Randy California
Encyclopedia
Randy California was a guitarist, singer and songwriter and one of the original members of the rock group Spirit
, formed in 1967.
and spent his early years studying varied styles at the family's Los Angeles folk club, the Ash Grove
. Randy's uncle, Ed Pearl, was famous as the founder of the Ash Grove. He was 15 years old when his mother Bernice Pearl and new stepfather, Ed Cassidy
(later to become a founding member of the band Spirit, with Randy), moved to New York City in the summer of 1966 because Cassidy had a number of jazz gigs lined up. It was there, at Manny's Guitars, that Randy met Jimi Hendrix
.
He played in Hendrix's band The Blue Flame that summer. California, Cassidy and Pearl lived in an apartment building in Forest Hills (Queens), New York called the Balfour, whose other residents included future Steely Dan
co-founder Walter Becker
, who cites California's blues-based guitar style as an influence on his own playing.
The stage name "Randy California" was given to him by Hendrix to distinguish him from another Randy in the band (who Hendrix dubbed "Randy Texas"). When Hendrix was invited to come to England by former bassist of British Invasion
band The Animals
Chas Chandler
—who became Hendrix's manager and producer—Randy's parents did not allow him to go so that he could finish high school. So at that time the 15-year-old guitar genius did not become a member of the Jimi Hendrix Experience. By some accounts, Chandler wanted Hendrix as the only guitarist for the band and nixed California's going to England. Hendrix invited Randy anyway, so they could "go find Jeff Beck."
Together with Cassidy, songwriter/front-man Jay Ferguson
, bassist Mark Andes
(with whom California and Cassidy initially had formed a band called the Red Roosters) and keyboardist John Locke, California founded the band Spirit—originally Spirits Rebellious, after Khalil Gibran
's poem—in 1967. The band's demo was produced by Barry Hansen, later to become Doctor Demento.
Their first, self-titled album was released in January 1968, a month before California's 17th birthday. He then wrote the band's biggest hit, 1968's "I Got a Line on You" for Spirit's second album, "The Family That Plays Together
". He also wrote the single "1984," released in early 1970 and banned from most AM radio stations at that time. He also penned Spirit's other hit, "Nature's Way," for the band's best-selling album, Twelve Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus
. In addition to their role as the pioneers of jazz/rock-fusion, Spirit's music still stands as a unique sound mixing ethereal notes, hard beats, and a satirical view of the world.
It has been suggested that Jimmy Page
borrowed California's guitar part from "Taurus
" on the first Spirit album when he wrote Led Zeppelin
's "Stairway to Heaven
". Led Zeppelin was the opening act on the road for Spirit in 1968, which has further fueled this controversy. In 1996, in the liner notes for the reissue of Spirit's first album, California stated "people always ask me why 'Stairway to Heaven' sounds exactly like 'Taurus,' which was released two years earlier. I know Led Zeppelin also played 'Fresh Garbage' in their live set. They opened up for us on their first American tour". Since "Fresh Garbage" is a song from the same album that includes the song "Taurus", this only adds to the controversy that Led Zeppelin was at least aware of the song.
Spirit was invited to open for Jimi Hendrix at Woodstock. However, band manager/producer Lou Adler
—who, ironically, had been one of the founders of the rock festival movement two years earlier, as a partner (with Mamas & Papas lynchpin John Phillips
) in the Monterey Pop Festival
, where Hendrix premiered in the U.S.—opposed it because the band was busy promoting their latest album, Clear.
When Ferguson and Andes left Spirit to form Jo Jo Gunne
due to the slow sales of Sardonicus, and then his dear friend Hendrix died, a depressed California left Spirit. He recorded Kapt. Kopter & The Fabulous Twirly Birds, which included California and Cassidy's version of Paul Simon
's "Mother and Child Reunion" plus a slew of authentically Hendrix-like tracks (also featuring former Experience bassist Noel Redding
, AKA 'Clit McTorius'). In 1972 the album was released at virtually the same moment as Jo Jo Gunne's first, eponymous album that featured "Run, Run Run" and a Spirit album called Feedback that was recorded by Cassidy and Locke (who were Spirit's jazz influences) and guitarist/bassist brother duo Al and John Staehely, who wrote and sang most of the material on the LP.
In 1974 California legally acquired the band name Spirit. From then on, he and Cassidy (who is the only musician who appeared on all Spirit albums) stuck together. That year, they signed with Mercury Records.
near the home of Bernice Pearl at Molokai
, Hawaii. He managed to push his son Quinn (who survived) towards the shore.
Spirit (band)
Spirit was an American jazz/hard rock/progressive rock/psychedelic band founded in 1967, based in Los Angeles, California.- The original lineup :...
, formed in 1967.
Biography
Randy was born into a musical family in Los AngelesLos 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...
and spent his early years studying varied styles at the family's Los Angeles folk club, the Ash Grove
Ash Grove (music club)
The Ash Grove was a folk music club located at 8162 Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles, founded in 1958 by Ed Pearl and named after the Welsh folk song, "The Ash Grove."...
