KNIGHTS OF THE GRANDE BMF REUNION
JAGGED EDGE
THE GANG
STONEY & THE WESTSIDERS
REV. MARC FALCONBERRY OF PINK PEACH MOB
SATURDAY MARCH 20, 2003
8:30 pm
$13.00
Purchase Tickets NowIn the mid to late 1960s the Grande Ballroom was one of the premiere live music venues in the world. Every weekend, music lovers would go there to hear some of the greatest jazz, blues and rock bands of all time: John Coltrane, Howlin’ Wolf, Muddy Watters, James Cotton, The Doors, Cream, Janis Joplin and many more shared the stage with some of the greatest all-time Detroit rock bands, including SRC, Savage Grace, the MC5 and many others.
On Saturday, March 20th, Tenny Street will host its second in a series of reunions of some of the best Detroit musicians to play the Grande. The line-up: Jagged Edge and the gang featuring both original geezers and new band members, and joined by Marc Falconberry of Pink Peach Mob.
Inspired by the emergence of concert venues like the Avalon and Fillmore in San Francisco, the Grande was the brainchild of an entrepreneurial high school teacher and local disk jockey; "Uncle" Russ Gibb. Catering to what Gibb hoped would be a hipper, musically maturing crowd, the Grande struggled through its first year but inadvertently proved to be the perfect classroom for the young Detroit bands learning their craft, particularly the MC5 who became the de-facto "house band". Success arrived as the ballroom began to host the important touring acts of the era and continued its series of concert posters and handbills which were artistically as distinct as those promoting shows in San Francisco. All of Detroit and Ann Arbor's top talent - including the Five, The Rationals, SRC (who kinda got the ball rolling back at the Hideout when they were the Fugitives), Billy C and the Sunshine, Jagged Edge, The Woolies, Thyme, and The Frost played the Grande regularly, either as headliners or opening for the national touring acts. And aspiring to the ballroom's massive stage provided the initial motivation for another powerful wave of local groups like The Amboy Dukes, Psychedelic Stooges, Third Power and Savage Grace -- all marching in Michigan's new "Guitar Army".
Here's a little something about the bands you'll be seeing:
JAGGED EDGE
In the introduction to these pages is a postulate about how Detroit's self-satisfied yet self-consuming music scene of the era eventually turned some of the best local bands into mincemeat before they had a chance to get the big break. One could easily speculate that the theory has it's roots in the story of Jagged Edge.
Formed in 1966 and centered around their talented vocalist Stoney Mazar, the band started out performing soul covers of James Brown, Ray Charles and the like. Later, the band would hop on to the psychedelic bandwagon when that form became popular. Jagged Edge had a reputation for wild clothing and behavior as well as for Stoney's original songs such as "Delilah" & "Crystal Rain."
By 1968, the band was a prominent, indeed regular attraction at the Grande Ballroom where they could be seen opening up for The Who, Cream, Pink Floyd and others. They were also on the opening act for the Doors at Cobo Hall in May of 1968.
Over time, Jagged Edge had accumulated all the credentials: top-notch vocal and instrumental prowess forming an original sound with energy and funk that became legendary — at least locally. Everybody who witnessed an Edge show knew they could rip it up on stage. The band had paid their dues and were rapidly approachingthe status of headline act as well as attracting record company interest when things began to go awry. A series of management misfortunes cost them opportunities and the band had begun recording what would have been their first album but the master tapes were destroyed in a fire at United Sound Studio in 1969, which seemed to sound the death knell for the group.
While the details of their decline and demise are not terribly important, the members of the group proved resilient after Jagged Edge. Ira Pack took up the guitar spot in the group Howl the Good which released a fine, self-titled album with an odd cover on Rare Earth in the early seventies (overlooked but on the verge of becoming a collectable today) while Thompson went on to play with Edgar Winter. Stoney has continued to perform for the Detroit audiences over the years, currently fronting the popular Stoney Mazar and the Westsiders
THE GANG
by Dan Angott www.myfirstband.com
The Gang were an extremely big influence on a lot of up and coming bands in the Detroit area at large, and in Northwest Detroit in particular. Along with Ted Nugent's first band The Lourds, (although I was firmly in the Gang camp) they set the standard...they had the look, they had the chops.
Two members of it's original lineup (Steve Farmer and Greg Arama) went on to join Ted Nugent in the legendary Amboy Dukes. O'Brien and Butler wound up for a time in Wilson Mower Pursuit, while Henderson took The Gang into the next phase with Doug Gunch, Ken Bash, and drummer Lenny Mintz.
Marc Falconberry (Pink Peach Mob)
Marc played at the Grande with his band Pink Peach Mob. He has shared the stage with Alice Cooper, Bob Seger, Rod Stewart, Chuck Berry, Janis Joplin, Ted Nugent and Iggy Pop, among others. His commitment to preaching the blues has led to the appellation, Reverend Marc Falconberry. He will play with Stoney Mazur's band.
The BMF Dance should be a gas as we revisit the old days and catch up on what these guys are doing today. Plan on staying all night.
Bring New School supplies to be donated for the benefit of needy children.