Rhinoceros were a short-lived rock band in late 1960s.
Paul A. Rothchild, then Elektra Records' talent scout and house producer conceived the idea to individually sign talented young musicians and then put them together in a group. Paul A Rothchild ( April 18, 1935 - March 30, 1995) was a prominent American Record producer of the late 1960s and 1970s Elektra Records is a now-dormant American Record label owned by Warner Music Group (WMG and from 2004 on operating under WMG's Atlantic Records They were
- John Finley, lead vocal
- Michael Fonfara, organ
- Alan Gerber, keyboard
- Doug Hastings, guitar
- Danny Weis, guitar
- Jerry "The Bear" Penrod, bass
- Billy Mundi, drums
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Formation
Jon and Lee & The Checkmates singer John Finley had been contacted by Paul Rothchild who had wanted to sign the group in November 1965. John Finley may refer to John Park Finley (1854-1943 American tornado expert John Huston Finley (1863-1940 American academic and editor Guitarist Danny Weis (born September 28, 1948 in Huntington Park California) was a founding member of Iron Butterfly and appeared on the band's Jerry "The Bear" Penrod (born September 25 1946 in San Diego, California) is a Bass player. Billy Mundi (born Antonio Salas, September 25 1942 in San Francisco is an American drummer who has played a multitude of sessions and been a member of countless bands most Best known for containing future members of Elektra band Rhinoceros, Jon and Lee & The Checkmates together with Mandala, spearheaded Toronto’s vibrant R&B scene Rothchild invited Finley and Checkmates' bass player Peter Hodgson to his house in Laurel Canyon, Hollywood on November 30 to audition for a supergroup he was forming, subsequently to become Rhinoceros.
The Checkmates' keyboardist Fonfara had joined The Electric Flag in mid-November for sessions and a brief tour of the US northeast and California. The Electric Flag, formed in 1967, was a Blues rock soul group led by Guitarist Mike Bloomfield, keyboardist Barry Goldberg During mid-December, he ran into Finley and Hodgson at the Tropicana Motel in Los Angeles after being elbowed out of The Electric Flag and signed up to the Rhinceros project.
Career
Their self-titled debut album, produced by Paul Rothchild, was released in 1968. Despite heavy promotion and critical acclaim it didn't sell well. The album contained the instrumental "Apricot Brandy", which was later used as a signature tune by BBC radio, and was covered by Danny Gatton for the 1990 compilation Rubáiyát. Danny Gatton ( September 4, 1945 – October 4, 1994) was a talented and enigmatic American Guitarist who committed Rubáiyát is a Compilation album, released in 1990 to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Elektra Records Record label. Another of the album's songs, "Let Me Serenade You" was covered by Three Dog Night and went to #17 in the US in 1973. Three Dog Night is an American Rock band, best known for their music from 1968&ndash1975 but still making live appearances as of 2008
The next two years saw many changes of the line-up and two more albums. For their second album "Satin Chickens" (1969), Peter Hodgson replaced Jerry Penrod on bass. Hodgson had originally lost out to Jerry Penrod and subsequently rejoined David Clayton-Thomas in Toronto for his "David Clayton-Thomas Combine". David Clayton-Thomas (born David Henry Thomsett, 13 September 1941, Kingston upon Thames, Surrey, England, UK He later returned to Los Angeles to work with Jackson Browne before finally joining Rhinoceros in April 1969. Clyde Jackson Browne (born October 9, 1948) is a German -born American rock Singer-songwriter and Musician.
Alan Gerber and Billy Mundi, who had left the band, were replaced by two ex-Checkmates. Checkmates' guitarist Larry Leishman had played with "Freedom Fair" and "The Power Project" until mid-1968 and then with Bobby Kris & The Imperials. Larry Leishman (born April 4 1947 in Dunfermline Scotland is a Canadian guitarist who was a member of Toronto R&B outfit Jon and Lee & The Checkmates during the mid '60s Bobby Kris & The Imperials were a popular '60s Toronto folk-rock band that had a local hit with Burt Bacharch and Hal David's "Walk On By" In early 1969, he reunited with Checkmates' manager/drummer Duke Edwards in The Duke Edwards Cycle. Later that year, both musicians joined Rhinoceros.
"Better Times Are Coming", their third and last album, appeared in 1970.
Blackstone
In 1971, after the break up of Rhinoceros, John Finley, Michael Fonfara, Peter Hodgson, Danny Weis and Larry Leishman formed a new group called Blackstone, who recorded an album for Canadian label GRT, produced by Paul Rothchild. The musicians then went their separate ways.
References
External links
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