. Randy's uncle, Ed Pearl, was famous as the founder of the Ash Grove. He was 15 years old when his mother Bernice Pearl and new stepfather, Ed Cassidy
Ed Cassidy
Ed "Cass" Cassidy is an American drummer who was one of the founders of the rock group Spirit in 1967.His family moved to Bakersfield, California, in 1931, and he started as a professional musician in 1937. He was in the Navy during World War II, and after his discharge worked at many jobs before...
(later to become a founding member of the band Spirit, with Randy), moved to New York City in the summer of 1966 because Cassidy had a number of jazz gigs lined up. It was there, at Manny's Guitars, that Randy met Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
.
He played in Hendrix's band The Blue Flame that summer. California, Cassidy and Pearl lived in an apartment building in Forest Hills (Queens), New York called the Balfour, whose other residents included future Steely Dan
Steely Dan
Steely Dan is an American rock band; its core members are Donald Fagen and Walter Becker. The band's popularity peaked in the late 1970s, with the release of seven albums blending elements of jazz, rock, funk, R&B, and pop...
co-founder Walter Becker
Walter Becker
Walter Carl Becker is an American musician, songwriter and record producer. He is best known as the co-founder, guitarist, bassist and a co-writer of Steely Dan.-Career:...
, who cites California's blues-based guitar style as an influence on his own playing.
The stage name "Randy California" was given to him by Hendrix to distinguish him from another Randy in the band (who Hendrix dubbed "Randy Texas"). When Hendrix was invited to come to England by former bassist of British Invasion
British Invasion
The British Invasion is a term used to describe the large number of rock and roll, beat, rock, and pop performers from the United Kingdom who became popular in the United States during the time period from 1964 through 1966.- Background :...
band The Animals
The Animals
The Animals were an English music group of the 1960s formed in Newcastle upon Tyne during the early part of the decade, and later relocated to London...
Chas Chandler
Chas Chandler
Bryan James "Chas" Chandler was an English musician, record producer and manager of several successful music acts....
—who became Hendrix's manager and producer—Randy's parents did not allow him to go so that he could finish high school. So at that time the 15-year-old guitar genius did not become a member of the Jimi Hendrix Experience. By some accounts, Chandler wanted Hendrix as the only guitarist for the band and nixed California's going to England. Hendrix invited Randy anyway, so they could "go find Jeff Beck."
Together with Cassidy, songwriter/front-man Jay Ferguson
Jay Ferguson (American musician)
Jay Ferguson is an American rock and roll musician, known for his work with Spirit and Jo Jo Gunne, and his 1978 solo hit "Thunder Island". His later career has been as a composer of music for television programs and films.-Childhood and early musical career:He was born in Burbank, California, in...
, bassist Mark Andes
Mark Andes
Mark Andes is an American musician, known for his work as a bassist with Spirit, Jo Jo Gunne, Firefall, Heart, and Mirabal.-Early life:...
(with whom California and Cassidy initially had formed a band called the Red Roosters) and keyboardist John Locke, California founded the band Spirit—originally Spirits Rebellious, after Khalil Gibran
Khalil Gibran
Khalil Gibran Jubrān Khalīl Jubrān,Jibrān Khalīl Jibrān, or Jibrān Xalīl Jibrān; Arabic , January 6, 1883 – April 10, 1931) also known as Kahlil Gibran, was a Lebanese American artist, poet, and writer...
's poem—in 1967. The band's demo was produced by Barry Hansen, later to become Doctor Demento.
Their first, self-titled album was released in January 1968, a month before California's 17th birthday. He then wrote the band's biggest hit, 1968's "I Got a Line on You" for Spirit's second album, "The Family That Plays Together
The Family That Plays Together
The Family That Plays Together, the second of four albums released by the original Spirit lineup, was marketed by Ode Records in 1968. Unlike its predecessor, Spirit, their self-titled and surreal debut, The Family That Plays Together evinces more greatly the band's ability for playing beyond the...
". He also wrote the single "1984," released in early 1970 and banned from most AM radio stations at that time. He also penned Spirit's other hit, "Nature's Way," for the band's best-selling album, Twelve Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus
Twelve Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus
Twelve Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus is the fourth album by the psychedelic rock ensemble Spirit. Produced by David Briggs, who is best known for his work with Neil Young. The original LP was released in 1970 by Epic....
. In addition to their role as the pioneers of jazz/rock-fusion, Spirit's music still stands as a unique sound mixing ethereal notes, hard beats, and a satirical view of the world.
It has been suggested that Jimmy Page
Jimmy Page
James Patrick "Jimmy" Page, OBE is an English multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and record producer. He began his career as a studio session guitarist in London and was subsequently a member of The Yardbirds from 1966 to 1968, after which he founded the English rock band Led Zeppelin.Jimmy Page...
borrowed California's guitar part from "Taurus
Taurus (song)
"Taurus" is a rock instrumental by American rock band Spirit, originally released on their self-titled debut album in 1968. The track, composed by guitarist/singer Randy California, was recorded in November 1967. It has been suggested that Jimmy Page borrowed the descending guitar figure from...
