Ramatam
Encyclopedia
Ramatam was a 1970s rock band
featuring Mike Pinera
on guitar and vocals, April Lawton
on lead guitar, and, for a short time, Mitch Mitchell
on drums.
Tom Dowd
produced their self-titled debut album in 1972. Pinera was known for his work with Blues Image ("Ride Captain Ride
") and later Iron Butterfly
. Mitchell joined the band while away from The Jimi Hendrix Experience
. The group also included some former members of Janis Joplin's Big Brother and The Holding Company.
Mitchell's departure came before the band released its second and final album, In April Came the Dawning of the Red Suns (1973). Pinera and Mitchell had departed from the band at that point, leaving the band's focus entirely on Lawton. The band fractured under the pressure of life on the road and broke up in 1974.
Ramatam was notable for having April Lawton, a female lead guitarist. At the time of the first album's release, female rock musicians who actively played and participated in the band were relatively rare, particularly female musicians who played aggressive lead guitar
, as Lawton did. She was favorably compared to Jeff Beck
by Guitar Player Magazine.
Rock Band
Rock Band is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games and Electronic Arts. It is the first title in the Rock Band series. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were released in the United States on November 20, 2007, while the PlayStation 2 version was...
featuring Mike Pinera
Mike Pinera
Mike Pinera is an American guitarist who started professionally in the late 1960s with the group Blues Image, which had a #4 hit in 1970 with their song "Ride Captain Ride". After the breakup of that group, he joined Iron Butterfly, and later formed the group Ramatam...
on guitar and vocals, April Lawton
April Lawton
April Lawton was a guitarist, singer, and composer who rose to some prominence in the early to mid 1970s as a member of the band Ramatam, which also included former Iron Butterfly guitarist Mike Pinera and the former Jimi Hendrix drummer Mitch Mitchell...
on lead guitar, and, for a short time, Mitch Mitchell
Mitch Mitchell
John Ronald "Mitch" Mitchell was an English drummer, best known for his work in The Jimi Hendrix Experience.-Early life and the Jimi Hendrix Experience:...
on drums.
Tom Dowd
Tom Dowd
Tom Dowd was an American recording engineer and producer for Atlantic Records. He was credited with innovating the multi-track recording method. Dowd worked on a virtual "who's who" of recordings that encompassed blues, jazz, pop, rock and soul records.- Early years :Born in Manhattan, Dowd grew...
produced their self-titled debut album in 1972. Pinera was known for his work with Blues Image ("Ride Captain Ride
Ride Captain Ride
"Ride Captain Ride" is a song recorded by the American rock band Blues Image. The song was co-written by the band's singer-guitarist Mike Pinera and keyboardist Frank "Skip" Konte. It was included on the group's 1970 album, Open...
") and later 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...
. Mitchell joined the band while away from The Jimi Hendrix Experience
The Jimi Hendrix Experience
The Jimi Hendrix Experience were an English-American psychedelic rock band that formed in London in October 1966. Comprising eponymous singer-songwriter and guitarist Jimi Hendrix, bassist and backing vocalist Noel Redding and drummer Mitch Mitchell, the band was active until June 1969, in which...
. The group also included some former members of Janis Joplin's Big Brother and The Holding Company.
Mitchell's departure came before the band released its second and final album, In April Came the Dawning of the Red Suns (1973). Pinera and Mitchell had departed from the band at that point, leaving the band's focus entirely on Lawton. The band fractured under the pressure of life on the road and broke up in 1974.
Ramatam was notable for having April Lawton, a female lead guitarist. At the time of the first album's release, female rock musicians who actively played and participated in the band were relatively rare, particularly female musicians who played aggressive lead guitar
Lead guitar
Lead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
, as Lawton did. She was favorably compared to Jeff Beck
Jeff Beck
Geoffrey Arnold "Jeff" Beck is an English rock guitarist. He is one of three noted guitarists to have played with The Yardbirds...
by Guitar Player Magazine.
Discography
- Ramatam (Atlantic RecordsAtlantic RecordsAtlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
, 1972) U.S. #182 - In April Came the Dawning of the Red Suns (Atlantic, 1973)
External links
- Ramatam audio at www.aprillawton.com