the addition of keyboard player Rob Landes.
Their fifteen minutes of fame arrived when their song "San Francisco Girls (Return of the Native)" reached #91 in the U.S. 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 in June 1968
1968 in music
-Events:*January 4 – Guitarist Jimi Hendrix is jailed by Stockholm police, after trashing a hotel room during a drunken fist fight with bassist Noel Redding.*January 6 – Gibson Guitar Corporation patents its Gibson Flying V electric guitar design....
. Like most of the band's material, it was written by the couple of Scott and Vivian Holtzman, who also were their producers. This four-minute track captured all the band's trademarks: Dennis Keller's incantation-like vocals, the quick shifting between slow parts with an almost sacral feeling and faster, more rock-oriented parts, and especially the searing guitar work by Michael Knust.
Fever Tree also released their self-titled debut album, Fever Tree, in 1968, which charted at #156 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. A second album, Another Time, Another Place, followed in 1969
1969 in music
-Events:Perhaps the two most famous musical events of 1969 were concerts. At a Rolling Stones concert in Altamont, California, a fan was stabbed to death by Hells Angels, a biker gang that had been hired to provide security for the event...
and peaked at #83 with a third album Creation, charting at #97 on the Billboard 200 Chart in 1970. Apart from "San Francisco Girls", they never had another hit, although they later also tried writing songs themselves when they had dropped the Holtzmans as producers. The group disbanded in 1970
1970 in music
- Events :*January 3**Davy Jones announces he is leaving the Monkees**Former Pink Floyd frontman Syd Barrett releases his first solo album The Madcap Laughs....
, but reformed in 1978
1978 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1978.-January–April:*January 14 – The Sex Pistols play their final show at San Francisco's Winterland Ballroom....
with only guitarist Michael Knust remaining from the original line-up. The new formation of the group had little commercial success; Fever Tree was not heard of again until 2003 when Michael Knust died.
Fever Tree's first two albums (Fever Tree and Another Time, Another Place) were re-released as a single CD on October 31, 2006. Fever Tree's third and fourth albums (Creation and For Sale) are also available as a single CD.
Their recording of "Ninety-Nine and a Half (Won't Do)" by Steve Cropper, Eddie Floyd, and Wilson Pickett was sampled as the primary riff in Madvillain
Madvillain
Madvillain is a hip hop group consisting of MF DOOM and Madlib . Their debut album Madvillainy was met with wide critical acclaim for its unique approach—short songs, obscure lyrics, few choruses and a sound which was generally unfriendly to commercial radio.In 2006, Madvillain was featured on...
's "America's Most Blunted" from their 2004 self-titled debut
Madvillainy
Madvillainy is the debut album by American hip hop duo Madvillain, a group consisting of MF DOOM and Madlib . It was released on March 23, 2004 on Stones Throw Records to overwhelmingly positive reviews...
.
Band members
- Dennis Keller - vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
- Michael Stephen Knust (March 11, 1949 - September 15, 2003) - guitarGuitarThe 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...
- Rob Landes - synthesizerSynthesizerA synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
, organOrgan (music)The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
, pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal... - E.E. "Bud" Wolfe - bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
- John Tuttle - drums
Discography
Albums- Fever Tree (19681968 in music-Events:*January 4 – Guitarist Jimi Hendrix is jailed by Stockholm police, after trashing a hotel room during a drunken fist fight with bassist Noel Redding.*January 6 – Gibson Guitar Corporation patents its Gibson Flying V electric guitar design....
), Uni RecordsUni RecordsUni Records was a record label owned by MCA Inc. The brand, which long featured a distinct UNi logo, was established in 1966 by MCA executive Ned Tanen and developed by music industry veteran Russ Regan...
/MCA - Another Time, Another Place (1968), Uni/MCA
- Creation (19691969 in music-Events:Perhaps the two most famous musical events of 1969 were concerts. At a Rolling Stones concert in Altamont, California, a fan was stabbed to death by Hells Angels, a biker gang that had been hired to provide security for the event...
), Uni/MCA - For Sale (19701970 in music- Events :*January 3**Davy Jones announces he is leaving the Monkees**Former Pink Floyd frontman Syd Barrett releases his first solo album The Madcap Laughs....
), Ampex Records - Live at Lake Charles (19781978 in musicThis is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1978.-January–April:*January 14 – The Sex Pistols play their final show at San Francisco's Winterland Ballroom....
), Shroom Records
Singles
- "Hey Mister" / "I Can Beat Your Drum" (1968)
- "Girl, Oh Girl" / "Steve Lenore" (1968)
- "Come With Me" / "San Francisco Girls (Return Of The Native)" (1968)
- "What Time Did You Say It Is In Salt Lake City?" / "Where Did You Go" (1968)
External links
- http://www.thepsychedelicguitar.com/knust.htm Interview with Michael Knust
- http://homeofsynonym.com/fevertree.htm German tribute site
- http://www.stlukesmethodist.org/programs/arts/arts Rob Landes, Organist and Artist-in-Residence
- http://www.roblandes.com Rob Landes and the Rob Landes Trio