" on the first Spirit album when he wrote Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
's "Stairway to Heaven
Stairway to Heaven
"Stairway to Heaven" is a song by the English rock band Led Zeppelin, released in late 1971. It was composed by guitarist Jimmy Page and vocalist Robert Plant for the band's untitled fourth studio album . The song, running eight minutes and two seconds, is composed of several sections, which...
". Led Zeppelin was the opening act on the road for Spirit in 1968, which has further fueled this controversy. In 1996, in the liner notes for the reissue of Spirit's first album, California stated "people always ask me why 'Stairway to Heaven' sounds exactly like 'Taurus,' which was released two years earlier. I know Led Zeppelin also played 'Fresh Garbage' in their live set. They opened up for us on their first American tour". Since "Fresh Garbage" is a song from the same album that includes the song "Taurus", this only adds to the controversy that Led Zeppelin was at least aware of the song.
Spirit was invited to open for Jimi Hendrix at Woodstock. However, band manager/producer Lou Adler
Lou Adler
Lou Adler is an American record producer, manager, and director.-Life and career:Adler was born in Chicago, Illinois in December 1933, and raised in East Los Angeles. In 1964, Adler founded and co-owned Dunhill Records. He was President of the label as well as the chief record producer from 1964...
—who, ironically, had been one of the founders of the rock festival movement two years earlier, as a partner (with Mamas & Papas lynchpin John Phillips
John Phillips
-18th century and earlier:* John Phillips , Bishop of Sodor and Man in the Church of England* John Phillips , author and secretary to John Milton* John Phillips -18th century and earlier:* John Phillips (bishop of Sodor and Man) (1605–1633), Bishop of Sodor and Man in the Church of England* John...
) in 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...
, where Hendrix premiered in the U.S.—opposed it because the band was busy promoting their latest album, Clear.
When Ferguson and Andes left Spirit to form Jo Jo Gunne
Jo Jo Gunne
Jo Jo Gunne is a rock band, formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1971 by Jay Ferguson and Mark Andes after they had left Spirit...
due to the slow sales of Sardonicus, and then his dear friend Hendrix died, a depressed California left Spirit. He recorded Kapt. Kopter & The Fabulous Twirly Birds, which included California and Cassidy's version of Paul Simon
Paul Simon
Paul Frederic Simon is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist.Simon is best known for his success, beginning in 1965, as part of the duo Simon & Garfunkel, with musical partner Art Garfunkel. Simon wrote most of the pair's songs, including three that reached number one on the US singles...
's "Mother and Child Reunion" plus a slew of authentically Hendrix-like tracks (also featuring former Experience bassist Noel Redding
Noel Redding
Noel Redding was an English rock and roll guitarist best known as the bassist for The Jimi Hendrix Experience.-Biography:...
, AKA 'Clit McTorius'). In 1972 the album was released at virtually the same moment as Jo Jo Gunne's first, eponymous album that featured "Run, Run Run" and a Spirit album called Feedback that was recorded by Cassidy and Locke (who were Spirit's jazz influences) and guitarist/bassist brother duo Al and John Staehely, who wrote and sang most of the material on the LP.
In 1974 California legally acquired the band name Spirit. From then on, he and Cassidy (who is the only musician who appeared on all Spirit albums) stuck together. That year, they signed with Mercury Records.
Death
Randy California drowned in the ocean while rescuing his twelve-year-old son from a rip currentRip current
A rip current, commonly referred to by the misnomer rip tide, is a strong channel of water flowing seaward from near the shore, typically through the surf line. Typical flow is at 0.5 metres per second , and can be as fast as 2.5 metres per second...
near the home of Bernice Pearl at Molokai
Molokai
Molokai or Molokai is an island in the Hawaiian archipelago. It is 38 by 10 miles in size with a land area of , making it the fifth largest of the main Hawaiian Islands and the 27th largest island in the United States. It lies east of Oahu across the 25-mile wide Kaiwi Channel and north of...
, Hawaii. He managed to push his son Quinn (who survived) towards the shore.
Solo albums
- Kapt. Kopter and the (Fabulous) Twirly BirdsKapt. Kopter and the (Fabulous) Twirly Birds-Personnel:*Randy California – vocals, guitar, waterbass , producer*Charlie Bundy – bass*Ed Cassidy - drums*Roger Dollarhide – engineer*Larry "Fuzzy" Knight – bass*Tim McGovern - drums...
(1972) - Euro-American (1982)
- Restless (1985)
- Shattered Dreams (1986)
- The Euro-American Years, 1979–1983, 4-CD set (2007)
Videotaped performances
- "Night of the Guitar", Hammersmith Odeon, London, November 26, 1988 CD: (IRSD-83000)
External links
- Randy California Tribute page with artwork by Jim Warren