Living and following music in the state of Florida has provided me with unique perspective. Florida has quite an interesting musical history as well as current scene. Florida has a certain diversity, much like the overall cultures of the state populace. Therefore each time I get an opportunity to write about a Florida-based band, it is an interesting endeavor. This week I have in front of me a chance to write about a band with a rich history, who is currently active and still connected to past members. The origin of the band also provides a unique part of their story. This week, Weekly Music Commentary features the rock band Blackfoot.
During the spring of 1969, Rickey Medlocke and Greg T. Walker met New York City native Charlie Hargrett in Jacksonville and organized the band “Fresh Garbage”, featuring Medlocke on drums and vocals, Walker on bass, Hargrett on guitar and Ron Sciabarasi on keyboards. That autumn, Fresh Garbage dissolved following the departure of Sciabarasi. However, Medlocke, Walker and Hargrett regrouped and formed the band “Hammer”, with Medlocke switching to vocalist/guitarist and with new recruits Jakson Spires (drums), DeWitt Gibbs (keyboards) and Jerry Zambito (guitars) joining the band. Gibbs and Zambito had previously played together in Tangerine. They soon relocated to Gainesville, Florida to be the house band of Dub’s, a well-known topless bar on the outskirts of town.
About the beginning of 1970, the band relocated to Manhattan after a friend, who was working in a music publishing company, told her boss about the band and he had them move to New York City. During the early spring of that same year, the band decided to change their name. Why? One reason was a conflict with another band called Hammer. However, more importantly they decided to change their name to Blackfoot to represent the American Indian heritage of Walker, Spires and Medlocke. (Jakson Spires (from Oklahoma) had a Cheyenne/French father and a Cherokee mother; Rickey Medlocke’s father was Lakota Sioux and Blackfoot Indian, and his mother’s side is Creek/Cherokee, Scottish and Irish; Greg “Two Wolf” Walker is part Eastern (Muskogee) Creek, a federally recognized Florida Indian tribe)
Like many bands formed before and after Blackfoot, the band had to deal with professional setbacks and difficulty remaining a group. During one particular hiatus, Medlocke and Walker accepted an offer to join Lynyrd Skynyrd. This would prove noteworthy because the two bands would remain linked by way of Medlocke even down until today.
By 1974 the band had returned their base of operations to the Northeast (Northern New Jersey) and Medlocke developed nodes on his vocal cords and temporarily lost his voice. Another singer, Patrick Jude, was brought into the band. After a brief time, Medlocke was able to sing again and Jude was dismissed. Soon afterward, Medlocke and Walker sent producers/session players Jimmy Johnson and David Hood a copy of Blackfoot’s material. Johnson and Hood had worked with Medlocke and Walker in Muscle Shoals, Alabama when they were there recording with Lynyrd Skynyrd. No Reservations was released by the company Island Records during 1975 as part of a deal organized by Blackfoot’s then manager Lou Manganiello, and their second record album, Flying High, was vended by Epic Records company during 1976. Both record albums were produced by Johnson and Hood.
By late 1975, the group was living back in Gainesville, Florida. During 1977 they communicated with Black Oak Arkansas’ manager, Butch Stone, who hired them as the backing group for one of his clients, Ruby Starr, who had been a backup singer for Black Oak but was now becoming self-employed. After the stint with Ruby ended during 1978, they met Brownsville Station manager Al Nalli and his partner Jay Frey, who got them a contract with the company Atco Records.
Blackfoot Strikes, produced by Al Nalli and engineered by Brownsville Station drummer Henry Weck, was recorded in Nalli’s basement studio in Ann Arbor, Michigan and was completed by January 1979. It was destined to be the band’s most commercially successful effort. The song “Train, Train”, written by Rickey’s grandfather, “Shorty” Medlocke, became their first success and best known song. “Highway Song” proved to be another success for them later that year.
Throughout their history Blackfoot has recorded eleven studio albums and seven live albums. Over those years Blackfoot has gained a loyal base of fans, and gained many more through the efforts of later band lineups. Some readers may not be familiar with Blackfoot, and possibly wonder why I would choose to feature a band that found much of its success over thirty to forty years ago. Well, Blackfoot is still very much active musically today. In fact, they are currently on the road as the opening act for Lynyrd Skynyrd.
I got an opportunity to interview current lead singer/guitarist of Blackfoot Tim Rossi, just before the Florida dates for their shows with Lynyrd Skynyrd. If you want to read the full interview, click on the following link and visit sister publication Florida Music Letter.
I learned a few things from that interview. One thing that I admired was the conscious effort to link what the group is doing now, to the music of the past. Rossi reiterated the effort, “To be a part of that, to be able to carry on that legacy is something that is very meaningful to me. Although I have a very good time while playing for Blackfoot, I take it very seriously. There is a very high bar that has been set. It’s good to continue to play and have a responsibility to old fans, as well as playing for new fans. I’m a very blessed guy.”
I also like the fact that Blackfoot is still working on new music. In fact, when I interviewed Rossi he was on his way back to the studio for more work. On August 5, 2016 Blackfoot released their first album in 20 years, Southern Native. For the long time Florida-based band, the music continues and they remain on the road.